The Sporting Kansas City Academy ended its 2016-17 Generation adidas Cup journey on a winning note, defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on Saturday at Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.
Jahon Rad and Mason Visconti scored in either half and goalkeeper Max Trejo posted the shutout as the Sporting KC U-16s claimed their first victory in the prestigious U-17 tournament, which ran from April 7-15.
Upon finishing in fourth place in Group B of the Generation adidas Cup Champions Division — comprised of the best U-17 teams from across the globe — Sporting Kansas City played two consolation matches to end their week-long stay in Frisco.
The win over Colorado came following Thursday’s penalty shootout defeat to Real Salt Lake. After falling behind early, Sporting KC drew level on an impressive strike from Sebastian Cruz to force penalty kicks. The teams combined to convert their first 15 attempts, but the 16th was missed as Real Salt Lake prevailed 8-7 in the shootout.
The Generation adidas Cup group stage ran from April 7-11 as Sporting KC fell to LA Galaxy, Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) and Flamengo (Brazil). Argentine outfit River Plate was crowned the winner of the Champions Division with a 2-1 victory over Flamengo in the final. The Champions Division consisted of 16 elite academy clubs separated into four groups of four, with each group winner progressing to the semifinals while the remaining 12 teams played consolation matches.
All 2016-17 Generation adidas Cup participants who didn't qualify for the Champions Division instead competed in the Premier Division, which saw New York City FC claim the title with a 1-0 extra-time win over Tigres UANL of Mexico.
With the high-profile youth tournament now complete, the Sporting KC Academy will resume continue play in the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy. A doubleheader against the Colorado Rush is scheduled for Saturday at Swope Soccer Village, with the U-18s kicking off at 10 a.m. CT before the U-16s take the field at 12:30 p.m. Both games are free and open to the public, and live updates will be provided via @SKCAcademy on Twitter.
Both Academy sides are currently positioned to qualify for the Development Academy playoffs in June. The U-18s (13-7-0) occupy third place in the Frontier Division of the Central Conference, just two points behind joint leaders FC Dallas and Lonestar SC. The U-16s (15-4-1) are second in the Frontier Division, three points behind FC Dallas, with six league games still to play.
