Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union U15 teams lifts MLS Next Cup in Nashville
The Philadelphia Union U15 team are MLS Next Cup champions after an impressive run in Nashville ended in a 3-0 win in the final on Saturday after Atlanta United.
Forward Timoni Gbalajobi had a brace and midfielder Samuel Gallego added a third goal to lead the U-15s to the first MLS Next Cup at the U15 leve and the second overall for the Philadelphia Union. The Union last won an MLS Next Cup crown in 2022 when the U-17s lifted the trophy. FC Delco’s 2008 team won the MLS Next Cup last summer.
Head coach Ben Moane’s squad opened the tournament with a 5-1 win over Strikers FC in the Round of 32, knocked out Weston FC less than 24 hours later with a 1-0 victory in the Round of 16 and advanced past the Colorado Rapids with a 2-0 win to make the semifinal. Gallego scored on a free kick in that match against St. Louis City SC but the match went to penalties, where goalkeeper Kenan Livadic was the hero with a big diving save int he fifth round to set up Chris Thompson’s shootout winning strike.
Saturday’s MLS Next Cup final was the second for the Union at the U-15 level. The U-15 team lost to Real Salt Lake in 2021 and in the Generation adidas Cup final in 2023. The U-17s won the MLS Next Cup in 2022a and the GA Cup in both 2023 and 2024.
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