Soccer: Neymar Jr’s Five global signature tournament will start U.S. run in Fresno

Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. is bringing his global signature-style soccer tournament – Neymar Jr’s Five – to the central San Joaquin Valley next month and with it a shot at advancing to the national and world finals and meeting the FC Barcelona star.

Fresno was selected to host the first of nine qualifiers in the United States across seven cities (Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego and Rochester N.Y.). The local qualifier is April 16 at Calwa Park.

The top two teams from each qualifier will receive a free trip to Miami for the national finals June 11. The national champs will then advance to the World Finals, where they will take on 38 other national champions in Santos, Brazil, on July 9.

The world championship team will win a free three-day trip to Barcelona to watch Neymar and his teammates play at Camp Nou.

The tournament, presented by Red Bull, is open to men and women ages 18 to 25, who will form teams of five to seven players.

The event comes with a unique twist as teams must lose one player each time they allow a goal until no players are left or the 10-minute game ends.

Teams interested in the Fresno qualifier can sign up at www.neymarjrsfive.com.

“I always dreamed of putting on my own signature tournament and invite the best teams over to my hometown,” Neymar Jr. said in a release “This finally becomes a reality, so I’m really looking forward to see what these players can do – and have a great time doing it.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Soccer: Neymar Jr’s Five global signature tournament will start U.S. run in Fresno."