A wild second day of the Generation adidas U-17 Cup saw numerous draws, leaving most teams alive heading into the final day of group action scheduled for Thursday night in Frisco, Texas.
Games tied at regulation in group matches are decided by penalty kicks, as three were on Tuesday.
The most enthralling encounter took place between Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders. Goals by Nate Opperman and Clay Stewart had Sporting up 2-1 with seconds remaining, only for Seattle to equalize on the last play of the game.
KC goalkeeper Evan Wright was the hero in the shootout, however, making two stops to give his side a 5-4 win and a chance to top the group — although they’ll need a win against a tough FC Dallas side — later this week.
Houston were able to bounce back from an opening-day loss with a win against D.C. United, defeating the 10-man side, 1-0. United went down a man in the second half when goalie Alec Dockser took down a Houston attacker in the box.
Substitute 'keeper Cody Niedermeier saved the ensuing penalty, but Carlos Ibarra grabbed the winner for Houston. With the Crew defeating San Jose by the same score, all four teams in Group A are tied at three points heading into the final day.
The same can be said of Group D, as wins by Chicago and New York on Tuesday over the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, respectively, made it a four-way tie in the standings. The Fire dropped a talented LA side, 2-1, with forward Kellen Gulley scoring the winner. New York defeated RSL, 3-0.
Other U-17 scores:
NE Revolution 3, Colorado Rapids 3 (Revolution win 7-6 on PKs)
Philadelphia 0, FC Dallas 0 (FC Dallas wins\ on PKs 5-3)
Chivas USA 1, Toronto FC 0
U-15s start
The U-15 pre-academy teams began play at the Generation adidas Cup on Wednesday morning in Frisco, with the U-17s getting a day off before the penultimate round of action Thursday.
Eight MLS teams are sent U-15 squads and will compete this week. Host FC Dallas enjoyed continued success on home turf, grabbing a 4-0 win over Columbus, while LA defeated Houston 2-1 in the first round of games.
Other U-15 scores:
Chivas USA 2, D.C. United 0
Seattle 0, New York 0 (Seattle win on PKs 3-2)
Photos: Generation adidas Cup
