Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy kicked off on Monday with six exciting matches capturing the attention of an international audience.
With the WSFS Bank Sportsplex playing host to top-tier youth talent from across Europe and North America, Philadelphia Union Academy kicked off their appearances with the U-15 Head Coach Ben Moane's side battling Manchester United to a scoreless draw followed by Head Coach Peter McDonnell U-16 squad that ended level at 3-3 against SL Benfica.
The highly anticipated contest between the Union and United saw the stage set early as over 40 members of The SWAG escorted the teams out before kick off. The intensity was felt early on with both teams delivering physical challenges as they sought to impose their preferred styles on the match. 17th minute diving save by Union keeper Thomas White. Manchester United nearly grabbed the lead just before the halftime whistle as a long diagonal pass led to a counter attacking chance for the English side. With four bites at the apple inside the box, Philly's defense stood strong with key blocks from the backline brother duo of Grant and Kai Simmonds.
The second half saw the Boys in Blue take control of the match for long periods which forced Manchester United to play on the flanks. With high-percentages chances hard to find, the Union nearly grabbed the opener in the 47th minute as Mason Cannon connected with a header off a free kick that just went over the crossbar. Cannon again was presented the opportunity to break the tie but again was blocked with only a few minutes remaining to see the first scoreless draw of the tournament.
It was a tale of two halves for the final match of Snow Bowl 2026 as the Union U-16s hosted Portugease side SL Benfica. Philly jumped out to a 3-1 first half lead with Javier opening the scoring in the 21st minute through Linares as the midfielder sliced up the defense and ripped a left-footed shot inside the upper corner. The goals started flowing for Philly as less than 60 seconds later the WSFS Bank Sportsplex erupted in celebration after Timoni Gbalajobi smashed home a header from a set piece. Benfica responded in the 25th minute as Gonçalo Fernandes spun in the box and ripped a left-footed shot into the back of the net. The momentum swung right back for the Union in first half stoppage time as Gbalajobi became the fourth player in the tournament to score a brace.
Benfica responded through with two goals in the final half to rally for the draw. The comebeback started in the 42nd minute as Francisco Wang timed his run perfectly on the left flank to get in behind the defense. Bouyed by their U-18 teammates in the stands, the match had one more goal in it as Afonso Balde slipped into the box to tap it into the back of the net in the 59th minute.
Aside from the Baby Snakes in action, four matches kicked off the U-15 and U-16 competition. The day began with U-15 clash between Chicago Fire FC and Newcastle United. It was the English side notching the first goal of the tournament with a remarkable solo run by Muwaiya Ghanem to beat three defenders before ripping a low shot that kissed off the far post and into the net. Chicago rallied back with Edwin Diaz found an equalizer in the 24th minute. The second half was all the Fire with Francesco Gallo finding the back of the net less than a minute into the second half while the insurance goal came in the closing seconds via claim the first win of the day Jason Pillado.
The first U-16 match of the tournament saw another 3-1 scoreline with Danish side Lyngby Boldklub getting past Chicago Fire FC. Forward Elias Brandon Hansen took the early lead in the Golden Boot race with goals in each half to power the side to the victory. He opened the scoring in the 14th minute only to see it cancelled out before the break via DeAndre Beckford. The forward re-established the lead and shortly later saw their advantage on the pitch grow as ultimately three players would be sent off for the Fire. Chicago nearly grabbed a draw late, seeing a penalty kick saved which was shortly followed up with a penalty kick conversion by William Ayorinde.
The afternoon kicked off with a thrilling U-15 contest between CF Monterrey and Borussia Dortmund with the two sides combining for seven goals that went 4-3 in the German side's favor. Luca Elias Zwahr opened the scoring inside the first 30 seconds which quickly was followed up with an eighth-minute goal from Adam Braham. Beni Guychel Mondo extended their advantage to three early in the second half but Monterry battled back two goals from Iker Estrada to make it a 3-2 contest. With momentum swung against them, Dortmund turned to Mondo once again as he delivered the game-winning strike in the 51st minute. Matías Sebastían Jiménez answered with a goal for the Liga MX Academy side but time ran out and saw three points for Borussia Dortmund.
The U-16 match up between Borussia Mönchengladbach and PSV Eindhoven seemed destined for a deadlock with the two high pressing sides cancelling out each other's attacks. Mönchengladbach broke through however with a 56th minute finish from Ozan Sulaksu off a set piece proving to be enough. With PSV pushing for an equalizer, Mönchengladbach struck on the counter with Lukas Andree finsihing from a tight angle against the keeper.
Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy continues on Tuesday with a full slate of 8 matches that kick off at 9AM ET. The schedule includes all three Philadelphia Union Academy teams in action as the U-18s kick off the tournament with other key matchups including a U-15 showdown between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund. All matches will be streamed with access available here.
