16 year old goalkeeper Adam Parkes is set to join up with the squad at the England U-17 national team at training ground, St Georges Park, ahead of the youngsters going out to the Algarve for the tournament. The England youngsters will face Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany in the first stages.
So far this season
Adam Parkes has being playing largely in the Under 16 side, and he has also been on the bench for the clubs under 18 side on a couple of occasions so far this term, bringing him vital experience. He has been one of the better players for the clubs Under 16's keeping a number of clean sheets to earn him this chance with the national side.
What is the Algarve cup?
The Algarve cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football which is hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation. The event has been held annually in the Algarve since 1994, and is one of the most prestigious and longest running football events for women. The cup also allows some younger men sides to play with the likes of the USA, Sweden and Denmark all taking part in recent years. The tournament works through a group stage of round robin fixtures before you then play against the team who finished in the same position as you in the other group to determine who finished where in the overall tournament. The United States are the most successful of all the nations in the history of the tournament having won the cup 10 times which included winning the most recent event in 2015 when they beat France 2-0. There are twelve teams who enter from the start and they are split in to groups of four depending on their seeding’s.
Familiar for Saints
A number of past and present Southampton players have taken part in this competition as the likes of James Ward Prowse, Ryan Seager, Josh Sims, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers have all played in the competition in the past with England.