A World Cup winner has been helping a California soccer club set their GPS tracking to home in on success at the SuperCupNI.
Klaus Augenthaler was the classy sweeper in Franz Beckenbauer’s West German team which beat Argentina in the Italia 90 final in Rome’s Olympic Stadium.
These days he is still a high flyer with Bayern Munich through its extensive youth policy.
Augenthaler helped run the rule over 300 players from 36 clubs and 16 US states when they converged on Rock Hill, South Carolina, for the second annual GPS national team camp supported by club partner Bayern Munich.
GPS believe they have unfinished business at the SuperCupNI after reaching last year’s Junior final only to lose out to County Antrim. Darren Hyland and substitute Gerard Storey scored as Stefan Seaton’s team ran out 2-0 winners.
The largest gathering of GPS players ever in one location served as the final session before the announcement of the squads for this summer’s tournament series.
Players selected to the final roster for the summer will represent GPS at various tournaments both domestically and internationally, such as the Surf Cup in California and the annual visit to Northern Ireland.
GPS will send teams to contest both Premier and Junior competitions, mirroring fellow west coast challengers Strikers who are returning for another crack at the July tournament.
Strikers’ club president Marissa Pena, who accompanies the party to Northern Ireland each summer, says: “The event is a highlight of our year for so many different reasons.
“It provides our players with such a diversity of opponents as well as giving them the opportunity to advance their own development.
“We also love the warm welcome we receive from the people of the area. Everywhere we play we are greeted with such kindness. It is just fabulous!”
Also jetting in from the Americas are First Choice Soccer (Premier), Colina from Chile and the Mexicans Chivas Guadalajara who both will contest the Junior section.
The tournament will roll out the welcome mat to 52 teams in three competitions with a new Under-13 mini section this year.
The draw is at Belfast International Airport on Tuesday 29th May at 7 pm.
The action kicks off on Monday, July 23, running through to Friday, July 27.