Union U17s advance to GA Cup semifinals with 4-2 win over HNK Hajduk Split

Diego Rocio’s second half brace led the Philadelphia Union U17s to a 4-2 win over Croatian side HNK Hajduk Split and sets up a semifinal date today with Flamengo in the Generation adidas Cup.

Rocio scored just after halftime to put the Union up 3-0 but their Croatian opponents battled back to make it 3-2 before Rocio scored his second to put the game away.

Peter Doran opened the scoring for the boys in blue and forward Anisse Saidi doubled the advantage. The six-goal match followed a tight 1-0 win on Thursday for a Union team looking to bring back a second straight GA Cup trophy at the U17 age group.

The Union Academy side wore red tape on their wrists in the game in support of their rival New York Red Bulls U17 team. The Red Bulls made the decision to depart Florida after players reported racial abuse during games against Monterey and HNK Hajduk Split.

A statement from MLS Next indicated that there were “three allegations of discriminatory language used during two recent GA Cup matches” and that the incidents were “immediately investigated” and suspensions were issued.

The Union U17s will be back on MLS Season Pass for today’s semifinal at 5 p.m. against Flamengo. The other semifinal is a California derby between San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy at 2:30 p.m.