The Algarve under-14 soccer team has already completed the first three training sessions, of the 18 planned for this season, which will end with participation, in June, in the Interassociations Lopes da Silva Tournament.
According to the Algarve Football Association, «the preparation began in December, with a double session that brought together a total of 46 players from 16 clubs in the Algarve and continued this Wednesday, with a friendly match against Federación Onubense de Fútbol, in Villablanca».
“We are in the first phase of the preparation process for this selection, a stage in which we aim to observe approximately 40 athletes in two different contexts: two observation training sessions and two games”, says José Borges, regional technical director.
The second game, again against the Spanish team, will be on the 30th of January, in Vila Real de Santo António. “At this stage, the performances and sporting results are not the most important and everyone has the opportunity to compete with the same playing time”, emphasizes José Borges.
Before competing in the 25th edition of the Lopes da Silva Interassociations Tournament, which this year will bring together around 400 athletes between the 23rd and 30th of June in the districts of Leiria and Santarém, the Algarve Under-14 Football Team will take to the field to the Iberian Tournament, in April, for the Vidigueira Tournament, in May, and for the Amizade Tournament and the Olhão Tournament, both in June.
In the Interassociations Lopes da Silva Tournament participate the Under-14 teams of the 22 District and Regional Football Associations.
Among the players who participated in this tournament, Portuguese internationals Rui Patrício, Ricardo Quaresma, João Moutinho, Pizzi and Miguel Veloso and former internationals João Vieira Pinto, Rui Costa, Pauleta, Maniche or Costinha stand out.
The tournament began in 1974 but only in 1995 did it adopt the current designation as a way to honor the former president of the Portuguese Football Federation Luís Carlos Lopes da Silva.
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