Mauricio Pochettino said the Club is proud of Tottenham younger players on and off the pitch after completing a successful USA Tour with a 1-0 win against AC Milan in Minneapolis.
Six players from the Academy started the third and final International Champions Cup (ICC) match of the Tour and relished the opportunity to take on the Serie A giants.
Three of the six – TJ Eyoma, George Marsh and Oliver Skipp – made their first starts at this level but were undaunted in the magnificent US Bank Stadium, home of the last Super Bowl in February. Luke Amos, Anthony Georgiou and Kyle Walker-Peters completed the Academy sextet in the starting 11.
In the end, GK Nkoudou’s fine strike just 75 seconds into the second half was enough for victory and meant we were unbeaten after 90 minutes against AS Roma (4-1), Barcelona (2-2, lost on penalties) and Milan.
“I am happy with the performance more than the result,” said Mauricio.
“To compete against a very good side, just like Barcelona and Roma, and to gain that experience for a lot of youngsters in fantastic. “I want to congratulate all the Academy coaches, staff and of course, John McDermott (Head of Coaching & Player Development) and Dean (Rastrick, Academy Manager) because they need to feel very proud about the youngsters, they behaved really well, performed fantastic.
“I think they showed a bright future in our Academy and they showed that the job that they are doing in the last 10, 12, 15 years, the coaches in the Academy, is great.
“I want to congratulate them because the youngsters not only showed a great performance on the pitch, we feel very proud of how they behaved outside of the pitch too. “It’s good to feel proud. They feel the club and now they need to keep working.”
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Mauricio said: “First of all, I am so happy because it was a great experience for everyone to spend time together on this Tour.
“I want to say a big thank-you to our fans. They were fantastic in San Diego, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. I think they are always amazing and they showed one more time that they support the team and love Tottenham.
“They support us in every tour in America and that is why I want to say thank you very much for their support. They make us feel at home.”
Michel added: “The Tour has been very positive. We didn’t lose in 90 minutes in three games against Roma, Barcelona and Milan, that has to be a huge compliment for everyone.
“And the fans… we get an incredible reaction out here. You come to Minneapolis and you are thinking ‘where do all these fans come from?’
“It’s unbelievable. All combined I think it was an amazing trip in every way. Okay, results are less important, but we’ve got the results as well!”
The club’s home ground for the 2018–19 season will be Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but the club will play their first home game of the season at Wembley Stadium. Their former home of White Hart Lane had been demolished to make way for the new stadium on the same site. Their training ground is on Hotspur Way in Bulls Cross in the London Borough of Enfield.
Founded in 1882, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League in 1888.
Tottenham were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
They were also the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. They have collected at least one major trophy in each of the six decades from the 1950s to 2000s – an achievement only matched by Manchester United.
In total, Spurs have won two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, seven FA Community Shields, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and two UEFA Cups.
The club’s Latin motto is Audere est Facere (“To Dare Is to Do”), and its emblem is a cockerel standing upon a football. The club has a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Arsenal, with head-to-head fixtures known as the North London derby.