This weekend, the academy teams in the ÖFB Youth Leagues are back after their winter break, with our co-operation partner FC Liefering setting their sights on a treble. All three teams are to restart with a visit to their young counterparts at Sturm Graz. The preparations have gone well, with some standout successes recorded during the so-called winter break.
Within a whisker of a tournament win
Bildquelle: Jhony Inácio / @jhonyfotoesportiva
At the end of January, our oldest academy team was in action in Brazil at the FAM Cup Sub-17. Beichler's boys, who were the only European team represented, beat Corinthians and Palmeiras to make the so-called Gold Series. Alessandro Ciardi and his team-mates made the final to make a tournament win - which would have been the second after 2020 - within reach. It remained just agonisingly out of reach in the end though, with Internacional Porto Alegre beating our boys 8-7 in a nail-biting penalty shootout. As well as second place, our boys had two individual honours to celebrate - Kenneth Adejenughure was named top scorer and Christian Zawieschitzky best goalkeeper.
Mixing with the greats
Bildquelle: @spopixx / Joshua Hoffmann
Friedrichshafen has a special place in aeronautical history with the Zeppelin museums, and in December the U15 side of FC Liefering were in mtu-Cup action there - and how they soared! They took third place in the group behind Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven, ensuring they made it into Group B in the final round. They mixed with some of the greats of European football there - in a group with FC Barcelona Blue, VfB Stuttgart and FC Chelsea, they took third place. FC Barcelona Grana (dark red) won the tournament. Just a few weeks later, the Salzburg boys shone again - taking a third-place finish in the 13th BWK ArenaCup.
Flawless girls
Our U16w side managed to build on what was already a strong autumn in the U14 - 1. Sparkassenliga. In the winter preparation period, the girls have not conceded a single goal! Not only did Sara Grabovac & Co take a 2-0 win over their counterparts at FC Bayern – with wins over Bergheim's Future League Team (4-0), Austria Klagenfurt (5-0) and a Carinthian U16 selection (7-0) as well as a goalless draw against the St. Pölten U17 academy, the girls look more than ready for the resumption of the season at the end of March.
Showdown in the UEFA Youth League
The kind of successes and experiences mentioned above are what the likes of Lukas Wallner & Co draw on these days in the ADMIRAL 2. Liga. After an unbeaten run of winter friendly matches, FC Liefering made a great start to 2024 in the Austrian second flight with a 2-1 win in Dornbirn.
Liefering coach Onur Cinel will be on the sidelines next week in the do-or-die clash UEFA Youth League clash with Nantes for a spot in the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals. Can his boys build even further on an historic group phase? You can come down to the Red Bull Academy to see how it all unfolds, with tickets still on sale.
youth league ticket info
© Titelfoto: Jhony Inácio / @jhonyfotoesportiva
