After a Day 1 of the Generation adidas Cup that saw no MLS team beat a foreign opponent, Day 2 proved to be much more fruitful for the league's academy teams.
Four MLS teams defeated foreign opponents on Sunday, with three wins coming against Liga MX teams. The day started with the Seattle Sounders defeating Pumas UNAM 2-1 and the San Jose Earthquakes beating Chivas de Guadalajara 1-0 thanks to a fantastic goal from Quakes right winger Will Richmond.
New York City FC next defeated Costa Rican outfit Saprissa 2-0 with Giovanni Reyna, the son of US national team legend and NYCFC sporting director Claudio Reyna, providing a great opener.
Next, the Philadelphia Union followed up a 5-0 win against the New England Revolution with a 2-1 win against Mexican power Monterrey. All in all, MLS went 4-3-0 against foreign opposition after a Day 1 that saw no MLS teams beat foreign academies.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Reyna wasn’t the only son of a well-known name to take the field in Frisco, as the sons of two long-time friends showed their skills. Diego Pareja, son of FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja, played a crucial role in Dallas’ win against Real Salt Lake. Pareja played as a box-to-box midfielder and his tenacity was key in Dallas’ control in the midfield.
Earlier, Wilmer Cabrera Jr. took the field for the Houston Dynamo, son of the Dynamo head coach with the same namesake. Cabrera Jr. played as a lone striker in the Dynamo’s 4-2-3-1 formation and his technical ability was on display throughout the game. Unfortunately, the Dynamo failed to come back against Tigres UANL after falling behind by two goals.
SET PIECE CREATIVITY
In the marquee matchup of the day involving two MLS teams, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake locked horns in a game both needed to win. FC Dallas came out on top thanks to goals from Nathan Toledo and Edwin Cerrillo, but RSL had a set play that few have tried. On a corner kick, multiple RSL players wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders in a circle and hopped around for a few seconds. At the kick of the ball, many sprinted towards goal confusing the Dallas defenders. However, the corner was not well placed and the Dallas ‘keeper was able to punch the ball away.
Unfortunately for Dallas, Independiente del Valle's 2-1 win against Real Madrid extinguished any hopes for a championship as only the top team from each group advances to the semifinals.
RED BULLS ON PARADE VS. TFC
In another high-profile matchup between MLS clubs, the New York Red Bulls beat Toronto FC 4-1 in a game that kept the Red Bulls alive in their championship hunt. Current Red Bulls II midfielder Ben Mines scored twice to lead his team to victory.
*TOP FINISHER FROM EACH GROUP ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS
