The Sporting KC Academy U-13s advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Scotiabank CONCACAF U-13 Champions League on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rican side C.S. Herediano. Sporting KC will now face Comunicaciones FC on Friday at 1 p.m. CT. The winner will advance to Saturday's championship round.
Herediano entered the semifinal match unbeaten in the tournament with a 2-0-1 record in the group stage including a 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact U-13s. Sporting KC entered the match on a two-game winning streak after falling in their group stage opener.
Wednesday’s first half featured a defensive stalemate with neither team able to break down the opposition. Herediano had the better of the chances early on. Goalkeeper Tommy Williams made two saves in the first seven minutes and saw another shot attempt ricochet off the post in the 10th minute. Williams finished with four saves in the first half and six in the match.
After Coby Jones forced a diving save in the 40th minute, Sporting Kansas City broke through with their second penalty kick of the tournament. Similar to the match against Chorrillo FC, Brayden Barney drew the penalty kick with Tyler Freeman stepping to the spot. Freeman converted the attempt for his third goal of the tournament.
Despite a flurry of chances over the final 15 minutes, Sporting KC held Herediano without a goal to secure passage to the semifinal round where they will now face Guatemalan side Comunicaciones FC who defeated San Juan Jabloteh 2-0 in the quarterfinals. In the opposite side of the bracket, Salvadoran side C.D. Santa Ana will take on Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense. Sporting KC were the only MLS academy to advance to the semifinal round of this year’s tournament.
Both the semifinal matches as well as the championship and third place match will be streamed live on YouTube. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for more details as well as for photos and videos from the trip to Mexico.
