top of page
Search

Costa Rica’s L.D. Alajuelense Joins the 2023 Gordon Jago Super Group


DALLAS, Texas (Tuesday, Jan. 31) – Dallas Cup, the oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in North America, has announced that Costa Rica’s Liga Deportiva Alajuelense will compete in the Gordon Jago Super Group at the 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola.


Dallas Cup is proud to welcome back the storied Costa Rican side as they make their third Super Group appearance since the elite bracket was formed in 1990. Alajuelense would become the first team from Costa Rica to win the coveted Super Group “Boot & Ball” championship trophy.


LD Alajuelense first competed at Dallas Cup in 1993 playing in the U19 Super Group


L.D. Alajuelense last competed in Dallas Cup in 2012, but the club has a long history at the tournament dating back to the early 90s. Los Leones first competed at Dallas Cup in the 1993 Super Group and the club quickly became a mainstay in the tournament field after that. From 1993 to 2012, Alajuelense played in Dallas Cup 11 times and brought 22 teams to compete across all age groups, including the Under 12 team that hoisted the club’s lone “Boot & Ball” trophy in 2003. The 2003 championship team was led by current Costa Rica National Team forward Joel Campbell.


Joel Campbell, who started all 3 games for Costa Rica at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, celebrating the 2003 U12 Dallas Cup title


The L.D. Alajuelense first-team plays in the Costa Rican Primera Division, the top tier of the Costa Rican league system. Alajuelense is one of the most successful teams in Costa Rica and Central America, having won 30 national championships. With the 2022-2023 campaign underway, Alajuelense sits atop the table in the early going as they eye another Primera Division title.


L.D. Alajuelense is the ninth team announced for the 2023 Gordon Jago Super Group. The Costa Rican side joins Spanish giant Real Madrid, England’s Arsenal FC, Denmark’s FC Midtjylland, the Brazilian duo of São Paulo FC and Botafogo, Liga MX’s Tigres and CF Monterrey, as well as Canada’s Toronto FC, who were all previously announced. In total, 12 elite teams hailing from top pro clubs and national federations around the world will vie for the iconic Super Group “Boot & Ball” trophy.


The 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola will be played April 2 through April 9. The boys’ tournament component will once again be played concurrently with the Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational presented by Mary Kay (Girls 15U-18/19U) which runs April 1 through April 7. Fans and teams alike can learn more about the tournament by visiting www.DallasCup.org or following us on social media @dallascup.

Comments


bottom of page