The Madison area’s top soccer talent will be on display at Toca Football in Fitchburg this weekend at the Xtra Time Talent Classic.
The second annual event will feature four men’s and two women’s teams with a total of 60 players, up from 20 last year. Xtra Time Talent (XTT) founder Alex Alvarado said most of the players are currently playing in college, some are attached to professional academies and some are still in high school.
“I wanted to put together a little showcase for college (players) and seniors in high school to bring them in and compete against one another, but also kind of celebrate the community that we’ve been building and the youth soccer space that we have started fostering here in here in Madison,” Alvarado said.
The inaugural event took place over Thanksgiving weekend in 2023, featuring 20 players on two teams playing one indoor match. This year, 40 players on the men’s side will make up four teams and play semifinal matches on Saturday night beginning at 7 pm. Then on Sunday, 20 players on the women’s side will play a championship game at 7 and the winners of the men’s semifinals will play at 8.
Captains were elected from among the players, and each captain chose their team in a draft streamed live on TikTok.
Alvarado, who is also a coach with the Madison 56ers youth program and Madison College men’s and women’s teams, said the players may not be well-known, but only because they haven’t had a chance to shine.
“Some of these (players) aren’t necessarily household names currently” Alvarado said. “If you’re young and you’re in tune, and you follow XTT, or you have buddies, or your neighbors are playing soccer, you might know some of these names, just here and there. And we could very well see some of them end up proceeding to a high level college program.”
Players will include Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year and MLS Next veteran Connor Gage, Marquette player Mitchell Dryeden and Arien van Mol, a Madison native and UW commit currently training with the Minnesota United Academy.
Games will consist of two 25-minute halves and be played by indoor rules – each team will have five players plus a goalkeeper on the field at a time, with free substitutions.
A raffle will be held for XTT gear as well as gift cards from local businesses, and winners will compete in a halftime penalty shootout during the second game of the night.
Toca Football, formerly Breakaway Sports, is at 5964 Executive Drive in Fitchburg.
