The Chicago Trophy – Team Profiles

Sevilla FC (Spain)
In May 2007, Seville FC became only the second club in history to win back-to-back Europeans UEFA Cups – add to that a 2006 UEFA Super Cup title won over European Champions’ League winners Barcelona FC, and you’ve got yourself one of the most dominating European soccer teams of the last 20 years.

Seville FC captain Javi Navarro is a member of the Spanish national team. The Seville roster also includes some of Spain’s and the world’s best, including number-one La Liga goalkeeper, Andres Palop; and Brazilian national team member Daniel Alves, who was named Most Valuable Player for the 2005 and 2006 UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup. Seville FC represents a truly international community with star players from around the globe including Uruguay, Argentina, France and Russia.

Wisla Krakow (Poland)
Having celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2006, Wisla Krakow only gets better and better with age: the team has won no fewer than four national Polish championships and two Polish Cups since 2000. It has been a mainstay in the top European competitions, from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Champions’ League.

Wisla Krakow is home to Polish National team player Radoslaw Sobolewski, part of Poland’s 2006 FIFA World Cup Team. Brazilian-born Jean Paulista and Cleber add South American flair to the squad.

Club Deportivo Toluca (México)
Toluca is one of the dominating teams in the Americas and is the team that has won more titles in the Mexican League in the last 10 years (5 titles).

In 2003, Toluca won the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, which crowns the best club in all of Central and North America and the Caribbean. They were 2005 Mexican Champion and 2006 runner-up and they also won the coveted Champion of Champions title in Mexico in 2006.

The team’s midfield features Mexican international Antonio Naelson and sensation Carlos Adrián Morales Higuera, a leading member of Mexico’s new generation of superstars. Toluca also features several South American international players, including Uruguayan international team striker Vicente Martín Sánchez Bragunde, and Paulo César da Silva Barrios, a defender for Paraguay.

Reggina Calcio (Italy)
From the Calabria region in southern most Italy, Reggina Calcio has been a fixture in the top flight of Italian soccer (Serie A) since 1999. Based at the compact and intimidating Stadio Oreste Granillo, Reggina completed the 2006/2007 season by defeating European UEFA Champions AC Milan 2-0 in the last game of the season.

This culminated in the club finishing 14th in the top level of Italian soccer in spite of an 11 point deduction that was give to the club at the beginning of the season (due to financial irregularities under a previous regime).

Among the Reggina squad competing in The Chicago Trophy will be high profile under 21 National team players Pasquale Foggia and Ronaldo Bianchi who was the 3rd highest goal scorer in the Italian league this season.