Sporting Kansas City’s Under-17 squad took part in the Generation adidas Cup Champions Division over the last week, finishing with a 2-3-0 record across their five games played in Frisco, Texas.
Sporting KC qualified for the Champions Division after finishing top of their group in regional qualifying that took place at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. in October and at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. in February.
Sporting KC, led by head coach Rumbani Munthali, first took on global giants Real Madrid last Friday, March 23. Despite a solid showing from the Sporting KC U-17s, Real Madrid ran out 2-0 winners in the opening Group C encounter.
In the U-17s’ second match, they took on Brazilian side Atletico Paranaense on March 25. Another tight game ensued, with Atletico eventually claiming all three points via a second-half goal to take a 1-0 victory.
The final Group C game saw Sporting KC face fellow MLS academy New York City FC on March 26, but came up short thanks to a heartbreaking penalty in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the second half that saw NYCFC pick up the 1-0 win.
Sporting KC finished Group C action at the foot of the table, but drew positives from several excellent performances, as Cameron Duke was tied for the leading chance creator in the Champions Division with six and Kaveh Rad also standing out with his passing and defensive stats.
Each team in the Champions Division took part in extra matches toward the end of the week, with Sporting KC taking on Toronto FC and the Portland Timbers on March 29 and 31, respectively, as the Playoffs rolled on for the top teams in each group.
It took just four minutes for the Sporting KC U-17s to get on the board against Toronto FC, as Homegrown signing Gianluca Busio curled home a stunning free kick to give his side an early lead.
Just moment later, Jonathan Munoz doubled the lead with an excellent finish from a difficult angle after intercepting a back pass. That goal gave Sporting KC a 2-0 lead heading into halftime and despite Toronto cutting the lead in half in the 57th minute, the U-17s held on for their first win of the week.
The Sporting KC U-17s closed out the tournament against the Timbers on Saturday, picking up a convincing 3-1 victory. For the second time in as many games, Busio opened the scoring with yet another magnificent free kick in the 28th minute.
Just like in the game prior, Sporting KC hit twice in quick succession as Danny Goddard fired home from close range after Gyuwon Chong’s effort was deflected into his path, making the score 2-0 in the 29th minute.
Portland pulled a goal back in the 57th minute to get back into the game, but Sporting KC responded minutes later as Duke drove forward, carrying the ball from the edge of his own area deep into Timbers territory before finding Mason Leeth who crossed for Michael Scavuzzo who applied a composed finish to make the final score 3-1.
Flamengo were the Champions Division victors, defeating Atletico Paranaense 1-0 in the final at Toyota Stadium on Saturday. The Sporting KC U-17s are back in action this weekend as the side takes on Solar Soccer Club at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday, April 7 at 12:30 p.m. CT.
