Thursday saw the final U-15 knockout spots secured at Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy.
U-15 | Philadelphia Union 0, Borussia Dortmund 0
With the No. 1 seed in the knockout round on the line, Philadelphia Union and Borussia Dortmund battled to a scoreless draw in front of a lively crowd at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex.
Backed by vocal support from the Union Academy U-16 squad, the Baby Snakes set the tone early with an aggressive high press, closing down every 50/50 ball and limiting Dortmund’s ability to launch counterattacks.
Dortmund looked to capitalize on its size in the 18th minute, crowding the goalkeeper on a corner kick, but Union’s back line held firm and cleared the danger. Philly nearly forced the breakthrough four minutes later when Filipe Cruz blocked a clearance inside the 18-yard box, but the Dortmund keeper recovered in time. The German side quickly transitioned the other way, though Justin Ehikioya Ejodamen’s long-range effort drifted wide.
The Union continued to push for a first-half opener in the 25th minute. Troy Raneses danced along the end line and slipped a centering pass through traffic, allowing Cruz a sliding attempt in front of goal, but Dortmund goalkeeper Massimiliano Schmaus stretched to deny the chance.
The second half followed a similar script — Philadelphia pressing relentlessly while Dortmund remained patient in buildup and dangerous on the counter. The Baby Snakes appeared to break through in the 38th minute when Jayden Staines delivered a corner that Kai Simmonds headed home, but the goal was waved off for a foul in the box.
Philly controlled the final stages in search of the top seed. With six minutes remaining, Gael Gonzalez tracked down a ball behind the defense and cut it back toward the penalty spot, just beyond the reach of Raneses. In the dying moments, Mateo Rosko struck the post as Union mounted one final surge.
With the result, Dortmund secures the No. 1 seed in the U-15 division, while Philadelphia finishes the group stage unbeaten and enters the knockout round as the second seed.
U-18 | Philadelphia Union 2, Lyngby Boldklub 2
Thursday’s final match delivered late drama in a preview of Saturday’s U-18 Snow Bowl Final, as Philadelphia Union scored in second-half stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw against Lyngby Boldklub.
The two teams appeared headed for halftime scoreless before Nicolai Hjulmand broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, unleashing a strike to give the Danish side the lead just before the break.
Philadelphia responded with urgency after halftime and nearly equalized in the 34th minute when Neo Heyral fired a shot off a Tyler Gladstone cross, but the effort was turned aside.
Lyngby doubled its advantage a minute later as Oscar Wind capitalized on an errant pass, racing in on a breakaway to score his second goal of the tournament.
Jett Harrison sparked the Union comeback in the 46th minute, reacting quickest to a rebound inside a crowded 18-yard box to cut the deficit in half.
As the Boys in Blue pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer, Lyngby nearly put the match away in the 58th minute when Rasmus Andersen made a strong run through the defense, only to see his effort crash off the post.
The pressure finally paid off in second-half stoppage time. Mateo Gallegos stepped into a loose ball at the edge of the box and rifled a blast into the back of the net, sending the home crowd into celebration and forcing the sides to settle for a draw ahead of Saturday’s final.
U-15 | Manchester United 1, Chicago Fire FC 0
With a semifinal berth on the line, Manchester United edged Chicago Fire FC 1-0 in a tightly contested showdown.
Chicago nearly struck first in the fifth minute when Francisco Diaz saw his effort crash off the post. United responded soon after, as Angus Murdock slipped into the box and delivered a cross to Ben Lyne, but the header drifted wide of the far post. The Fire pushed again before halftime, with Robert Witkowski attempting a long-range volley that sailed just over the bar.
Both teams came out aggressively after the break in search of the opener. Diaz tested the defense just 30 seconds into the second half, but his shot rolled wide. Lyne answered at the other end with a similar effort that met the same fate.
The breakthrough finally came in the 44th minute. A long switch of play found Jaice Dore isolated on the right flank. Cutting inside onto his right foot, Dore fired a low strike into the back of the net to give United the lead.
United nearly doubled its advantage in the 54th minute when a ball over the top sent Mohammed Ibragimov in behind the defense, but Chicago goalkeeper Alex Bayraktarov reacted quickly, charging off his line to make a sliding save at the edge of the box.
The lone goal proved decisive as United secured their place in the semifinals, while the loss sends Chicago into a showcase match on Friday morning.
U-15 | CF Monterrey 2, Newcastle United 2
CF Monterrey rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw against Newcastle United, securing the final semifinal berth in the process.
Needing a four-goal victory to advance, Newcastle came out aggressively in their group stage finale.
The English side struck early. Just five minutes in, Nathaniel Waldock’s corner kick found Muwaiya Ghanem, who powered home the header to open the scoring. Newcastle doubled its advantage in the 18th minute when Jack Skelton converted from the penalty spot. Skelton thought he had a first-half brace two minutes later after finishing a scramble inside the box, but the assistant referee’s flag kept the score at 2-0.
Monterrey nearly shifted momentum before halftime, but Newcastle goalkeeper Lucas Flack delivered a diving save to deny Jaime García and preserve the two-goal cushion at the break.
Monterrey took control after halftime, employing a relentless high press that steadily tilted the field in their favor. After a series of dangerous set pieces, Romualdo Aguirre narrowly missed in the 43rd minute with a redirection in front of goal. The breakthrough came two minutes later when Daniel Peña’s long cross set up Jaime García, who blasted his finish into the back of the net to cut the deficit in half.
Monterrey nearly found an equalizer in the 47th minute after forcing a turnover that sparked a counterattack, but Patricio Ernesto Delgado’s effort rolled just wide. The pressure continued to build, and it finally paid off in stoppage time. Following a scramble off a corner kick, Aguirre reacted quickest to tap home the equalizer.
The draw sends Monterrey into the knockout round as the No. 3 seed, while Newcastle’s semifinal hopes fall just short.
U-18 | S.L. Benfica 7, Alberg NextGen 2
S.L. Benfica earned its first victory of Snow Bowl 2026 in emphatic fashion, defeating Alberg NextGen 7-2 in the highest-scoring match of the tournament to date.
After narrowly missing out on a place in the U-18 Final the day prior, Benfica wasted little time responding. Nazif Inoussa opened the scoring in the third minute with a right-footed finish near the penalty spot. He added his second in the 26th minute, curling a precise effort from the top of the 18-yard box to take firm control of the Golden Boot race.
Benfica proved especially dangerous on set pieces, scoring four of its seven goals from restarts. Ismael Dabo headed home a corner in the 15th minute, and Ricardo Fernandes followed with another corner-kick finish in the 29th to extend the advantage.
The scoring continued after halftime. Antonio Ferreira opened the second-half surge five minutes in, rising to convert yet another corner kick. Alberg NextGen responded in the 37th minute when Lutho Shaun Soga produced a composed finish inside the box to put his side on the board.
Inoussa quickly restored Benfica’s momentum, bending a free kick from 25 yards around the wall and inside the near post for his third of the afternoon. Christopher Kelvynge Greenway added a second for Alberg NextGen with a powerful 20-yard strike during a quick buildup, but Inoussa capped his standout performance in the 59th minute with a header to complete his four-goal display.
Knockout Round Kicks off Friday
Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy shifts into knockout mode on Friday as the U-15 and U-16 divisions take center stage in the semifinal round.
In the U-15 Division, top-seeded Borussia Dortmund will face Manchester United in a rematch of their group stage meeting, while No. 2 seed Philadelphia Union takes on CF Monterrey in the second semifinal.
The U-16 bracket features another rematch, with No. 1 seed Philadelphia Union squaring off against Borussia Mönchengladbach for the second time in the tournament. No. 2 seed S.L. Benfica will meet Lyngby Boldklub with a place in the final on the line.
In addition to the semifinal matchups, showcase contests will also take place throughout the day. The complete schedule can be found by clicking here. As always, all matches from Snow Bowl 2026 will be streamed here.
