Academy

Dynamo U-18s fall in Dallas Cup final

HOU_20130330_DallasCup_1_Salazar

The Dynamo Academy's run through the Dallas Cup came to an end on Sunday, as the Dynamo U-18s, presented by Statoil, lost to IF Brommapojkarna 2-1 in the U-19 championship match at the Cotton Bowl.


After dominating the competition through the early portion of the tournament, the Dynamo had their hands full with the youth side from Sweden. Goalkeeper Josh Blair was called into action early, making two saves in the first 20 minutes of the match to keep Brommapojkarna off the board.


The Dynamo jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute when Bryan Salazar netted his ninth goal of the tournament. The Dynamo homegrown signing received the ball at midfield, beat two Swedish defenders off the dribble, used a stepover to beat a third in the penalty box and ripped a shot past the goalkeeper into the far corner.


Brommapojkarna found their equalizer in the 52nd minute. Blair made the initial save on a shot attempt but a Swedish forward was there to clean it up and level the match. Bromma kept the pressure on the Dynamo and found the game winner moments later. Despite a flurry of late chances, the Swedish defense held firm and gave the Dynamo U-18s their first and only loss in this year's Dallas Cup.


Sunday's match was the fourth Dallas Cup championship appearance for the Dynamo Academy and their third in the U-19 age group.


The Dynamo Academy will resume league play this weekend when they travel to Colorado for matches against Real Colorado (4/6) and Colorado Rush (4/7). The Dynamo U-18s are tie for second place in the USSDA Frontier Division with 1.95 points per game. The top three teams from each division qualify automatically for the playoffs.