Hertha U19s set to embark on US tour
Hertha U19s set to embark on US tour
Berlin - After winning the German U19 championship at the end of last season, the next highlight is just around the corner for the side Michael Hartmann’s Hertha U19s. They are due to compete in the inaugural edition of the International Silverlakes Cup in the USA, which will run from 25th to 29th July at the Silverlakes Sports Complex in Los Angeles and see Hertha take on big name opposition from Germany, Mexico and the USA, namely Los Angeles Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes (both USA) and Club Atlas Guadelajara (Mexico). The competition’s other group will see fellow German sides Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart take on Salt Lake City (USA) and Club Tijuana (Mexico) to progress further in the tournament.
Michael Hartmann sees the competition as a huge opportunity for the young players: “This is the sort of chance that doesn’t come around every year for boys this age. The experiences that they can gain there will be invaluable for their development.” By participating in a competition such as this, Hertha BSC is continuing its commitment to ensuring its teams gather as much experience playing against international competition as possible.
The invitation to the USA is definitely something very special. “We are extremely happy to have been given the opportunity to take part in this competition,” says head of the academy Benjamin Weber before adding: “it will be interesting for us to see how our young talent handle themselves playing against good international competition.” A further challenge will be to see how the youngsters deal with the high amounts of travel and the unfamiliar climate. The Silverlakes Cup will be the big highlight in the preparations for the new U19 Bundesliga season, which will begin with a tough test against VfL Wolfsburg in August.
Hertha will set off for the USA on Monday 23rd July, before they play in their first game against LA Galaxy on Wednesday at 18:00 CEST. They will then play Club Atlas at 20:00 CEST on Thursday before finally facing San Jose at 22:00 CEST on Saturday. The playoffs will then take place on Sunday between the two first placed finishers from the two groups, as well as the two second placed finishers and so on.