FRISCO, Texas – The Impact U17 rose to the occasion in its last game of the group phase, winning 2-1 against the Philadelphia Union on Monday morning, and reaching the Generation adidas Cup semifinal in Texas.
The Bleu-blanc-noir had to give everything in this crucial game, where only a win against Philadelphia, combined with a positive result in the game between the Colorado Rapids and Club Tijuana, would give Montreal its semifinal ticket.
“The boys showed a lot of commitment during this game,” said Impact U17 head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “It was a competitive game and they showed a lot of quality. It was a good game to watch, and we had much more success than in the game against Tijuana.”
Woobens Pacius opened the scoring just before halftime with a low shot after beating two defenders on a quick counterattack. The Union equalized in the 38th minute on a header from a corner kick.
In the 62nd minute, the Impact recovered the ball in its zone and quickly counterattacked, which resulted in a cross from Zachary Fernandez to Calin Calaidjoglu in the box. After controlling the ball, Calaidjoglu half-volleyed it past the keeper to score the winning goal.
Other group games
The Impact U17 started the tournament on the right foot, with a 2-1 win against the Rapids. Calin Calaidjoglu and Woobens Pacius scored in the victory after seeing the Rapids take the lead in the first half.
In the second game, Nicolas Gagnon’s players lost 2-1 against Club Tijuana, a Mexican club.
Semifinals
The semifinal games will be played on Thursday, at the Toyota Stadium, home of MLS side FC Dallas, at 2:15pm and 4pm (ET). The opponent will be known soon.
