For the second consecutive year, the Philadelphia Union captured the Under-17 Generation adidas Cup. A penalty shootout win saw the Union retain the Championship Bracket trophy at the oldest age group, as Philly triumphed 5-4 on spot kicks after a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy on Sunday.
The Union drew first blood, as Diego Rocio tallied his fifth goal of the tournament. LA answered with a quickfire double in the second stanza, getting goals from Dylan Vanney and Adam Dunbar. Cavan Sullivan’s goal in the second half drew parity, eventually sending the game to penalties.
Both goalkeepers made stops in the shootout; LA’s Owen Pratt stopped Sullivan in the second round, while the Union’s Gavin Atkinson kept out Nathan Nava’s attempt in the third. In the sixth round, Neil Pierre converted his spot kick, before a Galaxy miss cued the celebrations for the second straight year.
Philly took the initial lead in the 31st minute after Harbor Miller headed a Sullivan cross back across his own goal, and it found Rocio at the top of the six-yard box. Rocio slotted home his fifth goal in the past three games.
LA struck twice quickly in the second half to take a brief lead. In the 38th minute, Vanney curled a shot towards Atkinson that trickled into the net. A few minutes later Dunbar was rewarded for keeping pressure up in attack. Atkinson made two saves on Vanney, but the final rebound went straight to Dunbar for a tap-in.
Philly equalized in the 48th minute. Jamir Johnson engineered the chance with movement into space, chipping a pass to an unmarked Sullivan, who tapped it in with his left foot.
Neither side carved out a clear chance throughout the rest of the second half and through 10 minutes of extra time. That sent the game to penalty kicks, where the Union triumphed. It marked the Union’s third overall win, including 2012 and last year.
A dominant stint in Florida ended with Valencia capturing the Under-15 Generation adidas Cup title. The LaLiga side bested Toulouse by a 2-0 score. It was the club’s first championship after finishing as U-17 runners-up in 2019 and U-15 runners-up in 2022.
Marc Martinez supplied the opening goal, finishing low past Toulouse goalkeeper Victor Lanlo. Amadou Konteh doubled the lead in the second half.
Two MLS sides battled it out in Sunday’s Premier Bracket final, with the Chicago Fire locking down Sporting KC’s attack to win by a 1-0 score. With the finals lasting 70 minutes, Darris Hyte scored in the 34th. Goalkeeper Alex Ivanov secured the shutout in goal behind central defenders Denzel Palacios and Hugo Berg.
Inter Miami finished as Premier Bracket winners, beating LAFC 1-0 thanks to a Mateo Saja goal. He scored with an excellent headed finish, and the Miami defense locked down the opposition attack.
