The Alcons Soccer Academy recently concluded a tour of Raleigh, North Carolina, and took several positive results as it continued to observe its developmental policy and open opportunities for several of its talented players.Five matches were originally scheduled but were reduced to four as the tour opener rained out.Alcons' opening match saw it secure an outstanding 2-1 victory over the Carolina Soccer Academy's Under-20 outfit. Dillon Lord and Ajmal Smith scored for Alcons.
The second fixture was against professional unit Greensboro Dynamo which ended in a 0-5 defeat, and understandably so, against a more advanced team.The third fixture was against the CASL Academy's U-20 team which resulted in a narrow 1-0 loss to the T&T team.The final match, however, saw Alcons respond well with a 2-2 draw against the U-21 outfit of the same CASL Academy.t was a successful outing and a great experience for the team which comprised players of an average age of 17 years old, according to the club's director Alvin Corneal, who made the trip.
Corneal said several of the outstanding players were seen by coaches from eight Universities who observed the series of matches.He highlighted Mario Kissoon, Xavier Rajpaul, Justin Garcia and goalkeeper Joseph Craig who were among the players who performed admirably and impressed the coaches who travelled to take a look at potential scholarship recipients.Corneal indicated that responses have been forthcoming from four schools for certain players and the process of examining their transcripts has already begun.
The academy expressed gratitude to sponsors the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT), Nedco, TSTT and other private donors which lent their support to the aspiring players."Unfortunately, some of the very talented players were refused Visas to travel, but the coaches decided that they will make the trip to Trinidad in order to scout the players who are scholarship material," said Corneal.
He identified several universities–NC State, UNC Chapell Hill, Shaw University, Elon University and UNC Greensboro–as some of the interested institutions.Alcons has since started preparing two teams for tournaments in Panama for the U-20 squad, and to the Disney Tournament in Orlando, Florida, in December.