RECAP: Generation adidas Cup qualifying Day Three Recap

Generation adidas Cup qualifying finished up at Houston Sports Park for the U-15 and U-17 teams of Group A on Monday.

U-15: FC Dallas 6-1 Houston Dynamo

The FC Dallas 15s closed out their weekend with a 6-1 defeat of the Houston Dynamo. Dallas seemed poised to score first when center forward Kevin Kelley beat the Dynamo goalkeeper, but his 14th-minute shot was saved off the line by Dynamo center back Jose Rodriguez. Three minutes later, right forward Anthony Ramirez put Dallas on the scoresheet, finding the bottom right corner of the goal with a right-footed shot. Dallas would get three more goals from Jared Aguilar, Kelley, and Diego Hernandez before the Dynamo found their first goal. In the 63rd minute, Houston forward Ikye Dafe earned a penalty kick, which Ricardo Garcia blasted through the goalkeeper’s fingers into the top left corner of the goal. Dallas added two more goals, one from Adrian Anguiano and another from Aguilar, to close out the scoring. With the victory, FC Dallas secured their spot in the International Challenge.

U-17: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 Los Angeles FC

The Vancouver Whitecaps defeated LAFC 2-0 in the first U-17 matchup of the morning. LAFC provided the first chance of the match when left back Paul Son found center forward Arnold Giron with a ninth-minute, line-splitting through ball, but Giron’s shot was saved by Whitecaps goalkeeper Ben Alexander. LAFC maintained possession for most of the first half, but they were contained to their own end of the field due to Vancouver’s high press. The Whitecaps’ press created three first-half chances, with center forward Ante Grgic forcing a save in the 13th minute, a 16th-minute shot ricocheting off the crossbar, and a 27th-minute attempt being saved off the line by LAFC goalkeeper Daniel Ramirez. It was not until the 53rd minute that Vancouver broke the draw with a low cross from the right side that found Grgic behind the LAFC defense for a tap-in goal. The Whitecaps would get a 66th minute tally from right midfielder Kamron Habibullah, who stepped up and calmly slotted home a penalty kick in the bottom left corner. LAFC pressed the remainder of the match to produce chances, but were unable to find a goal before the final whistle.

U-15: Vancouver Whitecaps 0-3 Los Angeles FC

The LAFC 15s ended their tournament with a strong 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. LAFC capitalized on their first chance of the match with left midfielder Brandon Sanchez firing a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, just outside the reach of the Vancouver goalkeeper, Cohen Park. Later in the half, a left-footed curling ball crossed the face of Park and found the far-side upper corner, giving LAFC’s left forward Robert Willcot a 31st minute goal. Coming out of halftime, Park was called on early to keep it at a two-goal deficit. Collecting a loose ball at the top of the box, an LAFC player blasted a right footed shot at the goal, but Park was able to get just high enough to push the ball over the top of the goal. Center back Diego Rosales provided the third and final goal when he headed home a 72nd minute corner kick.

U-17: Portland Timbers 0-1 Colorado Rapids

The Colorado Rapids 17s closed their weekend action with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers. An extremely physical match left both teams trying to find their identity for the majority of the first 20 minutes, but Colorado was the first to create chances. In the 24th minute, right winger Mario Ramirez forced a save from the Timbers goalkeeper, and forward Matthew Roou struck the crossbar on a right-footed shot just six minutes later. Portland’s best chance of the first half came in the 40th minute, when a Timbers player chipped the Rapids goalkeeper, but right back Dylan Akau made a sliding save to clear the ball off the line. Both teams traded limited chances throughout the remainder of the match, but failed to convert. In the 88th minute, the Portland goalkeeper was caught well off his line, but the Rapids shot was deflected wide of the goal by a Timbers defender. The match seemed destined for a draw, until a 90th-minute penalty was awarded to the Rapids. Maclovio Swett stepped up and punched in the winner from the spot in what was the final piece of action in the match. The win also allowed Colorado to clinch a top finish in Group A, meaning they will advance to the Champions Division in Dallas.

U-15: Portland Timbers 0-4 Colorado Rapids

The Colorado Rapids 15s closed out their weekend with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Portland Timbers. In a defensive struggle that did not feature many chances, the Rapids took advantage of each of the ones that came to them. Just five minutes into the match, forward Zackary Salfi opened the scoring with a strong, right-footed shot into the lower right corner of the goal. Each team had two more quality chances in the first half, but failed to capitalize. In the second half, the Rapids took control. Left midfielder Luke Shultz scored the first goal of the second half in the 60th minute, and was followed almost immediately by midfielder Daniel Garcia blasting a free kick into the far-side netting in the 62nd. Garcia would add one more to complete his brace in the 71st minute when he beat the Timbers goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation to close out the scoring for the match.

U-17: FC Dallas 3-2 Houston Dynamo

The FC Dallas 17s won their final match of the tournament with a 3-2 defeat of the Houston Dynamo. From the opening whistle, the Dynamo bombarded the Dallas goal with shots, including a presumed goal that was called back for offsides. Then, in the 11th minute, Dallas scored against the run of play. A low cross rolled all the way through the Dynamo box and found left winger Jose Gutierrez, who hammered home the ball for the opening score. The Dynamo pulled level in the 24th minute when center midfielder Juan Castilla fired a left-footed shot into the back of the net from the penalty spot. The Dynamo had three more quality chances in the first half, but all three were saved by Dallas goalkeeper Marcos Cortez. Dallas came out on the front foot in the second half with a 50th minute goal from Gutierrez, who slotted home a ball between a Dynamo defender and the goalkeeper. Left forward Philip Akem increased the Dallas lead with a 65th minute penalty kick goal, but the Dynamo pulled one back in the 83rd minute. Left forward Jack Clarkson found himself on the end of a cross and left no doubt his shot would find the back of the net, blasting home a point-blank shot. Cortez was called on numerous times in the final five minutes, and rose to the occasion to help his team prevail in the final match of the afternoon. Despite the result, the Dynamo clinched a top-two finish in Group A, and will advance to the Champions Division in Dallas.

Under-15s Group A
x = qualified for International Challenge

Under-17s Group A
x = qualified for Division 1
y = qualified for Division 2
z = qualified for Division 3