Sporting Kansas City Academy forward Osvaldo Cisneros scored both goals in the United States' 2-0 victory over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf U-15 Championship on Thursday at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Cisneros (No. 7 above) and Sporting KC Academy teammate Rokus Pukstas (No. 15 above) both started in the winning effort, propelling the U.S. into a semifinal showdown with Portugal at 8 a.m. CT Saturday morning. The match will stream live on the Concacaf Facebook page as the Americans look to reach the Concacaf U-15 Championship Final for the second straight tournament, having done so in 2017 when Sporting midfielder Gianluca Busio spearheaded the side.
The U.S. surged ahead in the 11th minute when Pukstas' attempted pass upfield deflected off a Costa Rica defender and skipped into space. Cisneros dashed past a pair of defenders, settled the ball and slotted low past goalkeeper Abraham Madriz for his second goal of the competition.
Cisneros sealed the result with 47 minutes on the clock, heading into a gaping net after Pukstas unlocked the Costa Rican backline once more. His pass down the left flank found Rafael Jauregui, whose looping cross was fumbled by Madriz and nodded home by the lurking Cisneros.
