FRISCO, Texas — Day 1 of the 2015 Generation adidas Cup is in the books, and here's what you need to know:
The international teams came to play
While last year's tournament saw international clubs Stoke City (champion) and Flamengo (semifinalist) bring a different look to the event, the teams in this year's Champions Division seem - at first glance - to be playing on a higher level. In Group C, Palmeiras and Eintracht Frankfurt laid down markers with dominating wins over Philadelphia (4-0) and San Jose (3-0), respectively. River Plate and Pumas pulled out close wins over Toronto and Real Salt Lake, respectively, to give internatonal clubs four impressive wins on the tournament's opening day.
FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City came up with critical wins
There were two impressive wins from MLS sides on the day, none moreso than the 3-0 shutout posted by FC Dallas over Spanish club Athletic Bilbao. Versatile forward and North Carolina commit Giovanni Montesdeoca celebrated his 17th birthday (it was Saturday) with two goals, bookending a strike from right back Reggie Cannon, to give the home club the perfect start in what might be the deepest group in the tournament.
Sporting Kansas City, meanwhile, rallied from a 2-1 second-half deficit for a confidence-boosting 4-2 win over Qatari club Aspire Academy. Trailing 2-1 early in the second half, Sporting's Paul Whitener took over by tying the score and setting up Fernando Borges' go-ahead goal. Chase Bromstedt added an emotional clinching goal to give Kansas City - who have never advanced out of group play in tournament history - a winning start.
Orlando's taking this thing seriously
The day started with games in the Premier Division, involving MLS teams who did not qualify for the 12-team Champions Division. Orlando City won their first game at the competition, 2-1 over the Chicago Fire, and looked good in the process. The attacking quartet of
Nathaniel Adamolekun
,
Pierre da Silva
,
David Loera
and
Landen Haig
made sure Orlando got off to a winning start, with Haig scoring both goals in the Lions' win.
- STANDINGS: Champions Division | Premier Division
Age doesn't matter
Vision and confidence come with age, but Portland Timbers midfielder Adrian Villegas, the youngest player on the field, commanded these qualities in MLSsoccer.com's opening stream of the week. Although Independiente Medellín knocked off the Timbers 3-1, Villegas - who will not turn 15 until May - deployed as the lone attacking midfielder and stole the show. Conducting the attack, taking command of set pieces and controlling the tempo throughout, the young man caught everybody's eye. Already called into US U-15 national team camps, Villegas may be a name to watch in US Soccer. -- David Gass
