GA Cup Recap: Sounders U-15's and U-17's finish first in groups, advance to knockout rounds

It’s official: both the U-15 and U-17 Sounders Academy teams have finished first in their respective groups at Generation adidas Cup, sending them through to the Round of 16. 

The Sounders U-15’s finished atop Group 3 (Arsenal FC, St. Louis CITY SC, Charlotte FC) on seven points from three games, while the U-17’s won Group 1 (FC Dallas, Chicago Fire FC, Miami Rush Kendall SC) with eight points from three matches.

Billed as a showcase for the future stars of North American soccer, the GA Cup pits every MLS academy against their age group counterparts from some of the biggest clubs around the world. International participants in this year’s edition of GA Cup include the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea FC, Palmeiras and Valencia. 

The Sounders U-15’s kicked off the competition in resounding fashion with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over global giants Arsenal’s U-15 team. Kelvin Luis-Brito opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Abad Vargas scored the second and assisted the third for Jordy Dierks. Their next match ended in a scoreless craw before defeating Charlotte FC 2-0 behind goals from Brayden Smith and Leo Flores.

As the reigning back-to-back GA Cup Champions in the U-17 age group, this year’s cohort has picked up that mantle in the group stage. Led by a Chris Aquino hat trick and a late goal from Nathen Song, the Sounders U-17’s defeated Chicago Fire 4-0 in their first group stage match. Michael Luande scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Miami Rush Kendall SC in the second game. Midfielder Snyder Brunell scored for Seattle in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas in the final match, which the Rave Green eventually won 5-4 on penalties to advance over their Texas counterparts.

The Round of 16 is set kickoff on Wednesday, April 5, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The U-15's will face Orlando City SC at 6 a.m. PT and the U-17's will take on Liga MX side Atlas FC at 11:30 a.m. PT. Neither game will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV but stay tuned for streaming options in subsequent rounds.