CHESTER, Pa.—The Union Academy squads went three for three on the second day of the Snow Bowl as the U-15, U-16, and U-18 squads defeated Newcastle United, Lyngby, and Benfica, respectively. The indoor field at the WSFS Sportsplex was rocking as some top youth talent from international academies faced off in front of a great crowd. The U-15s currently sit in second, behind the undefeated Borussia Dortmund, with 4 points (one win, one draw). The U-16s are in first with 4 points (one win, one draw), just ahead of Borussia Mönchengladbach. The U18s are tied with Lyngby in points (3) after nabbing the win in their first match, but are in second due to the goal differential tiebreaker.
U-15 vs. Newcastle United
Kicking off the Union Academy triple header, the Union’s U-15 squad got an early chance with a 7th minute shot by Mason Cannon (who has a very apt name) that went off the crossbar. It did not take long to get on the scoresheet, however, as Jude Larbi scored in the 8th minute to make it 1-0 in favor of the Union.
The Union’s goalkeeper for the match, Thomas White, had a very strong presence in the goal and made great saves throughout. The younger brother of U-18 goalkeeper Matthew White, who just helped the U-17 Men’s National Team qualify for the 2026 U-17 World Cup, has a tremendous amount of talent himself. He was selected for the U15 Boys’ National Team last fall.
As the first half went on, the Union had more of the chances and made some nice runs on goal, but had to play some strong defense as well, including Jayden Staines having great stop when Newcastle had a promising run in the 28th minute. The first half ended with the Union in front 1-0, with the Union appearing to be the stronger side.
The second half saw more chances for both sides, including a chance in the 34th minute for Newcastle, and in the 38th minute a narrowly missed goal by the Union. In the 45th minute, two quality saves were made by White, followed by a nice run by the Union to force a save by the Newcastle keeper. The 47th minute saw another chance for the Union, but finally found the back of the net in the 49th minute via Filipe Cruz. In the 53rd minute, the Union tacked on a third, this time by Jayden Staines.
Newcastle finally got on the board via a penalty kick after a player was fouled in the box, and subsquently converted as White dove the wrong way to make it 3-1.
As the last few seconds wound down, there was a scramble in front of the Union’s net, but White made the save to end the threat as the Union finished with the 3-1 win.
U-16 vs Lyngby
In the second match of the afternoon for Philadelphia’s squads, the Union came out strong from the gate, sending a shot on goal in the 2nd minute, but Lyngby had a barrage of pressure minutes later. The first half was a lot of back and forth of possession, but it was William Mihelic for the Union that put them on the board first in the 25th minute with a beauty of a goal that came off a Samuel Gallego free kick. Moments later, Union goalkeeper Kenan Livadic made a nice save to preserve the lead, and the first half would end 1-0.
The second half began with some chippiness from both squads as fouls occurred against both. Soon after, the Gallego scored an emphatic goal in 35th for the Union, which was nearly followed by another shortly after by Mihelic that the keeper made a good save on. The Union kept the foot on the gas,with Gallego scoring another in the 38th minute for the brace. The floodgates had opened as another goal for the Union followed in the 43rd minute, courtesy of Jayden Kouadio.
Lyngby, in turn got a chance of their own in the 47th minute on a dangerous free kick that Livadic easily made the save. The Union fouled a Lyngby player in the box in the 54th minute, and the referee pointed to the spot. Lyngby converted, sending Livadic the wrong way, making the score 4-1, which would hold for the final score. It was an impressive showing the squad, including newcomer Mihelic.
U-18s vs Benfica
With several of the Union’s U-18s in Clearwater with Union II, it would be a chance for some others to step up in Philadelphia’s finale. Charli Lorenz got the start in goal and was put to work early. Benfica came out firing with a shot from distance that went over the crossbar, inciting their vociferous teammates in the mezzanine into chants that kept up throughout the match. It was truly a great atmosphere for both sides as the match went on.
A very physical match from the get-go, it did not take long for a Benfica player to be shown a yellow, as in the 9th minute a hard tackle on the Union’s Mateo Gallegos led to a booking. The ensuing free kick, however, went for naught. It would be Benfica who would finally break through after lots of pressure, blasting the ball into the back of the net in the 16th minute.
Another yellow was awarded to Benfica in the 21st minute. Despite lots of pressure, the first half ended with Benfica holding a 1-0 lead.
In span of a few minutes, the complexion of the game changed dramatically in the Union’s favor as they went on a three-goal rally. In the 48th minute, the Union’s Michael Capretto tied it up with a great finish. In the 50th minute, Matthew Addai followed with another goal to take the lead via a header off of a corner, and then proceeded to show off his back handspring skills before being swarmed on the celebration mob on the field. The rally continued as Capretto added a third goal for the Union in the 52nd minute, causing the crowd in the WSFS Sportsplex to go wild.
As the time was getting short in the second half, Lorenz made a great save to preserve the 3-1 lead. The defense stood strong and thwarted Benfica’s late attempts to score, holding onto the lead to cap off the evening for the Union’s Academy squad. It proved to be a great match for new faces in Capretto and Addai, as well as a strong midfield performance by the recently arrived Jett Harrison.
On Thursday, the U-15s will be off, while the U-16s will face Borussia Mönchengladbach at 12:00 PM, and the U-18s will take on Alberg NextGen at 3:00 PM.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union Academy
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