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U-18 Academy Team: Gordon Jago Super Group
The FC Dallas U-18s won their first game of the Super Group against FC Barcelona 3-1 to start the tourney off strong. FCD’s goals came from Jonathan Top, Jose Perez and Daniel Garcia. The next day they defeated CS Cartagines 3-0 with second half goals from Jack Coleman, Bryan Leyva and Victor Pinal.
The team clinched a spot in the semifinals with a win over Japan’s U-18 National Team after Japan went down a man when their ‘keeper was shown a straight red in the seventh minute of the match. FCD went on to win with goals from Home Grown players Jonathan Top and Bryan Leyva.
But the U-18s’ Dallas Cup journey came to an abrupt stop when they faced Tigres of Mexico in the Super Group semifinals on Friday. The Dallas side trailed by just one goal at the break, but a four-goal second half from the Mexican club cemented the win and eliminated FCD from the tournament.
READ: U-18s eliminated from Super Group after 5-0 loss to Tigres
U-16 Academy Team: U-17 Age Group
The U-16s started Dallas Cup play with a decisive 6-1 win over Barrio Mexico of Costa Rica. Bobby Edet got the scoring started for FCD, and Will Coleman and Erick Chapa each bagged a brace in the game. Ricardo Mejia put one in from the spot to put the victory on ice.
Mejia scored another penalty kick in the team’s next match, a 3-1 win over the Jacksonville Fury. Zach Dunbar also earned a brace in the game, making him the fourth U-16 player to score two goals through the first two games of Dallas Cup.
The U-16s final group play game of the tournament was against West Side Metro Premier of Oregon to determine who would win the bracket and move on to the U-17 quarterfinals. The teams remained scoreless after 90 minutes, but FCD gave up a soft goal in overtime that would end the match 1-0 in favor of the visiting team and eliminate the U-16s from the tournament.
94 Boys Premier Team: U-17 Age Group
The 94s lost their first match to Brazilian club Brasilis FC 1-0 off a penalty kick, but bounced back with a 2-1 win over TSF Academy Galacticos of New Jersey. Both FC Dallas goals came from Reza Tavakoli.
The 94s fell in their final match of the week to FC Golden State Premier by a score of 2-1. The team had already been eliminated from the tournament before their third match kicked off, as Brasilis FC clinched the bracket with a scoreless draw earlier that day.
95 Boys Premier Team: U-16 Age Group
The 95s earned a draw in their first match against German club Fussballschule Millerntor 1-1. Adrian Salazar scored the game-tying goal with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The next day the 95s fell to Californian club Cosmos Academy West by a score of 4-0. The team also lost their final match of the tournament to FCB Escola Monterrey of Mexico by a score of 5-1.
96 Boys Premier Team: U-15 Age Group
The 96s started Dallas Cup off on a tear, defeating Alberta SA of Canada 2-0 and the Houston Dynamo 4-1. Luis Hernandez and Nico Lozada-Smith scored against Alberta, and Tanner Gardner, Dawson French, Antonio Aguilar and Chuy Garcia each tallied against the Dynamo.
The 96s then clinched their bracket with a 2-2 tie against Pateadores of California to move on to the U-15 quarterfinals. There they beat West Pines United of Florida 1-0 to advance to the semifinals where they faced FC Golden State. The semifinal match was scoreless through overtime, but FCD goalkeeper Mickey Raine saved three of the four penalty kicks he faced to earn his team a spot in the final with a 3-1 victory.
The team faced Metroplex rival Solar SC in the final on Saturday evening. The 96s dominated the match in both possession and chances and went on to win the Championship behind a two-goal performance by Antonio Aguilar. The win made the 96 Boys Premier team the first FC Dallas team to win a Dallas Cup Championship.
READ: 96 Premier team wins Dallas Cup U-15 championship
97 Boys Premier Team: U-14 Age Group
The 97 Boys Premier team also came out strong in group play, winning their first two matches by a combined score of 5-2. First up was a 4-2 win over FB Correcaminos of Mexico, with goals by Juan Amaro, Sanders Bradford, Christian Ramirez and Santiago Ramirez. Next they beat Sparta Premier PR of Utah 1-0, with the lone goal coming off a free kick by Pablo Ocampo.
The 97s final group play match was a 3-1 victory over TSF Academy Blue of New Jersey, sealing a sweep of their bracket and advancing the team to the U-14 quarterfinals. The 97s posted shutouts in both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches, beating Dallas Texans Red 2-0 and then Oklahoma FC 3-0 to advance to the U-14 Championship match, where they would face the Fullerton Rangers of California.
The final match was scoreless through two overtime periods, meaning the champions were crowned by penalty kicks. The decisive moment of the shootout was a save made by Fullerton’s goalkeeper on FCD’s second shooter. The final score was 5-4 in favor of the California club to end the 97s’ quest just one goal shy of the championship.