FC Delco falls short in U19 MLS Next Cup Final

Alexander St. John scored two minutes after teammate Jack Burkhardt was sent off for a second yellow to lead the New England Revolution past FC Delco 2-1 in the U19 MLS Next Cup Final. The Revs became the first back-to-back winners in the U19 competition’s three-year history.

FC Delco made a return trip to a national final on the boys side for the first time in over 20 years. After a penalty shootout win over Springfield SYC in the Round of 32, Delco reeled off wins over the San Francisco Glens and South Florida Football Academy before beating Weston FC 1-0 in the semifinals.

Both teams started the match with a blistering pace that led to multiple changes of possession but few chances. As the game grew, New England had an early opportunity down the left side that was turned aside by the Delco defense. Soon, Delco began to create the better opportunities. In the 12 th minute, William May (Cornell) made a strong run down the left but was tackled in the box. Minutes later, Josh Oladele (Villanova) had a shot from distance that was stopped by Revs keeper Max Weinstein. Delco’s best chance of the half came in the 20th minute when a combination down the right led to a great ball in front. Kaio Reis (Northwestern) had a shot blocked, and the rebound fell to Caden Grabfelder (Penn State) whose shot was also blocked and cleared away.

Delco broke the game open off a free kick in the 43rd minute. John McDaid (Maryland) whipped in a left-footed cross from the right side that bounced around inside the box. Reis fought off his defender and buried the ball past Weston to put Delco up 1-0. New England countered shortly after the goal but pulled the final shot wide, and again, the Revs broke down Delco’s left side, but the final ball was cleared away. Carrying more of the play in the half, Delco’s deserved 1-0 lead carried into the break.

The Revs utilized a number of subs to start the second half, and Five minutes in, they fought back into the game with a series of dangerous corners. New England finally equalized off the foot of halftime sub Peyton Miller, who took a layoff from Marco Dos Santos and blasted a shot from outside the box that beat keeper Nicholas Willen (Harvard).

After the goal, New England took control of the game, creating more of the play going forward. In the 66 th minute, Willen made a fantastic stop to deny the Rev’s Jason Zacarias on the doorstep after Miller found space down the left side.

New England allowed Delco a window late in the game when central defender Burkhardt was shown a second yellow for a late challenge. Despite being down a man, the Revs attacked instantly, and St. John finished off a cross to put them up 2-1. With Delco pressing the final minutes, New England was able to sit in and absorb pressure with fresher legs, but not without some late drama. An extra-time strike from McDaid struck the bar and bounced to safety then a scramble in the box in the closing seconds ended with a final shot wide as New England secured the win.

Starting XI:
FC Delco: Nicholas Willen, Joseph McDaid, Malachi Neal, Daman Sangha, Elias Betancourt, Caden Grabfelder, John McDaid, Joshua Oladele, William May, Kaio Reis, Nathan Brown

NE Revolution: Maxwell Weinstein, Steban Betancur, Jack Burkhardt, Garrett Holman, Alexandru Parvu, Brandonn Bueno, Tyler Flowers, Gabriel Chavez, Jason Zacarias, Bryce FC Delco falls short in U19 MLS NEXT Cup FinalFlowers, Marco Dos Santos