Major League Soccer franchise Charlotte FC are set to make their debut in the prestigious Bermuda Triangle Cup.

The MLS Eastern Conference side will be represented by an academy team in the tournament featuring boys aged 15 to 17 to be held at the National Sports Centre North Field from July 26 to 31.

Charlotte could be one of two MLS sides competing in the upcoming event as organisers Bermuda Sports International (BSI) have also extended an invitation to their conference rivals DC United.

“Charlotte is confirmed and we are just looking to confirm DC United,” Dennis Brown, the BSI president, told The Royal Gazette. “We are in discussions to bring in DC United 15-17's, which is a strong possibility.

“We are just waiting on confirmation and if that happens, that would be the icing on the cake.”

Organisers hope to have as many as eight teams involved, including the national academy under-15 and under-17 teams and defending champions Hurricanes.

The primary objective of the tournament is to motivate and provide the island’s youth players with the opportunity to test their skills on a broader level against overseas and local opposition while also gaining rare exposure competing in an international event.

“This is a great opportunity for our players to not just play against foreign opponents, but to play against players who are in academies and professional environments every day, which bodes well for the future of our players,” Brown added.

“Even if you are not in the national team set-up in Bermuda, it still bodes well for us to play against a foreign opponent.

“Bermuda Sports International wants to take this tournament to high levels by locally exposing our young players to International competition.”

The tournament also provides the opportunity for local players to advance their careers as boarding school and college scouts will attend in the hope of recruiting potential prospects.

Last year, promising defender Harry Twite, who has since made his debut for the senior national team debut in the Concacaf Nations League, was awarded the opportunity to broaden his football horizons after impressing at the event.

“That’s how Harry Twite really got spotted. He came back and played in the tournament and one of my recommendations in a Player Development Committee meeting at the Bermuda Football Association was to have a look at him and the rest is history,” Brown said.

“Harry was actually named player of the tournament last year and we were in talks with DC United to get him over there, but it didn’t really pan out. He’s on the radar in the UK right now and the future is definitely good for him.”

Twite, 17, has impressed for Repton, one of the best school teams in England, and has also been selected for the Independent School Football Associations (ISFA) English National Under-18 team.

The Bermuda Triangle Cup is based on friendship, youth football and international partnerships via sports and has evolved from an initial partnership between the Bermuda Brazilian Football School, The Argus Group and Partner Re Bermuda, who staged the BBFS International Girls Football Festival in 2013.

The inaugural event was held in 2016 at the National Sports Centre, where local teams won all of the divisions.

The tournament returned from a four-year hiatus last year and featured Elite Clubs National League in the United States, a tier below the MLS youth teams, along with BFA national youth teams and various other local teams.

For further details visit bermudasoccer.com/trianglecup/.