The Dallas Cup is one of the most famous youth soccer tournaments in the world. Every year, it brings together teams from many countries to compete in Dallas.
Ten Memorial soccer players – William Alejandro, Marty Hale, Titus Abrigg, Aubrey Calderon, Brenna Voss, Taeya Beard, Emma Fritzsch, Addi Botello, Mara Blackmon and Jasmine Montgomery – participated in the 2025 edition, while Jackson Bohannon was a referee at the tournament.
“It was our first year doing it for myself and as a team that I’m on now,” Alejandro said. “So it was pretty cool.”
Players qualified after strong performances with their teams. Alejandro plays for DKSC, and his team earned a place by winning their league.
“For age groups from U10 to U16, you can play tournaments that can get you in there. We had won the Classic league two times in a row. So winning the fall season, the top two teams advanced to the Dallas Cup,” Alejandro said. “So winning that league is what put us through to go to the Dallas Cup.”
Voss and the rest of the girls play for locally based Falls Town Football Club, and her team also earned their spot through their season record.
What makes the Dallas Cup so special is that it is more than just games. It’s a tournament with teams from all over the world.
“My favorite game, probably, I would say definitely the quarterfinals or playing against a team from South Africa,” Alejandro said. “Because there’s people from all over the world. So it’s definitely different. It’s a different culture, so it’s a different atmosphere that you’re around.”
Voss agreed, saying she enjoyed playing different teams and watching international soccer.
“Our first day was a pretty tough team. We didn’t win, but it was a good experience,” she said. “And then the second day we played we won. But they’ve all been pretty good teams and it’s been cool to watch all the different countries play too.”
One of the most memorable parts of the Dallas Cup is the opening ceremony, where teams from every country walk onto the field together.
“The opening ceremony definitely has a special place in it all because everybody from all over the world comes in to walk through the same tunnel, walk out into the same field,” Alejandro said.
This was Bohannon’s second time to be a referee at the Dallas Cup. He refereed five games and enjoyed multiple aspects of the tournament.
“It was a wonderful experience to see multiple teams from around the world compete at their best,” Bohannon said. “It was also really cool to see some of the best refs in the world.”
Although Alejandro and his teammates only played one international team, he still had short conversations with players from other countries.
“We talked briefly. We didn’t have any deep, deep conversations since we only played one team that was from a different country,” he said. “But it was definitely cool. It was definitely different. “They said it was a lot different coming from where they are to the United States and kind of just talking for people from South Africa and England. It just kind of varies from who you talk to.”
For Voss, one of the best parts was getting to enjoy the tournament with her teammates, especially since some of them are graduating soon. Falls Town won two of its three games, but did not advance past the group stage.
“I think just playing with my team, especially because a lot of them are seniors,” she said. “So playing a couple last games with my team.”
For Alejandro, the best part was simply being with his team and living the dream together.
“It’s been a dream to play in it. So everything that I really that I took from was a big deal and had a positive impact on me that I enjoyed,” he said. “I would say my favorite memory was probably just being around all the guys and doing it all. There’s some of their first time doing it as well. So just all being in the same place together as a team, having a dream come true is nice.”
