The Sounders Academy U-17 squad is in Frisco, Texas, this weekend for the knockout rounds of Generation adidas Cup. Billed as a showcase for the future stars of MLS, the young Sounders will take on some of the best teams from around the country and the world in the Premier Division of the event.
The GA Cup pits the U-17 teams from every MLS Academy against each other in a year-long qualifying campaign, culminating in a knockout format, which includes youth teams from top international clubs like Real Madrid, Tigres UANL and Monterrey. Though they went unbeaten throughout qualifying, the young Sounders narrowly missed out on the Champions Division through goal differential.
The Premier division features four groups of four teams, with the winner of each group advancing directly to the semifinals.
“Last year we went to GA Cup and we had the second youngest team at the whole event,” said Sounders Academy U-17 Head Coach Chris Little. “We’ve got some 2003s that are going, six 2002s, and it’s a 2001 tournament. That fits in line with our philosophy that we want to give the best young players a chance.”
Returning a number of core players who participated in the 2016-17 edition of GA Cup, the U-17s will continue to integrate top prospects from the younger teams while relying upon the experience of players like Azriel Gonzalez, Marlon Vargas, and Ray Serrano, who was named one of the Top 10 players to watch by MLSsoccer.com.
Boasting a roster that features numerous players who are mainstays with U.S. Youth National Teams, the young Sounders are well prepared to go toe-to-toe with top international sides.
A key part of the Academy’s philosophy is to accelerate the development of top talents in the pipeline by having them face elite competition.
“For our players to develop, they need to get exposed to different playing styles and play against teams from different countries with different tactical systems and ways of playing the game,” said Little. “[GA Cup] is a benchmark for us during the year, it’s one of the pinnacle events in terms of testing ourselves as a team by playing against the best competition from around the world.”
Though the Sounders have set their sights on winning the Premier Division, they want to do so by maintaining their free-flowing, possession-oriented brand of soccer.
“It’s a tournament, so we want to go there and win it,” added Little. “Results are important, but it’s also how we match up, impose ourselves and keep our style and identity against these top teams.”
The Sounders’ first match against Japanese side Matsumoto Yamada can be streamed here, and the full schedule for the weekend is listed below.
March 23
Sounders FC vs. Matsumoto Yamaga | 10:00 a.m. PT, Field 4
March 25
Sounders FC vs. New England Revolution | 9:15 a.m. PT, Field 8
March 27
Sounders FC vs. Columbus Crew SC | 9:15 a.m. PT, Field 5
