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What is TST? How to watch Wrexham, U.S. national team players compete for $1 million

Sofia MoralesBy No Comments8 Mins Read
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Wrexham, former men’s and women’s varsity players, Spanish football legends and TikTok stars compete for $1 million in a 7-on-7 tournament at Wakemed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina is done in

Yes, you are right.

The fanciest of heatstroke dreams is now a reality at the Soccer Tournament (TST) in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Set up similarly to the World Cup, the tournament saw 32 teams register to compete in groups of four in a round-robin group stage, followed by round-of-16 single-elimination knockouts before the final. increase. The five-day event concludes on his Sunday, June 4th, with the winning team winning a total prize pool of $1 million. As the organizers say, second place gets nothing.

From the founders of the basketball tournament started in 2014 by John Mugar, the idea for TST came about in 2020 when footballers Mike Volk and Henry Tenbon contacted Mugar about a football version of the sport. I was. With the help of former MLS star Aleko Escandarian and NBA’s Chris Paul, TST was launched.

The Athletic Pablo Maurer and Felipe Cardenas have been on the ground all weekend, but here are a few quick tidbits to keep you up to date.

When and where are the TST tournaments held?

The TST tournament takes place this weekend at Wakemed Park in Cary, North Carolina. The tournament kicks off on Thursday, June 1 and continues through the championship match on Sunday, June 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Group stages were held on Thursday and Friday.

The single-elimination knockout round will begin on Friday, June 2 at 6:00 PM ET. The quarterfinals start on Saturday afternoon and the semifinals on Saturday evening.

Wakemed is a 150-acre mixed-use complex featuring a 10,000-season main stadium, locker rooms, and luxury suites. NWSL fans know this ground as the home of the North Carolina Courage. But the venue is also home to USL League One’s North Carolina FC, which has hosted tournaments such as the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

How can I watch TST?

Whether you rode the Wrexham wave, missed Joanna Roman or Clint Dempsey on the pitch, or just want to see the game, different With your favorite European team’s version, all 2023 TST matches will be streamed on Youtube, Peacock, as well as the finals on CNBC (and later NBC).

Who qualified for the final tournament?

After some amazingly exciting group stage games, including Sneaky Fox players hitting the table, here’s what tonight’s round of 16 looks like: The top two teams from each group advance to the next place.

Knockout Round – June 2 – Peacock

  • G49: Newtown Pride FC vs DMV Diplomats – 6pm ET
  • G50: Hapoel Tel Aviv FC vs Far East United – 6:15pm ET
  • G51: Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Conrad & Beasley United – 7:15pm ET
  • G52: Sneaky Fox FC vs. Duke Sevens – 7:30 PM ET
  • G53: Blade & Grass FC vs. Kingdom FC – 8:30pm ET
  • G54: Culture by Mo Ali FC vs SLC FC – 8:45 PM ET
  • G55: Hashtag United vs Como 1907 – 9:45pm ET
  • G56: Laurie Rebels vs. ZALA FFF – 10pm ET

Quarterfinals – June 3 – Peacock

  • G57: Newtown Pride FC vs Hapoel Tel Aviv FC – 12pm ET
  • G58: Conrad & Beasley United vs. Sneaky Fox FC – 1:15pm ET
  • G59: Blade & Grass FC vs. SLC FC – 2:30pm ET
  • G60: Como 1907 vs ZALA FFF – 3:45 PM ET

Semi-Finals – June 3 – Peacock

  • G61: Winner of Game 57 vs. Winner of Game 58 – 7:00 PM ET
  • G62: Winner of Game 59 vs. Winner of Game 60 – 8:30 PM ET

Championship – June 4 – CNBC/NBC

  • Winner of Game 61 vs. Winner of Game 62 (Live) – 3pm ET on CNBC
    • *Encore June 10th at 2pm ET on NBC

What are the rules of TST?

Well, you decide to spend your weekend watching mostly a mix of amateurs and former pros. But what the heck is going on on the pitch?

A 7-on-7 setup means that each team has 6 outfielders and 1 goalkeeper in front. Teams were required to have a minimum of 10 players on their roster, but with unlimited substitutions at any time during the game, it is recommended to keep close to a maximum of 18 players. Each match he has 40 minutes and he has two 20 minute halves.

It’s simple, except when former New York Red Bulls goalie Luis Robles hit a cleat in the head and Chris Wondrowski took his place in the net. This happened during the Team Dempsey (yes Dempsey) vs. Jackson TN Boom game. The all-time leading scorer in MLS made saves and scored a hat-trick to help his team win 5-4.

As with US recreational 7v7, there is no offside rule. The tie-break is also almost the status quo, breaking the tie on goal difference after the record of the head-to-head confrontation.

Totally non-canonical was first seen on TBT as an Elam ending to combat wasting time in basketball. In TST, that is the target goal. The clock will be stopped at the end of extra time. A team must reach a target score to win the game. This is the leading team’s score plus one. The target score is 5 if the game after 40 minutes he is 4-2. But wait. That’s not all. During this time, players will be ejected from the pitch every five minutes.

Who are the big names playing for TST? Wrexham, former USWNT and USMNT, Cesc Fabregas

I have already mentioned them. Newly promoted Wrexham AFC dominated a group led by Lee Trundle. The striker, who has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English football, scored a hat-trick against the US women en route to victory. The US women’s team, which included World Cup winners Heather O’Reilly, Heather Mitz and Christine Heaby (Lilly), struggled in the group stage but clearly won the hearts of the crowd.

“We’re alive, we’re bold, we’re brave, so we don’t care,” O’Reilly told NBC Sports. “He has two great products that football fans in America love.

Elsewhere, Dempsey has spent most of his time on the sidelines, coaching teams that include the likes of Wondrowski, Eddie Johnson and Jermaine Jones. Conrad & Beasley United and Sneaky Fox (named after 2013 MLS MVP Mike McGee’s vodka) also have their fair share of USMNT legends.

Other teams include Cesc Fabregas and Steve Nash (Como 1907), Chad Johnson (Nati SC), former Washington diplomat Jorge Albiar’s coach Mark Gonzalez and other members of the DMV Diplomats, Blade and・Breck Shea and Daniel Drinkwater are among the names of Grass FC, and Felipe Santana wears the familiar uniform of Dortmund.

get deeper

Cesc Fabregas: “We’re losing the creativity players had a little while ago”

If you listen closely, you can hear nostalgic voices from the Fox Soccer days, such as Katie Witham on the sidelines and former Newcastle defender Warren Burton in the booth pundits.

Some of the stars are college students and rec players who have summer camp experience.

Here is the full list of participating groups and players: https://thetournament.com/tst/bracket/

What happened between West Ham and Dallas United?

According to West Ham and TST officials, one of the toughest moments in the usually light-hearted tournament came after West Ham United left the pitch midway through an allegation of racial slurs against Franck Nouble on Thursday. , Dallas United withdrew from TST.

Tournament organizers investigated the incident and determined that Dallas would be excluded from the tournament for violating the tournament’s code of conduct.

“We are in dialogue with the leaders of both clubs and they are all unanimous that the best course of action is for Dallas United to withdraw from the competition,” read part of the statement. there is “All parties concerned agree that they want to make a statement against racial insensitivity.”

The West Ham players responded by taking a knee before their game against Culture by Mo Ali FC on Friday.

Deeper

get deeper

West Ham player breaks knee over racism allegations

“We have to go on the record that the story that was exposed yesterday is bigger than football,” said West Ham forward Anton Ferdinand. The Athletic. “And TST has acted very quickly and lean on this. Many people around the world, organizations around the world can take advantage of these. The support they have given us has been unparalleled, not just for us, but for the staff here. It’s a necessary social issue, and if more people dressed like TST addresses, the world would be a better place.”

The match between West Ham and Dallas United was called off after neither team scored a point. With Dallas out of the tournament, Far East FC missed out on a 3-0 victory in Group D. It also meant West Ham were eliminated in the group stage.

(Photo: Rooted Creative x TST)

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