Borussia Dortmund returns to North Carolina and TST, The Soccer Tournament | OneFootball

Last week, it was announced that Borussia Dortmund will return to TST.

What, exactly is TST, you ask? Well that’s simple: TST or The Soccer Tournament is a huge 48-team tournament hosted in Cary, North Carolina. The tournament set-up is like many others, with  group stage involving groups of four teams playing round robin matches, with the top two advancing to a knockout phase… but it’s more exciting than that!

The halves are shorter, and teams are smaller, so the fields and goals are likewise smaller, but that doesn’t mean there are fewer goals than a typical football match. When two halves of a match are over, the game isn’t finished. At TST, a third period called “Target-Score-Time” is played.

Target Score Time is unique for two reasons. The first, is that a target score is decided based on the current match score. If it’s 2-2, then teams play until either team scores. If the match is 4-1 at the end of the second half, teams play first to five. The target score is always one higher than the winning team’s score. The second unique aspect of this period is that every few minutes, teams must remove one player from the field without replacing them. This has led to some intense and exciting match finales showcasing 3v3 or 2v2 situations.

This year, TST takes place from June 4-9 in Cary, North Carolina and will feature teams like Wrexham, Villarreal, and Newtown Pride, while some unique clubs like Nani FC (led by the one and only Nani) will also make appearances. Most teams participating have yet to be annunced, but I expect Premier League representation as well as MLS and Serie A. A smaller, 16-team tournament will be simultaneously taking place, featuring women’s teams.

While this won’t be a spectacle of first team Borussia Dortmund players, a team of legends is very likely. Previous Dortmund TST players have included Roman Weidenfeller, Kevin Großkreutz, Felipe Santana, Tinga, Evanilson, Marcio Amoroso, and Dru Wright.

While the tournament might be less than traditional, it shouldn’t be slept on. TST offers a truly unique spectator experience and many of the games should be available to live stream. If youre still unsure, then take a look at this article, which details Borussia Dortmund and the TST experience last June