Texas test: Moore relishing 'great opportunity' at Dallas Cup | OneFootball

Newcastle's youngsters will compete in the Gordon Jago Super Group between 13-20 April, marking their third appearance in the elite Under-19 bracket after playing in the competition back in 1998 and 2003, and will face defending champions São Paulo in their opening Group B fixture on Sunday, 13th April (kick-off 9pm BST) before taking on US outfit Lonestar SC the following day (kick-off 8pm BST) and Mexican side Tigres UANL on Wednesday, 16th April (kick-off 8pm BST).

Moore, United's Under-18s Lead Coach, is looking forward to participating in North America's oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament as well as facing a number of overseas sides, with the likes of Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt also taking part in their respective four-team groups.

The 41-year-old told newcastleunited.com: "The Dallas Cup has been running for over 35 years, with lots of big teams competing in it from around the world, and one of our aims, as an Academy, is getting the football experience from trips and tournaments, playing against a good level of opposition from completely different parts of the world.

"It's a really good opportunity to play against American, Mexican and Brazilian teams so you get different styles of play but at a really good footballing level.

"The football and mentality will be different and our lads will have to adapt to that but, at the same time, we're also going there to try and win the tournament. We don't have an under-19s group so it will consist of under-17s with a few under-18s players but we're going there to compete."

United's opening match against São Paulo will also take place at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 90,000 seats and was one of the venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, as well as competing in temperatures around 30 degrees.

Moore is hopeful the Toon teenagers can rise to the numerous challenges they will face in their bid to complete a positive run in the competition, with the winners of the three groups advancing into the semi-final stages, playing at FC Dallas' Toyota Soccer Center.

"We're playing in a big stadium before the opening ceremony so there will be quite a big crowd there," he added. "The carrot is if you get through the group stage, you play at FC Dallas' home ground. This tournament will be high in emotion which you might not usually get in league matches on a Saturday.

"Every game matters and you're also playing back-to-back days, with fatigue and stress levels becoming higher which so it's about how you perform under pressure, becoming a big part of the learning.

"The challenge will be high but it's a great chance for them to show they can compete at that level because the next step after that would be with the under-21s, where they want to be."

Following their trip to the US, United's under-18s will conclude their Under-18 Premier League North campaign with an away clash against local rivals Sunderland on Saturday, 26th April before hosting Leeds United and Manchester City, all within the space of seven days.

Moore believes the quick turnaround in fixtures before the final matches of the 2024/25 campaign will benefit the group if they are to, ultimately, pursue careers in the professional game.

"Ultimately, you fly to the other side of the world and have your professional behaviours where you're ready to play," he added. "On the flip side, we fly back and have a couple of days before we play Sunderland, Leeds United and Manchester City in the space of a week.

"This isn't an end of season trip and they will need to come back and hit the ground running so it's good learning for the challenges you could potentially face in senior football."