Philadelphia Union’s U-18s rose to the occasion when it mattered most, defeating CF Monterrey in a penalty kick shootout to advance to the 2026 Dallas Cup U-19 Final.
The Boys in Blue jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the semifinal held at the home of the MLS side, FC Dallas, on a finish from Nehan Hasan.
Philly then faced adversity for the first time in the tournament during their semifinal match against the Mexican side, surrendering their first allowed goal of the tournament after recording three-straight clean sheets in the group stage.
Locked at 1-1, the final whistle at the end of regulation sent the match into two 10-minute periods of extra time in search of a winner. Despite the additional time, neither side was able to find a breakthrough, and the semifinal was ultimately decided from the penalty spot.
In the penalty shootout, Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Alex Smith made a crucial save to help secure the victory, sending the MLS academy side through to face defending champsions SAF Botafogo in Sunday’s Gordon Jago Super Group final.
