The 2010 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament was the 2010 edition of a prestigious youth association football tournament that has been running annually since 1983. Teams from around the world competed in a week-long tournament in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland. The teams were divided into three categories: Elite, Premier, and Junior for Under-19s, Under-17s and Under-15s respectively. The 2010 Milk Cup Tournament ran between the 26 and 30 July 2010, with Northern Ireland (Elite), Manchester United (Premier) and Everton (Junior) all returning to defend their 2009 titles.
The Elite section had six teams in 2010, with each team playing two group matches. The top two teams in the table after the group stage competed in the final. Group matches were played on Monday and Wednesday, with the final and play-offs for positions taking part on the final day, Friday.
The Junior and Premier sections were contested by 24 teams. Each team played once on Monday and Tuesday as part of a league, from which the top 8 teams qualified for the Milk Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. The remainder of the teams qualified for lower-level cups that ran alongside the Milk Cup, with quarter-finals on the Wednesday, semi-finals on Thursday, and the finals on Friday. In 2010, for the first time the finals night were held at the Ballymena Showgrounds, rather than the traditional venue of the Coleraine Showgrounds. There were a number of new teams competing this year, from Venezuela, Spain, Norway, China, Belgium and Israel amongst others.
Elite – Under 19s – national sides Premier – Under 17s – club sides and national sides Junior – Under 15s – club sides and national sides
Clubs and national teams from anywhere in the world may compete on invitation, and in 2010 five continents were represented - Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia.
Venues
ColeraineBallymenaBallymoneyBroughshaneCastlerockAnderson ParkBallymena ShowgroundsBallymoney ShowgroundsBroughshaneCastlerock Coleraine BallymoneyColeraine ShowgroundsRiada Stadium Limavady ColeraineRoe MillRugby Avenue Limavady Mullaghacall Portrush Portstewart ColeraineLimavady ShowgroundsMullaghacallParker AvenueThe WarrenUniversity Coleraine
Elite Section
Squads
China
Denmark
Japan
Mexico
Northern Ireland
United States
Head coach Thomas Rongen announced the United States roster on July 19. Given age as of the first United States match on July 26.
Tournament
TeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts United States220042+26211061+54211042+24210164+23200227–50200206–60
Group stage
5th Place Playoff
3rd Place Playoff
Final
Premier section
County Antrim County Armagh County Down County Fermanagh County Londonderry County Tyrone Shamrock Rovers Cherry Orchard Belvedere Donegal Schoolboys Queen of the South Hartlepool United Tottenham Hotspur Bolton Wanderers Manchester United KV Mechelen Etoile Lusitana Aspire FC Porto Club Marcet San Agustin Desportivo Brasil Cruz Azul South Coast Bayern
Junior section
Aspire Academy Club Marcet Brentford Chelsea County Antrim County Armagh County Down County Fermanagh County Londonderry County Tyrone Cruz Azul Dundalk Everton Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Haifa Kashima Antlers Plymouth Argyle Puebla Queen of the South South Coast Bayern Spartak Moscow Swindon Town Våg Watford
References
External links https://www.nimilkcup.org http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/milkcup/