Team Herald
PANJIM: Sporting Clube de Goa U-18 team will travel to Shillong for the final round of the AIFF U-18 Youth League to be played from May 16-26.
There are a total of 16 teams that will play in the final round of the Youth League. 10 teams have already qualified and 6 will qualify through a play-off round.
Sporting Clube de Goa is drawn in group A along with Sudeva FC, Sports Authority of India (Kolkata) and the second placed team from the play-off round Group B.
Sporting begin their campaign on May 16 against the yet to be decided play-off qualifier and will then take on Sudeva FC, Delhi before they face SAI Kolkota on May 20. Only one team will qualify for the semi-finals.
Sporting Clube de Goa along with FC Goa qualified for the final round.
Club President Peter Vaz said that Sporting Clube has always provided conditions for grooming of players and have helped launch the careers of many stars who are today shining for I-League and ISL clubs.
He said that though the senior team does not figure on the National scene, the Club’s commitment to football has only increased with more attention being given to Youth Development and the performance of the age group teams where the clubs U-20 team holds a hat-trick of GFA Taca Goa league wins.
Vaz motivated the team by reminding them of the famous win of the clubs U-19 team of 2010 which became the first and till date only Goan team to win this AIFF junior I-League.
The team has trained under coach Shekar Kerkar and his assistant Savio Vaz. The team is captained by goalkeeper Akshat Hadkonkar and managed by Anthony Vaz.
