Young Guns | Arsenal News

Arsenal began the long flight to Texas this morning ahead of the clubs first visit to America in the Arsène Wenger era, as a squad made up of Under 19 players challenges for the Dallas Cup.

The Gunners will take part in the competitions show piece, the Gordon Jago SuperGroup, which sees some of the most prestigious names in world football go head-to-head. Arsenal know they could face Barcelona or even the Japan national team if they progress to the knock out stages.

The first of three games in four days kicks off on Sunday, against local side The Dallas Texans. Panama’s Chorrillo FC and Bolivia’s Club Bolivar make up a challenging start to the competition.

To shed some light on what the Dallas Cup is all about, Young Guns caught up with Chief Executive and the man behind the famed SuperGroup, Gordon Jago. He began by giving an introduction to the tournament.

“The Dallas Cup was started by the local Texas Longhorns Soccer Club in 1980 with a total of 36 teams. A far cry from today, which restricts its entry by invitation to 180 teams.”

“We have seven age groups. The SuperGroup Under 19’s, Under 19 and then every age group from Under 17 to Under 13. The SuperGroup attracts the top clubs from around the world, with previous winners including Sao Paulo, Liverpool FC, SC Corinthians, Nottingham Forest FC, Real Madrid, West Ham United FC and Dynamo Moscow.”

“Some of the past players to feature are David Beckham, Robinho, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Edu, Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, Landon Donovan, Javier Hernandez, Clint Dempsey and Guiseppe Rossi”.

Arsenal were invited to the competition last year, as a special agreement the organisers have with the Premier League. Gordon went to explain a little more about that, and how he found Arsenal to deal with.

“We have an arrangement with the Premier League whereby the winners each year of the Premier Academy League receive an invite to play in the tournament. Arsenal FC being the winners in 2010, accepted the invitation for this year. They couldn’t come after winning it in 2009, due to other commitments.”

“We contacted Liam Brady the Academy Director and the cooperation from all at Arsenal FC has been first class.”

The Dallas Cup is regarded by many as one the top tournaments in youth football. However, running such an expansive operation on and off the pitch is hard work. Gordon revealed some of the logistics he and his team deal with.

“The logistics are just unbelievable. The Dallas Cup employs four people but has just over 2000 volunteers organized by 32 Committee Chairpersons.”

“We have 180 teams, over 200 referees and 360 games. That works out as 8000 hotel room nights needing to be booked. There is 30 visiting overseas teams involved in our home stay program, whereby the teams players stay with the families of the local Dallas teams that are playing in the tournament. There is around $500,000 in air tickets sold by American Airlines, just for the Dallas Cup.”

“International teams, like Arsenal, will visit Children’s Hospitals, visit local schools for meet and greet, and take advantage of social activities like Pro Baseball and Basket ball games. There is a tour of the New Cowboys Stadium and JFK Memorial center, all organized by the Dallas Cup.”

“As stated, it is incredible that it all comes together, especially as I am supposed to be retired!”

Gordon completed the interview with his view on Arsenal’s new owner, Stan Kroenke.

“It’s a great move by Arsenal. Mr Kroenke will bring all the promotion, marketing and sales expertise from his ownership of American sports teams to Arsenal FC. It’s a very positive move.”

You can follow all the latest on the Dallas Cup right here on Young Guns.

Wellington Silva has backed out of plans to play for Brazil’s Under 18’s at next weeks International Mediterranean Cup, after a row with loan club Levante.

Silva was called up by Brazil coach Ney Franco last month, with Levante initially giving the player the green light to feature. However, they have since refused to release the 18-year-old for training ahead of the start of the competition, leading to the frustrated Wellington deciding to drop out.

The training stint was seen as a chance for the players to impress Franco, with starting berths up for grabs. Yet Silva felt he was destined for a place on the bench, as he wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn a place for himself.

Franco has since moved to offer the winger assurances that he will be involved in future squads, including a possible appearance at the Under 20 World Cup in Columbia in July.

You can follow updates on all of Arsenal’s Brazilian players over at Brazil Gunners.

Thomas Vermaelen is set to feature for Arsenal’s Reserve team before the end of the season, according to BBC journalist David Ornstein. Vermaelen has now returned to training following successful surgery on his Achilles.

The 25-year-old was scheduled to play for the second string in February, after turning to surgery to cure a long standing Achilles tendon problem, which has kept him out since September. However, Arsène Wenger later back tracked, and ruled Vermaelen out until the end of the season

Since then, Thomas has been training on his own at London Colney and is said to be making impressive progress. The club are now looking to arrange a selection of ‘behind closed doors’ friendly games to introduce the defender back to action, as there is only one game left in the Premier Reserve League season.

It unlikely that Vermaelen will play for the first-team again this term, but a spell with the Reserves is seen as the ideal opportunity to build up his fitness ahead of pre-season.

The newspapers have been packed full of rumours of a mass overhaul at the Emirates this week, which, despite some initial debate, has been taken with a pinch of salt by the majority of fans. However, with a number of exciting youngsters returning from loan spells and ready to make an assault on the Arsenal first-team, the speculation is somewhat warranted.

At times this season it’s been hard to see what Tomáš Rosický, Denílson, Sébastien Squillaci and arguably a couple more offer to the squad that Francis Coquelin, Henri Lansbury and Kyle Bartley can’t. All three players have had impressive loans this year and seem the most likely to compete for a first-team spot next season.

Lansbury has turned in some sterling performances and added vital goals to aid Norwich City’s push for automatic promotion, and Coquelin, despite not starting a game since his sending off in February, has racked up plenty of minutes to help Lorient maintain a mid table spot in Ligue One.

Bartley has gone from strength to strength during his spells with Sheffield United and then Rangers, with a particular highlight being his performance at Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League. Unfortunately for Kyle, his spell at Rangers was cut short due to injury, but the Englishman has surely done enough to convince Arsène Wenger that he has all the attributes to suit Premier League football next season.

With all three returning as better players, their prerogative now is to join last year’s loanee Jack Wilshere in not only the first team squad, but the starting eleven. Should that fail to materialise, Wenger runs the risk of losing some of his most prized young assets.

The two maybe men, Carlos Vela and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas have both shown potential when given a chance, but that is the problem; when. Emmanuel-Thomas’ inconsistency and Vela’s lack of opportunity have dealt them no favours, and they may have to settle for further time on loan, or a permanent move away.

The recent outlandish talk of Gael Clichy leaving in the summer has left to some talk about the returning duo of Armand Traoré and the ever improving Pedro Botelho. Juventus have already indicated they are not interested in signing Traoré, so an unhappy return to the reserves looks most likely, unless Arsenal can find a buyer. Botelho should offer competition to the injury prone Gibbs for the right to be Clichy’s understudy.

Elsewhere, Ryo Miyaichi has blossomed at Feyenoord and may be granted a work permit in the summer, only then will Arsenal decide on whether to send the impressive youngster out on loan for a following year or offer a first-team place. However, for other foreign loanees Samuel Galindo and Wellington, they have failed to gain much playing time, and a work permit seems a little far off at the moment, so further loan periods are expected in the near future.

After some encouraging displays at Huddersfield, it is likely Benik Afobe will also go back out on loan for a following season, to help the teenager gain further first team experience.

Unfortunately for Mark Randall, Craig Eastmond, Sanchez Watt and Gilles Sunu, it could be the end of their road with Arsenal, as they have all failed to make an impression at their clubs. The lucky few could be given a chance to prove themselves on loan again next season, but moving on to pastures new is their best option.

As Arsenal’s title challenge hangs in the balance, so does the future of several young Arsenal players who seem destined to leave this summer. Yet with the impending return of some of the most promising young players the club have had for a long time, perhaps the papers are not too far off in suggesting a summer clear out.

In a week which has seen the American influence on Arsenal grow ever stronger, the club are making their final preparations for their first visit to the US in the Arsène Wenger era.

The Gunners have accepted an invite to attend one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in the world, The Dallas Cup. Arsenal will be sending an Under 19 team out to compete in the competitions show piece, the Gordon Jago SuperGroup. They kick off against the Dallas Texans on Sunday, with further fixtures against Chorrillo FC and Club Bolivar set to provide interesting challenges.

Young Guns can confirm the travelling squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
Emi Martínez, Sean McDermott.

Defenders:
Ignasi Miquel, Sead Hajrovic, Daniel Boateng, Elton Monterio, Martin Angha, George Brislen-Hall.

Midfielders:
Emmanuel Frimpong, Oğuzhan Özyakup, Jamie Edge, Conor Henderson, Kyle Ebecilio, Roarie Deacon, Samir Bihmoutine, Josh Rees, Callum Webb, Jordan Wynter, Alban Bunjaku.

Strikers:
Luke Freeman, Zak Ansah, Jeffrey Monakana.

Update: Aneke, Roberts, Meade and Neita all injured and replaced by Edge, Bunjaku, Bihmoutine and Monakana.

You can catch an exclusive interview with Dallas Cup Chief Executive Gordon Jago on Young Guns later this week.

Welcome to this weekends loanees watch – Young Guns’ analysis, reports and updates on the progress of the young starlets currently plying their trade away from the Emirates Stadium. You can read all the latest reports below.

Carlos Vela was an unused substitute for West Brom as they beat Sunderland 3-2.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was not included in the Cardiff City squad that beat Doncaster Rovers 3-1.

Henri Lansbury played the full 90 minutes as Norwich City lost 3-0 to Swansea City. Lansbury was restored to the midfield after being rested last week, and he came as close as anybody to scoring for Norwich. Henri’s second half shot looked dangerous, but it was deflected behind for a corner on a forgettable day for the Canaries.

Vito Mannone missed Hull City’s 2-1 win over Watford through injury.

Sanchez Watt was not included in the Leeds United squad that lost 3-2 to Millwall.

Craig Eastmond was not included in the Millwall squad that beat Leeds United 3-2.

Benik Afobe played the full 90 minutes as Huddersfield Town drew 1-1 with Peterborough United. Afobe had a handful of chances to score, including what would have been a wonder goal, after beating four players in a mazy run.

Mark Randall was not part Rotherham United squad that drew 1-1 with Cheltenham Town. Randall was in Reserve team action for Rotherham in midweek, playing in their clash with Rochdale.

Ryo Miyaichi played the full 90 minutes as Feyenoord beat Utrecht 4-0. Miyaichi  hit in the bar in the first half before providing an assist for the second goal, delivering a deep corner which Kelvin Leerdam crashed home. He then made a darting run to create space for Diego Biseswar’s third. The youngster played the whole game on the left of a front three.

Gilles Sunu came off the bench to play the final 28 minutes of Lorient’s 1-1 draw with Sochaux. Sunu made a notable impact after coming, setting up two chances. The first was wasted by Diarra, but the second was almost converted by Monnet-Paquet, but for a key block. Francis Coquelin was an unused substitute.

Armand Traoré played the full 90 minutes as Juventus beat Genoa 3-2. Traoré turned in a promising shift at left back, showing improved defensive awareness in what proved to be a tight affair.

Wellington Silva was not included the Levante squad that drew 1-1 with Racing Santander.

Pedro Botelho started and played 84 minutes before being sent off, as FC Cartagena lost 3-1 to Recreativo. The Brazilian was restored to left back for the fixture, but in a frustrating game, he was shown a straight red card for head butting an opponent in the closing stages

Samuel Galindo was an unused substitute as UD Salamanca drew 2-2 with Ponferradina

Welcome to another Young Guns web chat, hosted by me, editor Jamie Sanderson. You can put your questions to me over an hour long chat, beginning at 7pm UK time.

House Rules:
You can put your questions to me from 7pm UK time in an hour long chat. I will try to answer them all, as long as they haven’t already been asked, and as long as they’re submitted inside the deadline.

The web chat lasts 60 minutes, but due to the heavy number of questions submitted, all of them must be sent to me within 30 minutes of the start time. So if the chat starts at 7pm, all questions must be submitted by 7.30pm.

To ask a question, simply fill in the form at the bottom of the window once the chat has begun. The window has an auto-fresh function, so you don’t have to leave this page.

Arsenal have agreed to enter the inaugural Youth Champions League, Young Guns has exclusively learnt. The tournament, designed to run alongside the flagship UEFA Championship League, is due to kick off in August.

UEFA have been working with officials from Ajax, Celtic, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon to trial the idea, which is seen as an adventurous and exciting move for Under 18’s football. The final plans are yet to be confirmed, but Arsenal will make up one of the first groups, along with Ajax, Bayern Munich, Basel and an unconfirmed Scandinavian team.

In a similar way to its bigger brother, the Youth Champions League will open with a group stage, consisting of four teams per group. Qualification would then lead to progression to a knock out phase, scheduled for January 2012. The initial aims are for matches to be played in the club’s home stadiums, meaning Arsenal would be playing their fixtures at the Emirates. This is seen as a key way of helping clubs make up the costs of their European exploits.

The final details are still to be ironed out, but Young Guns expects Arsenal to make an announcement on the competition in the summer.

You can discuss Arsenal’s entry to the Youth Champions League and much more in a live web chat with editor Jamie Sanderson from 7pm UK time.

Arsenal midfielders Emmanuel Frimpong and Conor Henderson have made decisions on their international future, with both turning their back on England, despite representing the Young Lions’ youth sides.

Ghana-born Frimpong had played for England at both Under 16 and Under 17 level, before revealing last year that he always intended to represent the country of his birth. The 19-year-old has since refused to answer questions on why he turned out for England, but reaffirmed his desire to play for Ghana this week.

The Ghanian Federation have been tracking Emmanuel’s progress for a number of years, leading to regular contact with Chelsea’s Michael Essien, whilst recovering from anterior cruciate ligament damage earlier in the season. Essien has been key in convincing Frimpong to switch to the Black Stars, something he wants, telling Citi FM this week; ‘I will play for Ghana.’

Elsewhere, Conor Henderson has also confirmed he will continue to build on his blossoming international career with the Republic of Ireland. Henderson is currently part of the Under 21 setup, but, like Frimpong, played for England’s Under 16’s.

Conor is eligible to play for Ireland through both parents, and has been part of their youth teams since Under 17 level.

He may have been injured, but you can learn more on Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong in his ESPN Profile, with stats and a biography. Don’t forget, with soccer spread, its not how you win, its how you cover.