Ft Lauderdale to Host 2015 49th Parallel Cup Matches

A new road ahead of a new International Cup lies in waiting.  And it begins in sunny Florida with an all too familiar rivalry.

The 2015 edition of the 49th Parallel Cup, featuring a series of international test matches between the USA and Canada, will be held July 31st and August 1st at beautiful Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

The weekend will feature the USA Revolution men’s team and USA Freedom women’s team as they take on their counterparts from north of the border – the Northwind and Northern Lights, respectively.  There will also be matches featuring the development squads for both countries, including the USA Revolutions Development program, and the USA Liberty Women’s development team.

Inaugurated in 1999, the Parallel Cup is played every year, except during International Cup years.  The Revos were victorious over Canada in that first contest, winning 10.15.75 to 8.7.55.  The Northwind’s only win in the series was back in 2007, when they knocked off the American in Vancouver by seven points. 

Nine of the ten Parallel Cup matches have been won by the Revolution, and that loss in Vancouver has been the only setback in thirteen all-time meetings between the two neighbors.  Their last 49PC match in 2013 was a 67-36 win to the USA in Edmonton, and they were triumphant again in last year’s International Cup clash in Melbourne, 51-20.

2007 saw the first women’s match of the 49th Parallel Cup, with the USA Freedom taking on the Northern Lights of Canada for the first time.   Here, it has been the Canadians that have dominated the proceedings, as the Northern Lights have knocked off the Freedom in four of five 49PC meetings.  The only American victory in the series came in Mason, Ohio back in 2012, when the Freedom held on to win 6.7.43 to 5.8.38.  In Melbourne last year, Canada continued their domination with a 61-7 rout, a match that will very much be in the mind of coach Leigh Barnes and his charges.

The weekend will also be a chance for the up-and-comers of American footy to show their stuff in the development matches, a feature that was introduced at the 2010 tournament in Toronto.  The Revolution men drew their match in Edmonton two years ago, while the Liberty women fell to the Midnight Suns development club.

Fort Lauderdale's own Fighting Squids will also take part during Parallel Cup weekend, as they will take to the same ground where they slayed the defending champion New York Magpies at the Regional tournament.  Their opponent on the day is still to be confirmed.

Setting the scene for this year’s event will be the beautiful Central Broward Regional County Park Stadium, a multi-purpose arena that has 5,000 seats and can accommodate another 15,000 via lawn seating.  It has hosted international cricket and soccer matches, and was the host for last month’s USAFL Eastern Regional tournament.  The stadium also features a number of amenities, including change rooms, covered seating, and state-of-the-art match presentation. 

Both sets of matches will be begin during twilight, allowing for use of the ground’s floodlights, adding that extra touch to the proceedings.

Tentative Schedule:

Friday, July 31st 2015
6pm: Men’s Development Match: USA v Canada
8pm: Women’s Development Match: USA Liberty vs Midnight Suns of Canada

Saturday, August 1st 2015
4pm: Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids v TBC
6pm: Women’s Match: USA Freedom v Canada Northern Lights
8pm: Men’s Match: USA Revolution v Canada Northwind