Total Soccer Cayman returned from the Netherlands after delivering an impressive performance at the Rood-Wit Tournament.
The youth team, made up mostly of local 345 FC players along with a few guest players from the United States and the Netherlands, produced headline results and a landmark finish at the tournament hosted 30-31 May.
Making their sixth appearance at the event and third time advancing to the Champions League phase, the Cayman side finished with seven wins and four losses across 11 matches, scoring 18 goals while conceding 10.
Total Soccer Cayman, the only amateur club to reach the Champions League phase, finished a high ninth out of 24 teams, placing ahead of several youth academies of world-famous football giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Manchester United and Celtic.
The tournament format featured four groups of six teams, with the top three from each group advancing to the Champions League stage and then being split into two groups of six. Total Soccer Cayman made club history this year by finishing top in their initial group for the very first time.
They kicked off the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United, setting a confident tone for the weekend. The team carried that momentum through the first day with further group-stage wins against Belgium’s Club Brugge, tournament hosts Rood-Wit, and Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven, while playing a highly competitive match against Germany’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Advancing to the Champions League phase, the Cayman squad then opened with a 2-0 win over Scotland’s Celtic FC.
Total Soccer Cayman faced a challenging second day, losing by just a single goal to Bayer Leverkusen, KAA Gent, Feyenoord Rotterdam and KRC Genk.
Despite those narrow defeats, the team’s highlight was a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, a victory that came right after PSG’s senior team won the UEFA Champions League final the night before.
Standout individual milestones of the Cayman squad included Liam Stewart finishing just shy of the tournament top scorer spot with seven goals, team captain Marley Connor accepting the tournament trophy from the mayor of the southern Dutch town St. Willebrord, and Nina Bell competing as the tournament’s only female player.
Coaches Peter Reijn and Jonah Ebanks reflected on the campaign saying, “Wins against clubs such as Newcastle United, Celtic, PSV and PSG made us the talk of the town.” When Marley accepted the trophy, organisers highlighted Cayman’s quality, noting that “in Cayman we play really good football”.
Reijn said, “Coach Jonah Ebanks travelled with the team for the first time, drawing commendation from international coaches for his presence and coaching approach. He represented the Cayman Islands exceptionally well both on and off the pitch.”
With the team now back home, the 345 FC programme is already preparing for its next international test at the Gothia Cup next month, where they will send four youth teams – two under-11 teams, one under-12 and one under-13 team.
Related Videos
