“Team spirit and cohesion in our squad are simply sensational. Otherwise successes like this would never be possible,” said Harald Ebenfuhrer, one of the coaches of the U16s of the SPG St. Ulrich/Garsten, after returning with his youth team from the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg (Sweden). More than 1600 teams from around 60 nations take part in the world’s largest youth tournament. In the U16 alone there were 167 teams from 23 nations. The St. Ulrich/Garstner mixture ended up in fifth place. The boys conceded their only defeat in the semi-final match against eventual winner Vikungur from Reykjavik (Iceland).
“That was the best result that an Austrian team has ever achieved at the Gothia Cup,” emphasizes Ebenführer, “and it was a sensational end to the season for our young players.”
The imposing opening ceremony in the Ullevi Stadium in front of 40,000 spectators was impressive, with the U16 players from the Steyr region representing Austria. Then things got down to business on the field – and that’s when the talents from Ortisei and Garsten showed their strengths. At the start there was a 1-1 draw against an academy team from Gothenburg, after that a 2-2 draw against the Vallentuna academy from Stockholm despite a clear superiority, in the end Intercups MX Mexico was defeated 2-0 and promotion to the knockout round fixed.
There Almhuts IF was first thrown out of the competition 3-1, as a result Conejo Valley United from Los Angeles were eliminated 2-0. As the last German-speaking team, the Ulrich team met the Brazilian team Interclubes from Sao Paulo in the round of 16. After a 0-0 draw, the people of Ennstal prevailed 6-5 in the eleven-a-side thriller, before the quarter-finals against the physically superior Icelanders came to an end.
“The reception that we received from 100 friends, players and parents when we returned at half past one in the morning at the Ulrich sports field was also unforgettable,” says Ebenführer, for whom a special thank you is important: “Without the support of many sponsors and patrons this incredible adventure would have been impossible for our crew.”
Source: Nachrichten
