MLS Innagural U-17 Cup...

During my routine check of the Colorado Rapids website today, I was excited to see a press release of the upcoming SUM U-17 Cup. The tournament will be held in the week before the 2007 MLS All*Star game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Champion will be crowned the morning of the ASG. This new event shows a big commitment by MLS teams in their youth program. All MLS fans should be excited by this news.

12 teams will take place in the tournament. The home team Colorado Rapids will field an A & B team, presumably to make the field even and to make up for New England and Toronto FC who have not yet started their youth programs.

Here is the big commitment I refered to earlier:

this tournament is being hosted at no cost to all participants as Soccer United Marketing and participating MLS Teams are covering the costs of player travel, accommodations and other tournament-related expenses.

MLS gets it! For their youth system to be a success it needs to be a system they pay for, not the players. MLS teams need to continue to grow their youth systems and these types of events will no doubt evolve, but this is a great first step. Hopefully in the near future, we'll see MLS youth teams in such prestigious events such as the Dallas Cup and other youth tournaments around the world. It will be exciting to see which MLS youth team comes out on top next Thursday, before the MLS All*Star game.

***Edit***
I don't know how I missed it the first time, but according to MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis the winner of the SUM U-17 tournament will go to "an internationally-renowned youth tournament in Spain."