Man United star Simi Awujo sets sights on World Sevens tournament
· Yahoo Sports
Manchester United midfielder Simi Awujo is relishing the chance to play in the upcoming World Sevens tournament again after the success she enjoyed last time.
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World Sevens
United are set to take 20 players to the 2026 World Sevens tournament in London, with the competition scheduled to take place between 28 and 30 May.
It will be the second time that Marc Skinner’s side are involved in the seven-a-side tournament, having finished runners-up at last year’s inaugural event in Portugal.
This year’s edition will occur at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
United have been drawn into Group 2 and will come up against West Ham, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. Skinner and his players will undoubtedly be keen to make it through to the round-robin stage and then into the semis.
Awujo was United’s top scorer in Portugal last year, earning herself the Breakout Star award.
She spoke to club media ahead of the start of the tournament and explained that she is looking forward to making an impact once again.
Awujo speaks
Asked what the Breakout Star award meant to her, the Canada international answered, “Yeah, at the end of a tough season, to go to that tournament and have a little bit of the pressure off, to have fun and just kind of go back to the basics of what football is and why we play, and why we enjoy what we do… it was a nice feeling.”
She said of the overall experience, “It was really nice. As a team, we didn’t know what we were getting into, but I think everyone just took an open-minded approach.”
“We were there to win, but we also were there to have fun. And I think that really factored into our ability to be successful in the tournament.”
On thriving in the 7 v 7 format and the games having a different set of rules, including no offsides and unlimited subs, she replied, “I think it does have to do with the player I am – the up-and-down, back-and-forth aspect of it – as well as the pitch and what it requires of you as a player. I think that’s partially why.”
“It was super interesting, and definitely an adjustment. After coming out of the first game, we realised we needed to take a little bit more advantage of the offside rule, but it was just nice because there was a freedom to it that just allowed us to just have fun.”
On the DJ sets and team walkouts, Awujo told club media, “Yeah, it was super fun. Once again, we just didn’t know what to expect. So, for it to have been like that, it made for just an enjoyable experience overall. And for it to be the inaugural competition, I think they did a really good job.”
She insisted she hasn’t planned any music walkouts or celebrations yet, but once the tournament begins, something will surely come up.
Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images
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