The first three matches of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup in Bradenton, Florida have come to a close as Sporting Kansas City's U-17s and U-15s have been competing hard in the prestigious, global tournament. With the dust finally settling, both teams have been placed in brackets for the remainder of the competition.
The U-17s, after finishing second in their group with six points, punched their ticket into the knockout round for a second straight year. They will take on FC Cincinnati in the Round of 16 in the Championship Bracket on Wednesday, April 2. The two sides have faced off before this season, locking horns on November 11, 2023 at Mercy Health Training Center in Cincinnati. The Garys came away with a 3-2 win in an intense showdown.
Wednesday's match will consist of two 30-minute halves with kicks from the spot to follow if the score is deadlocked at the end of regulation. The winner will advance to the GA Cup Quarterfinals on Thursday while the loser will play in three showcase matches to close out the tournament.
The U-17s, led by head coach Angel Rivillo, had a group stage best defined by resilliance after bouncing back from adversity to advance into the knockouts. The group suffered an early setback, dropping the opener to Real Salt Lake on a goal in the dying moments of the match and recovered to win their next two.
Needing to take as many points as possible in their last two matches, the boys rallied together in the second contest against Inter Miami. Coming out for the second after a scoreless first, a brilliant save kept the match even and swung the momentum as SKC remained on the front foot for the remainder of the match. The pressure proved too much for Miami when a terrific counterattack produced a match-winning score in the final minute of the match.
The job was not finished for the 17s as they took on Colombian side Atletico Nacional in the group stage finale, with both teams desperately needing a win. A beautiful free kick banger 12 minutes into the second half gave Sporting the lead and a breakaway finish made the match 2-0 just 10 minutes later. Atletico launched numbers forward and halved the deficit, however hard-nosed defense kept them from leveling and gave Sporting the additional three points they needed.
First Name | Last Name |
Tomiwa | Adewumi |
Dominik | Baczewksi |
Aiden | Benitez |
Leo | Christiano |
Carter | Derksen |
Shane | Donovan |
Ian | James |
Andrew | Johnson |
Jaxson | Kalinka |
Jack | Kortkamp |
Damian | Linarez |
Troy | Lor |
Ronald | Lozano Del Angel |
Renan | Mendoza |
Jacob | Molinaro |
Johann | Ortiz |
Chinelo | Robinson |
Zane | Wantland |
Trajan | Wormington |
Nate | Young |
Guied by head coach Luis Pacheco the SKC U-15s qualified for the GA Cup Premier Bracket with a grinded out win against Charlotte FC in the second group stage match. They will take on D.C. United, a team they faced at MLS NEXT Fest last December, in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.
The win over Charlotte was sandwiched by a pair of defeats, first to the San Jose Earthquakes and finally against Club Necaxa from LIGA MX. In the win against The Crown, Sporting struck first, converting on a one-v-one with the keeper in the opening minutes of the match. Charlotte would even the score midway through the first after inching closer and closer to SKC's net.
Sporting responded immediately, springing back into the attack and firing home a long range effort over the keeper and under the bar for the go-ahead goal. The halftime whistle came shortly thereafter and Sporting weathered the storm on the other side of the half to claim an emotional win.
The three points proved to be enough to earn them a spot in the GA Premier Bracket, a new edition to GA Cup. The winner of their match with D.C. on Wednesday will advance to the quarterfinals while the loser will play three showcase matches.
First Name | Last Name |
Eman | Alicic |
Santino | Barbarena |
Jesus | Enriquez |
Jack | Francka |
Sergio | Garcia |
Alex | Gemeinhardt |
Kashan | Hines |
Justin | Jones |
Colin | Keyser |
Mays | Landers |
Bryden | Liem |
Colin | Lysinger |
Ben | Nylund |
Chinelo | Robinson |
Austin | Thompson |
Joel | Ward |
Baron | Williams |
Sutton | Williams |
Sporting fans can follow along the Sporting KC Academy's GA Cup experience by following @SKCAcademy on X and Instagram. Both will feature score updates, starting XIs as well as photos from all of Sporting's matches. Updated broadcast schedules regarding the streaming of matches on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will be made available at the end of each round.
Subscribing to MLS Season Pass
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MLS Season Pass is available on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com. To learn more about how to subscribe to MLS Season Pass, visit apple.co/\_MLS\_.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer -- celebrating its 29th season in 2024 -- features 30 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including a new expansion team in San Diego that will debut in 2025. All MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. MLS Season Pass features the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming ever for MLS fans. For more information about MLS, visit mlssoccer.com. For more information about the Apple TV app, visit apple.com/apple-tv-app.
