Waikato United Football Academy take on USA Comp

Date: 10 Feb 2026

Our U16 team has travelled to the USA to compete in the prestigious Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup International Tournament & Showcase.

For the first time, the team also took part in the Elite 7 Academy International Tournament in St George, Utah — and what a debut it was!

A huge congratulations to our 10 students (along with the entire team and management) who represented us at the Elite 7 Tournament in Las Vegas.

The team faced City SC (Utah) in their final group match. After a tense 0–0 scoreline at halftime, the boys found the breakthrough in the second half to secure a hard-fought 1–0 victory.

This result earned them a place in the final against Liverpool Elite 7, and what a finale it was. The boys won the support of the crowd throughout the tournament, with Salt Lake supporters cheering loudly and blowing their horns in support!

In another tightly contested match, the team once again showed their class, securing a 1–0 win, courtesy of a goal from Jai Liu, and were crowned Elite 7 Tournament Champions 🏆

RHS Team Members:

  • Parker Bixley

  • Zanda Miller

  • Harrison Hawkins

  • James Newland

  • Noah Gavin

  • Shaakir Bester

  • Dublin Liu

  • Sree Kudor

  • Liam Waitai

  • Jai Liu

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Waikato United Football Academy take on USA Comp
Waikato United Football Academy take on USA Comp