The New Mexico Rush 04 Boys finished their magical run today in the quarterfinals of the Dallas Cup with a 3-2 defeat to Miami Rush MLS Next 04B.
Believed to be an underdog, New Mexico Rush 04B opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United Fire and then went on to defeat the hometown Dallas Texans 04B ECNL 3-1 and Real Salt Lake 04B ECNL 5-1 to win their bracket.
“I am very proud of this team and how they played,” said Coach Justin Sells, who is also the Technical Director of the Club. “We had to overcome a lot of adversity, but these young men never made excuses and left everything they had on the pitch.”
The defending New Mexico State Cup champions finished the tournament with a 47 Got Soccer national ranking. They won the Cactus kickoff in September and were a semi-finalist in the Arsenal Challenge in October. Five HI Rush players joined their clubmates for the tournament and played key roles in its overall success.
“I really want to thank HI Rush and their Technical Director, Arian Hoxha for helping us out for this prestigious event” Sells said. “It shows how we as an large international club can pull together to do what’s best for the players we work hard to develop.”
The team has had to train for the past year under the strictest of COVID protocols in the nation. It was only until recently did the state’s public health order allow them to work in larger groups.
“Our boys stayed committed during the past year,” Sells said. “They have figured out a way to perform at a high level no matter what and that says a lot about this group.”
Considered one of the elite soccer tournaments in the country, the Dallas Cup has been held every year since 1980. The cup has hosted teams from 48 states, 100 countries across six continents. Soccer legends like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Wayne Rooney, Chicharito, Raul, and Andrea Pirlo have all played in the national recognized tournament.