Colorado Rapids' central defender Shane O'Neill is returning home from France having helped the U.S. U-23s to a third-place finish at the prestigious Toulon Tournament. And he will be carrying with him a personal prize as well, after being named as the tournament's third-best player.
Ten national sides competed in the event, which was won by the host nation, with the U.S. beating England 2-1 on Sunday in the third-place playoff. Both O'Neill and
Dillon Serna
- Rapids' Homegrown Players - were integral to the national side's success.
It is O'Neill, though, who was named ussoccer.com Man-of-the-Match following the win over England. He was then afforded the honor of being among the top players, as voted for by all the coaches involved.
Previous players to have featured at the Toulon Tournament include Thierry Henry, Rui Costa, Zinedine Zidane, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Sebastian Giovinco.
The Rapids pair are expected to be back in Colorado this week, to prepare for next week's two matches, both at home, against Colorado Springs Switchbacks (June 16, U.S. Open Cup) and FC Dallas (June 19). Click HERE for ticket details.
