Dundalk lads enjoy another great year at the Gothia Cup
Eighteen young football players from Dundalk were in Gothenburg, Sweden recently getting a taste of international prestige at the Gothia Cup.
This year’s edition of the tournament attracted 1,745 teams from a total of 81 countries, making it a logistical feat that rivals some of the biggest sporting events in the world.
During the week some 4,500 games, from U11-U18 level, were played on 110 fields in and around the city of Gothenburg. A total of 42,000 players took part in the tournament and the opening ceremony at the Ullevi Stadium — the venue where Pele announced his arrival on the world stage in 1958 — attracted a crowd of 56,000 spectators.
Legendary names
The tournament has witnessed the emergence of some serious football talent over the past couple of decades, with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alan Shearer, Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo and Emmanuel Adebayor having all played at the Gothia Cup during their younger days.
The Dundalk lads got the opportunity to play against teams from different countries and experience different styles of football and they enjoyed a very successful tournament, winning three games from five which was an excellent ratio considering the squad only started preparing for the tournament in June due to club and exam commitments.
The dispensation rules in the U16 age group allows teams to use players born after August 1 1999, and one of those players, Glenmuir United striker Conor Nicholson, was Dundalk’s Player of the Tournament, scoring seven goals in the first four games.
Conor’s goal in the 3–1 defeat against London side, Heath & Regents FC, was an outstanding piece of individual ability; an overhead bicycle kick on the edge of the box that was a contender for overall Goal of the Gothia Cup.
Great start
Dundalk opened their tournament by easily beating Karlbergs BK from Stockholm 4–0 thanks to a hat trick from Nicholson and a fourth goal from Jamie Farrell.
Alexandria Sporting Club from Egypt were Dundalk’s opponents on day two and a goal in each half by Nicholson maintained Dundalk’s 100% start.
English side Heath & Regents FC beat Dundalk 3–1 on Wednesday morning but the six points Dundalk earned in the first two games was enough to qualify for the A Section of the tournament.
In 2015, Dundalk qualified for the B Section and were beaten on penalties in the final — their ninth game — by IFK Goteborg at the SKF Arena in Heden Gothenburg.
Best of the week
With just five hours to prepare and recover from their morning game against Heath & Regents FC, Dundalk took to the field to face Swedish side Tidaholms GIF where they produced their best performance of the week, recording a 3–1 win over the local side who were urged on by a large home support.
Jamie Chong scored his first ever goal for Dundalk in the 16th minute but Tidaholms GIF equalised two minutes before half time. Odhran Kieran rattled the Swedish post in a very tough second half where play switched from end to end with goalkeeper Ronan Gaughran producing two magnificent saves to keep Dundalk in the game.
A penalty shootout looked the likely outcome but a superb strike from Nicholson put Dundalk 2–1 ahead and a Daniel Mullen penalty in the last minute sealed a fantastic win, propelling Dundalk into the last 32 from 186 teams in the U16 section.
“One thing I’ve learned is that Dundalk boys never cease to surprise you, they just keep going if it at all possible,” said manager Brian McGuinness after the game.
Fitness and fatigue
McGuinness’ players had little time to reflect on their magnificent achievement as they tried to recover from fatigue and injuries in time to face American side, Las Vegas Sports Academy less than 24 hours later.
The quick turnaround proved to be their downfall as Dundalk suffered a heavy defeat in a noon kick off played in 30 degrees heat against the eventual overall winners of the Gothia Cup.
Dundalk lost their two consistent centre backs, Oisin McCabe and Jamie Doherty, to injury in the game with Tidaholms GIF along with midfield players, Mark Gaughran and Caolan Dines, and several other players were carrying slight knocks going into the game with Las Vegas.
The USA team were very comfortable in the scorching temperatures but the Dundalk players had to be rotated every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid suffering sunstroke as the health and safety of the players became a priority for the Dundalk management duo of McGuinness and Ciaran Caldwell.
First time
The defeat and exit from the tournament took nothing away from the overall performance of the Dundalk players throughout the week with nine of the players tasting representative football for Dundalk Schoolboys League for the very first time.
The Dundalk players and staff were able to take in some games along with the sights of Gothenburg over the next two days and they even had time to stop off in Malmo on the way home.
Local side Malmo FF are the current Swedish league leaders — the same position as Dundalk FC — so it was well worth a visit to watch them play Kalmar FF in front of 20,000 passionate home fans at the Swedbank Stadion, the hosts snatching a 1–1 draw in the 93rd minute.
It was a great end to a fantastic week, one that the players and staff will never forget.
“The Gothia Cup is one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments in the world,” said McGuinness, “and this is a once in-a-lifetime experience for the boys. It’s something they will remember forever.”
The players and management would like to thank David McKenny and Daniel Fenton for their help with coaching and preparing the team prior to the tournament.
DUNDALK SQUAD: David Hayes, Jamie Doherty, Jamie Farrell, Cian O’Donoghue, Jordan Traynor, Luke Hazzard, Oisin Meegan, Oisin McCabe, Mark Gaughran, Daniel Mullen, Jack O’Connor, Odhran Kieran, Dylan Owens, Ronan Gaughran, Feidhelm Joyce, Caolan Dines, Jamie Chong, Conor Nicholson. Manager: Brian McGuinness. Assistant: Ciaran Caldwell.
