April 3 update
Philadelphia Union Academy's U17 squad capped off its impressive showing in the Group Stage with another victory at the 2023 Generation adidas Cup on Monday afternoon to claim the top spot in Group 5 via a 2-1 victory.
The Boys in Blue jumped out to an early lead IMG Academy with a strong finish from Alex Perez and then doubled their advantage just before the halftime whistle with Daniel Krueger making it a 2-0 Union lead going into intermission. The Union defense took control in the second half limiting the Florida side to very few offensive chances to see out the result but the side would break the club's shutout streak just before the final whistle to put a small blemish on a perfect Group Stage record.
April 2 update
Philadelphia Union Academy's U17 side improved to 2-0 in Group Stage action at the 2023 Generation adidas Cup via a 2-0 win against Minnesota United on Sunday afternoon in Florida. For the second consecutive matchday the Boys in Blue racked up a perfect defensive performance to earn a clean sheet with smothering pressure to limit any chances on goal from the opposition. With chances limited by both sides, the opening and eventual game-winning goal came Edward Davis in the first half. In the final 30-minute period the Union put the match out of reach with a finish from Diego Rocio that puts the Union on the verge of a perfect Group Stage run with a match to play tomorrow evening.
April 1 update
Looking to add to their trophy cabinet, the Philadelphia Union Academy U17 team opened its participation in the 2023 Generation adidas Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday afternoon in Bradenton, Florida. U.S. Youth National Team forward David Vazquez provided the offense in the first 30 minute period with a solid strike to put the Boys in Blue ahead going into the halftime break. That goal would be the difference as the Boys in Blue locked down defensively to open their run in the 2023 GA Cup with a clean sheet.
Philadelphia Union Academy is headed to the Sunshine State for the 2023 2023 Generation adidas Cup that will take place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., starting on April 1st and running through April 9th.
The 2023 edition of the event will be a premier global youth tournament featuring representation from every MLS academy and renowned club academies from around the world. A record 49 different clubs from 12 countries and four continents will compete across the U-17 and U-15 tournament.
The U17s group stage features a trio of domestic opponents starting off with an April 1st matchup against the Houston Dynamo. The Boys in Blue are back in action 24 hours later then they take on Minnesota United's U-17 side. The Group Stage finale is set for April 3rd at 4:30 p.m. ET with the Union U17s facing off against tournament host's IMG Academy.
Twenty-eight Generation adidas games, including championship matches in both divisions, will stream live on MLS Season Pass, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer on the Apple TV app. These games will be available in more than 100 countries and regions. Additional Generation adidas Cup broadcast details, including the schedule of games featured, will be announced in advance of the tournament. MLS Season Pass marks the official kickoff of the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, a historic first for a major professional sports league.
12 players who appeared at previous Generation adidas Cups were on FIFA 2022 World Cup rosters, with eight on the U.S. Men’s National Team. Notable alumni include Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union/Leeds United), Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas/LAFC), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls/Leeds United), and Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas). Additionally, 2022 FIFA World Cup winner and Manchester City forward Julián Álvarez was the top scorer for River Plate (Argentina) when they won the U-17 age group in 2017.
Forty teams, divided into 10 groups of four, will compete in each of the two age divisions. MLS club seeding was determined by Generation adidas Cup Qualifiers at MLS NEXT Fest in December 2022. Each team will play three group matches to determine qualification for the knockout round. Sixteen teams will qualify for the winner’s side of the draw with winning teams advancing to play in a bracket-style elimination format. All teams competing in Generation adidas Cup are guaranteed to play seven 60-minute matches, comprised of two 30-minute halves.
After the conclusion of the tournament, awards will be presented in both age groups to the Generation adidas Cup Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer, as well as the Generation adidas Cup Best Goalkeeper presented by Allstate. The Generation adidas Cup Rising XI presented by BODYARMOR Sports Drink will highlight the top performing MLS academy players from each position at the competition.
MLS NEXT Match Evaluator Program
At the 2023 Generation adidas Cup, MLS NEXT is collaborating with U.S. Soccer to lead a specialized Talent ID and Scouting pilot course which will be made available through the MLS NEXT Match Evaluator Program. Upon successful completion of this pilot course, MLS NEXT Match Evaluators will be issued a Level 2 US Soccer Talent Scout License. Launched in the summer of 2023, the MLS NEXT Match Evaluator Program has hosted former and current professional players who are interested in learning more about scouting and player analysis in the MLS NEXT landscape. Match Evaluators take part in education programming and are given scouting assignments at various MLS NEXT events.
Coaching Education Opportunities at Generation adidas Cup
Major League Soccer, in conjunction with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Coaching Education Department, will deliver two in-person coaching education opportunities at Generation adidas Cup. The MLS Coaching Education Development Pathway, led by U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education Didier Chambaron, will help to further educate nearly 60 MLS academy coaches who have the intention to become USSF coaching license educators in the future.
MLS will also provide additional development opportunities to coaches in the MLS NEXT community through Continuing Professional Development (C.P.D). These educational sessions will be led by MLS Vice President of Player Development Fred Lipka, MLS Player Development consultant and former French National Technical Director Jean-Claude Giuntini, U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education Didier Chambaron, and several MLS academy coaches and Elite Formation Coaching License graduates.
Subscribing to MLS Season Pass
With an MLS Season Pass subscription, fans can enjoy all MLS and Leagues Cup matches, and hundreds of MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT games, on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com. Fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month or $79 per season.1 A subscription to MLS Season Pass will be included with each MLS Club full-season ticket account. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their own Apple ID and password.
1To watch MLS Season Pass, customers must update to iOS 16.2 or later, iPadOS 16.2 or later, tvOS 16.2 or later, and macOS 13.1 or later. Fans around the world can enjoy Major League Soccer matches on MLS Season Pass in English, Spanish, or French where available, including closed captions.
