CHESTER, Pa.— The Philadelphia Union Academy’s U-15 and U-16 squads played in the semifinal round of the inaugural Snow Bowl tournament in Chester on Friday, and the matches were nothing short of physical and chippy as teams were aiming for the final.
U-15 vs CF Monterrey
The Monterrey Rayados came out hot, immediately putting pressure on the Union and forcing the keeper, Thomas White, to make a save 24 seconds in. The Union had some early chances but could not break though the Rayados’ defense. In the 10th minute, the Mexican side had another huge chance on a breakaway, but the shot went over the crossbar. The Union followed shortly after with a big shot of their own that missed.
A foul by the Union just outside the top of the box in the 13th minute caused a bit of a commotion for a couple minutes, and set up a dangerous free kick, which sailed well high of the wall and the crossbar.
A shoving match ensued in the 25′ after a Monterrey player collided with White, who was going to catch the ball after it had been sent deep off a free kick. The Rayados took offense to their teammate going down and starting shoving White, who was walking away, causing a coming-together of both squads. After about a five-minute stoppage of play, yellow cards were issued to both sides and play finally resumed with White kicking off.
The second half had barely been underway when a Monterrey player was fouled in the box, leading to a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, which was converted to make it 1-0 in favor of the Rayados. They doubled their lead in the 44th minute after receiving a deep long ball near the top of the box.
The Union answered in the 50th minute after a great buildup that led to Troy Raneses connecting with Jude Larbi, who headed the ball into the back of the net to cut the deficit in half.
As time was running out and the Union desperately looking for the equalizer, they had some opportunities with several corners and shots, but nothing came to fruition and the Union suffered their first loss of the tournament by a score of 2-1.
The Union will cap off the tournament in a showcase match Saturday against Chicago Fire at 1:30 pm. Monterrey will face Manchester United in the final at 12:00 pm.
U-16 vs Borussia Mönchengladbach
The Union got off to a sensational start in their semifinal match, with Abdoulaye Diop scoring on a bicycle kick in the 3rd minute and sending the fieldhouse crowd wild, which included many of the just-returned Union II players from their preseason in Florida. The Union doubled their lead courtesy of Timoni Gbalajobi in the 24th minute. They would not enjoy it for long, however, as the German side cut their deficit with a goal in the 28th minute.
In the 37th minute, the Union drew a penalty kick after being fouled in the box, which Jayden Kouadio stepped up to take. The keeper read it right and made the save, but Kouadio was right on the rebound and blasted it home to make it 3-1.
Gbalajobi got his brace and his fifth for the tournament when he headed in the ball on a corner in the 44th minute, and Kouadio followed with a brace of his own, tapping in the cross in the 48th minute to make it 5-1. Mönchengladbach got one back as regulation was expiring, making it 5-2. As stoppage was underway, a coming-together took place, but play resumed shortly after, and the Union finished on top in dominant fashion.
The Union’s U-16s will play at 6:00 pm on Saturday in the final against Benfica. The U-18s will be in a rematch with Lyngby for the final at 7:30 pm after a two-goal rally to tie it up on Thursday.
The full schedule for Saturday is as follows:
| 9:00 am | U-15 Showcase | Borussia Dortmund vs. Newcastle United |
| 10:30 am | U-16 Showcase | Lyngby Boldklub vs. PSV Eindhoven |
| 12:00 pm | U-15 Final | CF Monterrey vs. Manchester United |
| 1:30 pm | U-15 Showcase | Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire FC |
| 3:00 pm | U-18 Showcase | S.L. Benfica vs. La Salle University |
| 4:30 pm | U-16 Showcase | Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Chicago Fire FC |
| 6:00 pm | U-16 Final | Philadelphia Union vs. S.L. Benfica |
| 7:30 pm | U-18 Final | Philadelphia Union vs. Lyngby Boldklub |
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union Academy
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