The Soccer Tournament
Upcoming season or competition: The Soccer Tournament 2024 | |
| Sport | Association football (7-on-7) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| Founder | Jon Mugar Dan Friel |
| Owner(s) | TBT Enterprises, LLC |
| CEO | Jon Mugar |
| Motto | $1 million prize, winner-take-all. |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Countries | United States |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Most recent champion(s) | Newtown Pride FC (2023) |
| Most titles | Newtown Pride FC (1 title) |
| TV partner(s) | NBC Sports (2023) ESPN (2024-present) |
| Streaming partner(s) | Peacock, YouTube, Facebook Watch |
| Tournament format | Multi-stage tournament |
| Official website | thetournament |
The Soccer Tournament (TST) is a seven-a-side association football tournament played in the United States, established by TBT Enterprises, creator of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TST was announced on October 11, 2022 to feature 32 teams with a $1 million winner-take-all prize.[1][2][3] TST is partly owned by Golden State Warriors point guard Chris Paul.[4]
Format[edit]
Matches are played on a reduced-size field with slightly smaller goals than normal and consist of 20-minute halves. The Elam Ending, arguably TBT's most iconic feature, has been adapted to a soccer setting; after the end of the second half, the remainder of the match consists of "Target Score Time", with the target score being set by adding one goal to the leading (or tied) team's score, i.e. if a game is standing at 3–1 after full-time, the target score will be set to 4. The game ends once the target score is reached by either team. If the target is not reached after 5 minutes, one outfield player from each team exits the field until only one is left, with the process repeating every 5 minutes until the winning goal is scored.[5][6]
Additional rule changes compared to regulation football include the prohibition of sliding tackles, the prohibition of punting or drop-kicks by goalkeepers, throw-ins being replaced by indirect free kicks, and the absence of offside.[7]
Tournaments[edit]
2023[edit]
 | It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled The Soccer Tournament 2023. (Discuss) (June 2023) |
The first edition took place in Cary, North Carolina from June 1–4, 2023[1]; it featured men's, women's, and some mixed-gender teams. Newtown Pride FC won the initial tournament along with the $1 million prize.[8]
- Hashtag United
- Club Necaxa
- Team Dempsey
- Nati SC
- ZALA FFF
- Far East United
- US Women
- Conrad & Beasley United
- Gracie FC
- Wrexham Red Dragons
- Newtown Pride FC (2023 champions)
- Virginia Dream FC (NPSL team)
- Wolves F.C.
- Borussia Dortmund
- Villita FC
- Raleigh Rebels FC
- Say Word FC
- Dallas United
- Culture by Mo Ali FC
- Charlotte FC
- SLC FC
- Hoosier Army (IU Alumni)
- Jackson TN Boom
- Kingdom FC
- Blade & Grass FC
- DMV Diplomats
- Duke Sevens (Duke Alumni)
- Sneaky Fox FC
- West Ham United F.C.
- North Carolina FC
- Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.
- Como 1907
Controversy[edit]
During the match between West Ham United F.C. and Dallas United, players of West Ham walked off the pitch after an alleged racial slur said by a Dallas player.[9][10] After an investigation, TST and Dallas mutually agreed in Dallas United's withdrawal from the tournament.[9]
2024[edit]
The 2024 tournament is being held from 5 June 2024 to 10 June 2024 in Cary, North Carolina[11]; it features separate men's and women's tournaments.
Winners[edit]
| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Newtown Pride FC |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "The $1m TST will be full of soccer legends and Hollywood headliners". ESPN.com. May 4, 2023.
- ^ Casey, Tim. "Winner-Takes-All Soccer Tournament For $1 Million Prize Coming To North Carolina In June 2023". Forbes.
- ^ Greenberg, Doug (October 11, 2022). "TBT Enterprises Launches $1M Soccer Tournament". Front Office Sports.
- ^ "Is TST the Future of Soccer?". Connect Meetings. October 18, 2022.
- ^ Bonagura, Kyle (October 11, 2022). "The Basketball Tournament organizers announce $1m winner-take-all soccer event". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Bonagura, Kyle (June 4, 2023). "Wrexham and World Cup legends bring star-studded teams to new winner-take-all soccer tournament". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Tournament Rules".
- ^ Maurer, Pablo; Cardenas, Felipe. "Newtown Pride FC wins The Soccer Tournament, $1 million prize". The Athletic.
- ^ a b "West Ham 7s walk off at TST after alleged slur". ESPN.com. June 2, 2023.
- ^ "West Ham walk off from TST match over alleged racial slur from Dallas United player – with American side withdrawing from tournament | Goal.com UK". www.goal.com. June 2, 2023.
- ^ Geisinger, Brian. "TST 2024: What You Need to Know about The Soccer Tournament". Soccer.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
External links[edit]
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