ORLANDO (March 23, 2015) – Orlando City Soccer Club will be one of three Major League Soccer teams hosting the ninth annual Sueño MLS 2015 – Presented by Allstate Insurance Company, a premier nationally-televised search for the best undiscovered soccer talent in North America.
Chicago Fire and LA Galaxy will join Orlando City in welcoming up to 400 tryout spots in each city on a first come, first serve basis.
“This is a great opportunity for youth players in Central Florida to compete against the best soccer players in their age range across top markets, “said Orlando City Founder and President Phil Rawlins. “They have an opportunity to team up with legendary players Pavel Pardo and Martin “El Pulpo” Zuñiga and to gain more professional soccer experience and recognition.”
The competition will be chronicled in a unique “reality show within a show” format by Univision Deportes’ popular weekly sports entertainment program, República Deportiva (Sports Republic). Participants between the ages of 14 and 18 interested in the tryout can register via www.SuenoMLS.com.
In each city, field players will be battling for one of five invitations to a week-long trial and a trip to the five-day National Final in Carson, California, that will be hosted by Sueño MLS Ambassador and legendary Mexican defender Pavel Pardo. The finals will include training sessions, scrimmages, guest celebrity scouts and an opportunity to meet some of the League’s biggest stars.
In addition, one goalkeeper at each of the three local tryouts will be selected as a goalkeeper finalist and will compete in the National Finals for the Allstate “Good Hands®” top goalkeeper award, El Portero Allstate. The finalists will be mentored by Mexican goalkeeping legend Martin “El Pulpo” Zuñiga.
Both the Sueño MLS 2015 – Presented by Allstate Insurance Company and El Portero Allstate winners will be invited to join a youth-level team at the MLS club represented at the National Finals.
Sueño MLS has given more than 13,000 talented young athletes an opportunity to showcase their skills and impress scouts, since its inception in 2007. The program has helped discover several standouts, including the 2007 original winner Jorge Villafaña (formerly Jorge Flores), a nine-year MLS veteran who now starts for the Portland Timbers, and 2008 winner Gabriel Funes Mori, who plays for Portugal’s SL Benfica and is currently on loan in Turkey. Many others have gone on to play for MLS academy teams, youth national teams and professionally around the world.
2015 TIMELINE
May 2-3 - Orlando area tryout hosted by Orlando City
May 9-10 - Los Angeles area tryout hosted by LA Galaxy
May 16-17 - Chicago area hosted by Chicago Fire
May 26-31 - National Finals; StubHub Center in Carson, California
June 7 - Live announcement of winner on República Deportiva
For more information, please visit www.SuenoMLS.com. Participation in the event is free. Players may not register for more than one city.
