RECAP: Generation adidas Cup Day Two results

Generation adidas Cup qualifying continued Saturday at Houston Sports Park.

U-15 – Sporting Kansas City 3, Minnesota United FC 0
Sporting Kansas City dominated the chances in the first half, but didn’t get on the board until forward Daniel Visconti picked up a turnover in Minnesota’s third and drove a low shot past the keeper in the 30^th minute. Kansas City jumped out of the gates and scored their second just 30 seconds into the second half as a cross fell to Daniel Gutierrez and he finished from 10 yards out. Osvaldo Cisneros capped the scoring eight minutes later with a lasered shot to the far netting after a corner kick went over the pack in the box.

U-15 – Houston Dynamo 2, Columbus Crew SC 1
The Houston Dynamo went down a goal less than a minute into the second half after dominating possession and creating a few scoring chances in the first half, but substitutions and a formation tweak played dividends as Cesar Cordova forced a penalty that Alex Borsos converted in the 46^th minute. Substitute forward Jayden Blessing burst past the defense in the 50^th minute and finished with a low drive for the winning score.

U-15 – Chicago Fire 2, Toronto FC 1
Toronto FC grabbed the lead in the 20^th minute as Hugo Mbongue poked in a goal from close range. Chicago equalized in the 48^th minute via second half substitute Maximiliano Ibarra, but things heated up in the final minutes of the match. Mbongue was sent off with a red card, and then Chicago earned a penalty kick two minutes later. Marcel Ruszel’s penalty kick was saved by Dino Bontis, but Noeh Hernandez followed up on the rebound attempt to give Chicago the win.

U-17 – FC Dallas 2, Columbus Crew SC 0

In the first match of the day in Under-17 Group B play, FC Dallas topped Columbus Crew SC 2-0 on the strength of two second-half goals. The North Texas club enjoyed the majority of possession in the game and created a pair of stellar chances in the first 20 minutes, most notably on a low shot through traffic in the 20th minute that forced a diving save by Columbus goalkeeper John Harms. Neither side was able to break through, though, sending the match to halftime scoreless.

FC Dallas continued to press the issue at the start of the second half and created a pair of chances within the first 15 minutes of the period, then finally broke through in the 57th minute, after a Dallas shot was parried out by Harms for a corner kick. The initial ball from the corner failed to find its target, but the scramble for the second ball created a scrum inside the six-yard box and forward Michael Sosa was ultimately able to get a toe to it and poke the loose ball into the back of the net.

Columbus nearly equalized two minutes later, but saw three consecutive chances go begging. Working off of a quick counterattack, the Crew 17s got in behind the Dallas back line, but the initial shot on the break was saved by Dallas goalkeeper Seth Wilson. The ball fell to another Crew attacker, but the follow-up shot clanged off the right post. Columbus recovered it again and recycled the ball once more, this time forcing Wilson into another diving save to push the ball just wide of the goal.

Dallas put the nail in the coffin in second-half stoppage time when Eduardo Ruiz Gonzalez headed a long diagonal cross from midfielder Diego Letayf back across goal and into the far side netting.

U-17 – Chicago Fire 1, Montreal Impact 0

The second match of the day was an evenly matched affair between the Chicago Fire Academy and Montreal Impact Academy, with Chicago coming out with a 1-0 victory thanks to a 53rd-minute wonderstrike from Erik Kocs-Washburn.

Just less than a quarter hour into the second half, Chicago won the ball inside the attacking third and the ball popped out to Kocs-Washburn near the corner of the penalty area to the left of the goal. He collected the ball and uncorked a blast that rocketed into the upper right corner of the net.

Montreal created the more dangerous chances in the first half, with forward Abdul Binate and midfielders Matthew Catavolo, Sean Rea and Jeremie Omeonga each finding themselves on the end of scoring opportunities. Chicago ‘keeper Damian Las was up to the challenge each time, however, to keep the Fire in it through intermission.

The Fire came out the aggressors in the second period and nearly found the net in the first five minutes, but a headed shot sailed over the crossbar. After Kocs-Washburn’s goal, the Fire settled in and controlled possession over the final half-hour to see out the victory.

U-17 – Sporting Kansas City 2, Houston Dynamo 0

The final game of Group B on Saturday was a tale of what-might-have-been for the host Dynamo, who outshot Sporting Kansas City on the day but were unable to find the final ball, while Sporting took advantage of two great scoring chances in a 2-0 victory.

The Dynamo appeared to jump out to an early 1-0 lead inside of four minutes as forward Jathan Juarez slammed in a rebound after forward Josh Hellenberger’s cross was initially cut out. Juarez’s shot hit center forward Kaya Ignacio as it cross the goal line, however, and since Ignacio was in an offside position at the time, the goal was disallowed.

Fifteeen minutes later, Sporting took advantage of their first scoring opportunity of the game when midfielder Jacob Davis curled in a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out, lofting his shot over the Houston wall and bending it into the upper left corner of the goal to give his side a 1-0 lead.

The Dynamo Academy continued to press the attack throughout the remainder of the half, primarily along the left wing through Hellenberger, but couldn’t find the breakthrough. The second half started with more of the same, as Hellenberger and Juarez attacked down both flanks, searching for shots of their own or to feed Ignacio or midfielder Diego Gonzalez.

Sporting looked to salt the game away in the 57th minute when the took advantage of a turnover deep in Houston territory that fell to forward Danny Goddard, who ripped a low shot inside the left post to double the lead. Houston searched for a way to cut into the lead over the final 20-plus minutes, but Sporting goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki was up to every challenge.