Sounders Academy U15s Heading to GA Cup Final, U16s Fall Short in Heartbreaker
The Sounders Academy U15s are going to the GA Cup final after absolutely shutting down LAFC on Friday night, winning 2-0 and booking a date with Spain's Valencia CF on Saturday. Here's the wild part: Seattle is the only MLS academy team playing in either final of this international tournament. That's legit.
Batiz Takes Over Against LAFC
Chris Batiz, who just turned 15, was the difference maker. He didn't rack up a bunch of assists on the stat sheet, but one assist ain't telling the whole story. Batiz set up Leo Guadagnino early to get the Sounders rolling, then later in the match he took a free kick from about 25 yards out with his left foot. The ball rocketed off the underside of the crossbar in a way that looked like it crossed the goal line before Sasha Charles-Antoine headed in the rebound for the second goal. The assistant ref ruled the initial shot hadn't actually crossed, so the goal went to Charles-Antoine. Either way, that's the kind of performance that gets you to a final.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiThe final matchup against Valencia is kind of a throwback too. The last time these teams met in a GA Cup final was 2019, when the Sounders U17s took home the trophy. Saturday's gonna be a good one.
U16s Showed Heart But Came Up Just Short
The U16s didn't have the same luck. Brazil's Red Bull Bragantino came out flying and had them down 3-0 at halftime. Not ideal. But these kids didn't quit. Vitalii Kolomiets finished off a nice sequence to make it 3-1, then Landon Lucero pounced on a loose ball in the box to get it to 3-2 with about 20 minutes left. The Sounders got a couple solid chances to equalize, and Bragantino even missed a couple opportunities to put it away for good, but it wasn't meant to be. The U16s edged out the LA Galaxy for third place based on goal difference, which isn't nothing after nearly pulling off that comeback.
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