OCEANSIDE, California – For the first time in the history of the club, the Impact U17 booked its ticket to the Development Academy playoff semifinals on Tuesday afternoon, when it beat Sacramento Republic FC 1-0 in the quarterfinal at the SoCal Sports Complex, in Oceanside, California. The semifinal will be played on July 8, in Kansas City.
Midfielder Calin Calaidjoglu was the game’s lone scorer. In the 73rd minute, he dribbled past the defenders and scored on a shot from outside the box in the right corner.
“The guys showed a lot of quality in putting pressure, through their combinations in the middle of the field, and in changing the point of attack,” said head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “They gave everything they had with some ups and downs, but with a lot of generosity and solidarity to end up scoring a magnificent goal and get the win. From the beginning of the season our goal was to be USSDA champions, and that's what we want to get in Kansas City by showing that we're the Montreal Impact.”
Last week, head coach Nicolas Gagnon’s team won its three games in the group phase, the first playoff round in the Development Academy.
The Impact won 3-1 against the Carolina Rapids, 4-3 against Players Development Academy and 2-0 against Saint Louis FC Academy.
In the regular season, the Impact U17 ended its season on top of its division and seventh in the league with a 17-6-3 record.
The team also had a great run in the Generation adidas Cup earlier this year in Frisco, Texas, finishing in third place in the Premier Division.
