India U-17 World Cup team leaves for exposure trips to Brazil, Russia

IANS

New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) Indian colts left for exposure tours to Brazil and Russia on Tuesday in preparation for the U-17 football World Cup, to be hosted by the country next year.

India's U-17 head coach Nicolai Adam revealed his plans for the trips before leaving. India will be flying to Brazil first.

"We will play in a tournament involving four teams including Atletico Paranaense, Orlando City (the US) and the Uruguay national team. We are very happy to have got such an opportunity and it will help us immensely," Adam told www.the-aiff.com about their trip to Brazil.

"In Russia we would be playing in the Granatkin Cup where we will clash against the U-19 teams of top European nations. It will be a huge experience for our boys. The experience playing against top international teams is always nourishing and you either win or you learn," the German added.

The team, according to Adam will also be travelling to Africa, Australia and the United States later.

"The exposure trips are extremely helpful in setting up the current lot of players which we have right now. Not only does it provide exposure to a competitive environment and test and build the squad chemistry, the players also get to know their strengths and weaknesses."

--IANS

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