The New England Revolution Under-17 squad played its fifth and final game of the Generation adidas U17 Cup on Sunday, July 31, dropping a 5-3 decision to Seattle Sounders FC. With the loss, the young Revs finished the tournament with a 0-4-1 record.
The Revolution’s 21-player squad for this annual Major League Soccer youth development tournament was composed of players from both its Under-16 and Under-18 teams, and featured several new players who will join the Revs’ youth development program for the 2011-12 season.
July 25 vs. Toronto FC U17s:
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New England and Toronto came out of the gates looking evenly matched, but the momentum began to shift to favor the Reds as the game continued. Toronto FC scored a pair of goals and converted a penalty kick in the opening 40 minutes, sending the Revs into halftime facing a three-goal deficit. On the other side of the break, the Revs surrendered two more goals before scoring one of their own. Devin Devoy (North Attleboro, Mass.) found Diego Fagundez (Leominster, Mass.), who buried the ball into the upper 90 to put New England on the score sheet in the 68th minute. Toronto scored once more in the final minute, making the final score 7-1.
July 26 vs. Colorado Rapids U17s:
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After a scoreless first half, the Revs tallied first in the 48th minute. Diego Fagundez delivered a free kick from the edge of the attacking third to the far post, where Mitchell Taintor (Storrs, Conn.) rose above the pack to head it across the front of goal and into the back of the net. Colorado equalized in the 60th minute, but Eric Martel (Bedford, N.H.) – assisted by Fagundez – answered for New England in the 70th. The Rapids then scored twice for the lead, but Fagundez – assisted by Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.) – leveled the score in the final moments of the match.
As per tournament rules, group games tied at regulation are decided by penalty kicks, with the winning team receiving two points in the standings. Still even after the first five shots, with each goalkeeper having made a save, the shootout continued into sudden death. Forest Sisk (Sudbury, Mass.) stepped up for the eighth penalty and converted for the Revolution. The Rapids’ next shot was sent high, handing New England a victory in its first-ever shootout.
July 28 vs. Chivas USA U17s:
After another scoreless first half, Chivas USA struck early in the second, finding the back of the net off of a corner kick only two minutes in. The Revs pushed for the equalizer, making an adjustment in formation to allow for additional service from the left wing. Second-half substitute Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.) continued to whip balls into the box, while Diego Fagundez helped create chances of his own. By the 70th minute, both teams demonstrated an intensified sense of urgency. Chivas USA issued a final blow in the 78th minute, doubling its lead and ultimately securing the full three points to sweep the group. With the loss, the Revs finished fourth in Group C with a 0-2-1 record and 2 pts.
July 29 vs. Real Salt Lake U17s:
Real Salt Lake tallied a goal on each side of the break and maintained a two-goal advantage until the 55th minute, when Kevin Herrera (Lynn, Mass.) – assisted by Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, N.H.) – scored to make it 2-1. Ngatcha then made a run up the midfield in the 61st minute, maneuvering around multiple defenders and the goalkeeper to find the back of the net and level the score. Buoyed by the resurgence, the Revs were on the front foot and continued to push for the go-ahead goal. However, New England was unable to capitalize on a pair of chances, and instead gave up two more goals to give Real Salt Lake its second win of the tournament.
July 31 vs. Seattle Sounders FC U17s:
In their final match of the Generation adidas U17 Cup, the Revs battled back to level the score three times before ultimately suffering a 5-3 loss to Seattle Sounders FC. Seattle scored first in the 17th minute, but the Revs leveled the score when Eric Martel made a run up the left flank, switching the field to find C.J. Burnham (Rockport, Mass.) on the right. Burnham then made a neat pass to Peguy Ngatcha, who fired a shot on target to make it 1-1. The Sounders scored again before the break, but Dominik Machado – assisted by Burnham – answered in the 41st minute. Seattle scored another go-ahead in the 56th minute, and New England equalized again when Machado delivered a well-weighted ball over the top for Ngatcha, who buried it in the lower left corner. The Sounders were then awarded a penalty kick in the 70th minute, converting that chance and finishing another in the final minute of the game.
Following the completion of the 2010-11 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season and the Generation adidas U17 Cup, the Revolution youth teams have a break from competition until November. Regular training sessions will resume in the late fall, and roster and schedule announcements are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
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