While Airdrie’s outdoor soccer season is on hold until the remaining snow melts, one player will head elsewhere to play the game.
Curtis Contenti, 16, plays Tier 1 soccer in Calgary and travelled to Vancouver, B.C. with his Foothills Rapids U16 team for training and a series of exhibition games from April 7 to 10.
The centre back defender will then travel to Texas next week, as a member of the Alberta provincial all-star team, to play in the Dallas Cup international soccer tournament from April 17 to 24.
“It will probably be higher competition than I’ve ever played against,” said Contenti. “I’m looking forward to the experience of playing in this calibre of tournament, with the atmosphere of how many people will be there.
“If we make it to the finals, which be really hard, but really cool, it’s played in the MLS’ FC Dallas stadium (the 20,000-seat Pizza Hut Park).”
The Dallas Cup is by invitation only and teams are selected for invitation based on their competitive performance. It will feature teams from six continents and more than 100 countries.
“We will be playing against teams from all over the world, which will be cool,” Contenti said. “The opposing strikers are going to be big and fast and it will be a good challenge.”
He tried out for the provincial team last summer and played with the club at the U15 Western tournament in Winnipeg, Man. Contenti will use the Vancouver games with his Calgary team, as a warm-up for Dallas, as the provincial team doesn’t get to frequently practice, due to the distances between players.
“We haven’t been able to train as a team as often as we’d like and it’s hard to adapt to playing with all of the better players,” he said.
“It’s easy to play with them, but you’ve got to be prepared to change your style a little bit. But after playing on the team last summer at the U15 Westerns’ in Winnipeg, I am very excited to continue on the team and look forward to participating in the Dallas Cup.”
