The group picture came into focus at Saturday’s Generation adidas Cup action from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
With first place the target to advance to the championship bracket, it was do-or-die time for teams looking to keep top-tier aspirations alive.
Here’s where things stand in each age group after the second day of play.
A quality D.C. United side have set themselves up for a group decider against FC Barcelona, sitting on four points in Group B after a 1-1 draw with Chicago Fire FC. Alonso Gutierrez (Fire) and Gabriel Vasquez (D.C.) exchanged first-half goals. The Fire picked up the extra point with the shootout win.
Mamadou Keita and San Jose Earthquakes’ Jeffrey Lara Delgado scored for their sides, as the Quakes held FC Barcelona to a 1-1 draw. San Jose also secured the extra point with the shootout victory.
Atlanta United are riding high in Group A after netting a second win in two days. Saturday saw the Five Stripes top Belgian side RSC Anderlecht by a 2-0 score. Mason Moskau and Colin O’Neil scored in each half to bank the points and put Atlanta on the cusp of the championship bracket.
After capturing a spot at the Generation adidas Cup with an MLS NEXT Fest run, Cedar Stars Academy-Bergen continued to find success in Florida. Matthew Lamberti scored the only goal of the game in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat of Austin FC.
Ryan Schlotterbeck and Gabriel Jones delivered the goals for FC Cincinnati, which beat Nashville SC by a 2-0 score. It marked the second straight day Jones scored, and put FCC in first place in Group I action.
A 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven, combined with the extra point from a shootout win against the Dutch side, have the Columbus Crew poised to progress to the championship bracket. Leonardo Woehl scored in the seventh minute for the Crew, though it was cancelled out by Ádrian Rojer. The Crew converted all three spot kicks to add the bonus.
Toulouse FC, Valencia and FC Bayern are sitting pretty with two wins from two matches played in their respective groups. The German giants topped FC Dallas, 2-1, while Valencia defeated St. Louis CITY SC by a 3-0 score. Toulouse cruised past Sporting Kansas City to the tune of 2-0, and have yet to concede a goal in two group games.
CF Montréal set up a group decider with Valencia, beating Real Salt Lake, 3-1. Sloan Earl put RSL up 10 minutes into the game, but the Canadian side rallied. Cyrus He tied the game five minutes later, before an own goal and a tally by Nathan Laguerre helped them pull away.
Both Seattle Sounders FC and Orlando City will face each other with six points apiece. Late goals from Patrick Boltz, Landon Lucero and Vitalii Kolomiets overturned a one-goal deficit, as Seattle won 3-1 against Red Bull New York. Lennox Alvarado and Hector Aguirre propelled Orlando to a second straight 2-0 win at the competition, cueing the crucial group finale.
In a clash between two top MLS sides, Atlanta United came out on top with a 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Union. Elijah Bataille and Gonzalo Riveras provided a 2-0 lead for Atlanta after 34 minutes. Jayden Kouadio’s 41st-minute strike gave the Union a glimmer of hope, but it was extinguished by a late Santiago Suarez goal.
All four teams in Group F will have a chance at progressing, as Atlanta, Philly, CF Monterrey and Sporting KC all sit on three points. Sporting ensured that with a 1-0 defeat of the LIGA MX side, buoyed by an Abraham Gutierrez goal.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC secured a second straight 1-0 win. Saturday’s win came via a goal by Simeon Cruickshank in the 47th minute, and that was enough for the Whitecaps to top Nagoya Grampus.
Canadian foes Toronto FC picked up all three points as well. John Chukwu and Devonte Simon scored in the 2-1 win over Busan IPark.
Club América, Boca Juniors, FC Copenhagen and SK Slavia Prague all sit atop their respective groups after the second day of play.
