Historic Bundesliga side to compete in the U19 Gordon Jago Super Group, U14 Boys, and U17 Girls divisions to celebrate club’s 20th anniversary at Dallas Cup
DALLAS, Texas (Friday, Dec. 1) – Dallas Cup, the oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in North America, is pleased to announce the participation of historic Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024 Dallas Cup. Eintracht Frankfurt will compete across three divisions, including the elite U19 Gordon Jago Super Group, as well as the U14 Boys and U17 Girls divisions.
This marks Eintracht Frankfurt's 20th Anniversary at the Dallas Cup, debuting in 2004 and maintaining an unbroken streak of participation, except for the 2005 edition. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic also prevented their involvement in the 2021 tournament, which saw international participants unable to compete. Head of the Eintracht Frankfurt Youth Academy Alex Richter applauds the 20th anniversary of participation and the impact the tournament has on young players. “We are really looking forward to the Dallas Cup. Taking part in international tournaments or competitions is a great experience for our talented players both on and off the pitch and helps them develop both on a sporting and personal level.”
In addition to their longevity at the tournament, Eintracht Frankfurt boasts on-field success, winning six coveted "Boot & Ball" championship trophies, including the prestigious 2011 Super Group title, and most recently, the Boys U14 title in 2022. At the 2024 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola, The Eagles will once again be participating in the U19 Gordon Jago Super Group and the U14 Boys division. Competing against top clubs from the United States and different parts of the world, Eintracht Frankfurt is eager to bring more hardware back home to Germany next spring.
As Eintracht Frankfurt Sport Director, Timmo Hardung emphasizes the importance of the tournament for prospective players in the long-term. “Along with our other global scouting platforms, the Dallas Cup is an exciting stage to get a broad scope of American youth players. Competing against top international clubs also provides a good assessment of the potential talent pool. Looking at our current and previous professional team players, and the greater pattern of Americans in the Bundesliga, we still see a high potential in future players for Eintracht and, therefore, we put a great significance on the U.S. market.”
Off the field, Eintracht Frankfurt has always been proud to adhere to Dallas Cup’s core value of Community Involvement, taking part in community outreach opportunities like visits to children’s hospitals, advocacy centers, and local schools. Last spring, the U17 Eintracht Frankfurt girls, competing again in 2024, visited Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. Furthermore, the Eintracht boys visited John Quincy Adams Elementary School in the Pleasant Grove area, where they held a skills clinic with the school’s soccer club.
Armin Kraaz, Eintracht’s Head of International Sports Projects Americas, elaborates that, “We are very happy to be one of the very few international clubs that participated consistently over the last two decades. We recognize the Dallas Cup as a unique opportunity for our athletes and coaches to experience fierce worldwide competition on the pitch as well as great American culture off the pitch by living with a local family for ten days. The additional community outreach and social activities are essential for our teams and very important during our international trips. From the great organization of the tournament, we are proud to represent a big German group of around 700 players and coaches who already made this experience, and hopefully many more to come.”
The 2024 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola (Boys U12-U19) will be played March 24 through March 31 as the tournament celebrates an important milestone with its 45th anniversary. The boys’ tournament will once again be played concurrently with the Dallas Cup Girls Invitational (Girls U15-U19) which runs March 23 through March 29.
Fans and teams alike can learn more about the tournament by visiting www.DallasCup.org or following us on social media @dallascup.