India, July 14 -- As the FIFA World Cup enters its business end, the conversation around Indian football follows a familiar, tired script: a country of 1.4 billion that still can't produce a team good enough to even qualify. But not all hope is lost. Two Indian teams have recently shown the talent and grit that is needed, and all they ask for in return is the hope that the country backs them

As the debate intensifies over whether India can ever compete at football's highest levels, a group of teenagers from Chandigarh have proven that yes, it can. Minerva Academy FC beat defending champions HJK Helsinki 1-0 in the final on July 11, to become the first Indian side to win the Helsinki Cup, which is one of the world's largest youth tourname...