IN the week when the Blackburn Rovers' academy side saw their cup dreams die, another set of future stars are continuing the glory trail on the other side of the Atlantic.
Although the Brockhall boys' brave FA Youth Cup run ended at the semi-final stage at Ewood Park on Saturday, the academy could still bring home some silverware in the shape of the prestigious Dallas Cup.
A squad flew out on Friday to take part in the illustrious tournament, which has proved a springboard to international success for many young footballers in the past.
Even England captain David Beckham played in it during his days in the Essex Under 19s team - when he was just 13-years-old.
And Blackburn lads got their chance to follow in his footsteps when Leeds United, last year's Premier League Under 17 champions, pulled out due to a shortage of reserve and youth team players to fulfil their domestic fixtures.
However, there were no such problems for Rovers, who still fielded a strong side to take on Aston Villa in the Youth Cup after assembling a squad for the Texas tournament. And they showed no signs of jet lag on Sunday when Jemal Johnson scored the only goal as Rovers beat both the searing heat and the Costa Rican Under 20s side.
However, last night Blackburn suffered a 3-0 defeat to Mexican side Tigres, meaning they will almost certainly have to beat local lads Dallas Texan Reds tomorrow to progress from the first round group stages.
Speaking from Dallas, coach Ian Miller told the Evening Telegraph: "We were asked to come out and were delighted to.
"The USA Under 18s are taking part and a youth team from Eintracht Frankfurt, so it's a world class tournament. Some of the lads who would have made the trip stayed behind for the FA Youth Cup semi, so we've brought a few younger lads out here.
"They're playing against boys that are older, so it's great experience for them.
"The weather is changeable. It was hot on Sunday for the first game and we did well to survive some pressure in the last 15 minutes. But there is rain and thunder on the way and it will be good to kids to see how they adapt."
If Rovers bow out of the tournament tomorrow they will stay in America until Monday and play some friendly matches.
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