U18s in the USA: The complete guide
Liverpool's U18 squad today arrived in North America to contest the Newark Liberty International Soccer Summit alongside teams from Italy, Columbia, Israel and the United States.
The eight-team tournament - first won by FC Porto in 1992 - is highly regarded in youth football circles and has seen the young Reds drawn alongside Macabi Haifa, Fuddercol from Columbia and the hosts, St Benedict's, Prep in Group B.
Italian giants Inter Milan and Queens Park Rangers both feature in Group A.
The first games take place on Tuesday with Liverpool in action at 5pm (local time) when they take on Fuddercol at St Benedict's Prep at the New Jersey Institute of Technology with the final to be decided on Saturday, August 31.
The club's new official American Twitter account - @LFCUSA - will be tweeting live from every game and inside the U18 camp but first, here's everything you need to know about Liverpool's involvement in the 2013 Newark Liberty International Soccer Summit:
The LFC squad
Andrew Firth, Ryan Crump, Tom Brewitt, David Roberts, Nathan Burke, Daniel Cleary, Alex O'Hanlon, Samuel Hart, Adam Phillips, Ryan Kent, Sheyi Ojo, Kristof Polgar, Harry Wilson, Connor Randall, Louis Robles, Daniel Trickett-Smith, Sergi Canos.
The competition
Group A
FC Inter Milan (Italy)
Queens Park Rangers FC
Players Development Academy (NJ)
FC Greater Boston Bolts (MA)
Group B
Liverpool
Maccabi Haifa FC (Israel)
Fuddercol (Colombia)
St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)
The schedule (all times are local)
Tuesday, August 27
12pm: Boston v Queens Park Rangers
2.30pm: PDA v Inter Milan
5pm: Liverpool v Fuddercol
7pm: SBP v Maccabi Haifa
Wednesday, August 28
12pm: PDA v Queens Park Rangers
2.30pm: Boston v Inter Milan
5pm: Maccabi Haifa v Fuddercol
7.30pm: SBP v Liverpool
Friday, August 30
12pm: SBP v Fuddercol
14.30pm: Liverpool v Maccabi Haifa
5pm: PDA vs. Boston
7.30pm: Inter Milan v Queens Park Rangers
Saturday, August 31
12pm: 7th place Consolation - 4th place Group A v 4th place Group B
2.30pm: 5th place Consolation - 3rd place Group A v 3rd place Group B
5pm: 3rd place Consolation - 2nd place Group A v 2nd place Group B
7.30pm: Championship - 1st place Group A v 1st place Group B
The venue
New Jersey Institute of Technology's Lubetkin Field.
The tickets
General admission tickets (no reserved seats) can be purchased on the day of the game at the gate of NJIT's Lubetkin Field. Each ticket purchased will allow you to watch all four games on that day. Day tickets are priced at $5 (students and seniors) and $10 (adults). A four-day pass for all games is $15 (students and seniors) and $30 (adults). Free parking is available at 199 Colden St in Newark.
The past winners
2008: Mexico U18s
2007: Mexico U18s
2004: Cobreloa FC (Chile)
2003: ODP Region 1 (USA)
2002: St. Benedict's Prep
2001: Academia De Tahuichi (Bolivia)
2000: Academia De Tahuichi
1999: Transnet Soccer Academy
1998: Academia De Tahuichi
1997: ODP Region 1
1996: ODP Region 1
1995: Academia De Tahuichi
1994: Academia De Tahuichi
1993: AC Milan, Italy
1992: FC Porto, Portugal
The past participants
Chelsea, Fiorentina, Celtic, Sao Paulo FC, Atlas FC (Mexico).
The vision
"Why is it called a soccer summit? Because it is our desire to grow this into an opportunity for young people around the world, not just to play soccer, but to begin to discuss the significant issues in the world that are going to affect their lives as they grow to adulthood," claims Fr. Edwin Leahy, headmaster at St Benedict's Prep. "I'm extremely excited about this event and what it can grow into. It is another opportunity to provide the chance for kids to share experiences, to compete and to measure themselves against each other. I hope it's something that elevates the city in people's eyes and it becomes a destination, either for people to come watch soccer or to participate in this discussion of world issues. I want to take this beyond soccer."
The Twitter account
Follow @LFCUSA for all coverage of the U18s trip to America plus live updates during each Liverpool match.