Dallas Cup Super Group Preview
Cherif Zein Elite
By Daniel Robertson
US Youth Soccer National Champions CZ Elite from Pasadena, California join the Dallas Cup Super Group for the first time in 2010 as one of three American club teams to compete. CZ Elite, coached by Magic Berenji, is arguably the best youth team outside of the US Soccer Development Academy having won the 2009 U17 US Youth Soccer National Championship defeating Triangle United of North Carolina. CZ Elite(Formerly FC Barcelona USA) will be a side that is tough to break down having been together for nearly a decade as these teammates began at the U9 level.
CZ Elite will bring one of the most intriguing youth prospects in the country to Dallas Cup in attacking midfielder/forward Eder Arreola. At just 18 years old, Arreola has already played for the US Youth National Team at every level including U20 and has incredibly just finished up his sophomore season at UCLA. Arreola's skins on the wall include scoring the game winning goal in CZ Elite's championship game against Triangle United as well as leading the tournament in goals with five. Having enrolled at UCLA at the age of 16, Arreola has a goal and seven assists for the Bruins in two seasons.
Elite is led at the back by Marco Franco and will have their work cut out for them, facing a very international group at Dallas Cup with their opponents being Chivas Guadalajara from Mexico, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim from Germany and Cruzeiro EC of Brazil. Elite, the lone American club outside of Texas in the Super Group will have a tough road, but with a team who has been together for a long time as well as the attacking talent of Eder Arreola, anything is possible.
Stay tuned to the Dallas Cup blog for more team previews and other Dallas Cup news as we count down to the thirty-first Dallas Cup coming to the Metroplex March 28-April 4.
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