MILAN - After the first team's summer tour to the US, New Jersey is now playing host to the lads from the Allievi Nazionali (Under-17s) as a part of a prestigious youth tournament: the Newark Liberty International Soccer Summit.
The tournament is organised by St. Benedict's Prep High School, a team that has won the US national title eight times in the last 25 years. The institution is an example of how sport can be a key component in the growth of our youngsters.
The school was founded in 1868 by Benedictine monks on mission from Germany, and is known for taking students from immigrant backgrounds. Today it's an oasis in a city, Newark, that sadly has one of the highest crime rates in the USA.
The tournament, now into its 16th edition, is played at the NJ Institute of Technology, around 20 minutes from Manhattan. In the past, sides such as AC Milan, Fiorentina, Chelsea, Sao Paulo and Celtic have all competed, along with the Mexican, US and Bolivian Under-17 sides.
The tournament was expanded to eight teams this season. Aside from our Allievi Nazionali, the other sides involved are English pair Liverpool and QPR, Israel's Maccabi Haifa, FUDDERCOL (Colombia), hosts St. Benedict's, the Players Development Academy (Zarephath, NJ) and FC Greater Boston Bolts of Massachusetts.
