The four-day tournament, starting on August 4 (NZ time), brings together the best under-15 teams from around the world with Onehunga earning its spot after winning through firstly the New Zealand, and then the Australasian, sections of qualifying.
The prize for the Sports side, coached by Hiroshi Miyazawa and Leigh Kenyon, is the opportunity to face the likes of European giants Manchester United, Chelsea, Valencia and PSV Eindhoven with Argentinean powerhouses Boca Juniors also in the mix for the tournament draw made on August 3.
Many of the Onehunga Sports squad play in the Auckland U-17 Metro competition and a number of the players involved have been part of the Auckland Football TDP programme in recent years, with the side’s youngest player, Liam Jordan, the captain of the Auckland Football U-12 Weir Rose Bowl champion Spurs side in 2010.
Miyazawa says the real value of reaching the tournament is in the players being exposed to a high standard of play.
“The big benefit is the players will find out where they stand in the world of football,” Miyazawa says.
“The experience will help them find out how far away they are from the top level as a team and as individuals. It’s a rare opportunity for New Zealand players to go up against players who will be professionals one day. It will be a valuable experience.”
Miyazawa, who has been to the tournament before as part of the Central United contingent in 2007, says there are targets for the group from a results perspective but they won’t be changing their approach in order to claim points.
“These boys are learning how to play football. We don’t want to change our philosophy of development and we certainly won’t be looking to change our tactics just to win games.”
One area Miyazawa believes will serve his side well in their hunt for a strong showing is the international mileage they’ve already clocked up in their young lives.
“This group have already been on two international tours and have international experience so are quite mature in that respect and I think that is one of their strengths.”
Before the tournament begins, the team will have a training camp in Bolton and have confirmed a warm-up match against Blackburn Rovers while other friendlies are also in the pipeline.
Onehunga Sports Manchester United Premier Cup team
Goalkeepers: Timothy Allen, Conor Tracey
Defenders: Adam Mitchell, Frazer Diver, Moses Dyer, Patrick Gray, Nathan Reive, Jardin Draper
Midfielders: Arthur Yanagisawa, Michael Den Heijer, Liam Jordan, Nick Sugden, Shalvin Sharma, John Gribble
Forwards: Stuart Holthusen, Jordan Hunter
Head coach: Hiroshi Miyazawa
Assistant coach: Leigh Kenyon
Goalkeeper coach/Team manager: Takashi Matsumura
Club representative: Tony Porter
Road to Manchester
New Zealand Regional Qualifiers
vs Central Utd FC 2 – 1 (Stuart Holthusen 2)
vs Three Kings Utd 1 – 1 (Nick Sugden)
vs Fencibles Utd AFC 1 – 0 (Liam Jordan)
vs Bucklands Beach AFC 4 – 0 (Michael Den Heijer, Liam Jordan, Stuart Holthusen, Nathan Reive)
vs Ellerslie AFC 2 – 0 (Michael Den Heijer, Nick Sugden)
New Zealand National Final
vs Forrest Hill Milford Utd AFC 1 – 0 (Liam Jordan)
Australasian Finals – Qualifying round
vs Victorian Champions – Monash City FC 3 – 0 (Shalvin Sharma, Stuart Holthusen 2)
vs New South Wales Champions – Bonnyrigg FC 1 – 1 (Liam Jordan)
vs Western Australia Champions – Forrestfield United 2 – 0 (Arthur Yanagisawa, Nick Sugden)
Australasian Semi-final
vs Queensland Champions – Loganholme FC 3 – 1 (Stuart Holthusen, Arthur Yanagisawa, Nick Sugden)
Australasian Final
vs Monash City FC 1 – 0 (Liam Jordan)
Story courtesy of Auckland Football Federation.
For more on Auckland football go to www.aucklandfootball.org.nz