Ahead of the 2018-19 USSDA season, a hybrid U-18 Sounders Academy team traveled to Japan to compete in the Toyama World Challenge. Facing off against some of the top youth sides in the Asian Football Confederation, the Rave Green brought a squad composed of two U-15s, three U-19s, and the bulk of U-17 squad that won the USSDA national championship in July.
Serving as a valuable litmus test for the new squad as they prepare for the new season, the young Sounders were taken out of their comfort zone, with the team immersed in a new cultural environment.