2018 Galway Cup - Day one review

The prestigious Galway Cup kicked off in the sunshine on Wednesday as it entered its 14th year of existence.

It has grown to become one of the leading underage football tournaments in Europe and is once again hosted by Salthill Devon at their top-class facilities in Drom just outside Galway city.

No fewer than 50 teams will battle it out across five divisions over four days in a bid to be crowned the best team in individual categories from the 2005 Super Elite right down to the 2006 boys.

From early morning through to the final whistle at the end of the day there was a hive of people and energy spread right across the four pitches and around the impressive clubhouse.

Each team arrived smartly in their matching tracksuits and the excitement within each player was clear as kick-off and the chance to showcase their talents on the pitch drew closer.

Nine groups of matches took place over the course of the day, with kick-offs taking place anywhere between 9.30am and 7.05pm to bring to an end a very successful first day for all.

There were solid and impressive starts for US team Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids, with both teams picking up two wins from two on day one.

There was certainly no sign jet lag from the journey on show as Chicago Fire scored six goals in their first two outings and Colorado Rapids six.

Leeds United recovered well from a narrow opening defeat to Chicago Fire to take plenty of positives home with them at the end of the day, putting five past NDSL in their second game of the day.

The standout result from day one went to Leixlip United of Kildare, who defeated Tulla United in the 2006 Boys Category by a 13-0 score line to give their tournament hopes and confidence a huge boost from the off.

One of the major positives that was observed from the opening day of the tournament was the amount of the time that the ball was kept on the ground.

It is refreshing to see teams from such a young age being taught to try and play good football and control it as much as possible with their feet.

Another positive was the passion and hunger on show from the coaches and everyone involved in the tournament.

The future of grassroots football in Ireand is in good hands if day one of the Galway Cup is anything to go by.