Atlanta United’s U-15 and U-17 Academy teams took to Florida to begin the first stage of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup. They were two out of 80 youth teams from across the world that participated in the group stage of the tournament.
U-15
On March 30th, the U-15 squad opened the tournament with their match against Manchester United. Fans were able to watch it as some of the matches will be streamed on Apple TV through MLS Season Pass.
Atlanta came out strong, scoring the first goal two minutes into the game with a quick strike from Ivory Covington. Then, only six minutes later, Atlanta doubled the score. They ended the first half up 3-0. Covington finished the game with two goals as Atlanta rolled past Manchester United 4-0. The win was the largest margin of victory by an MLS club over an international side in the under 15 age group.
Day two of the GA Cup was a tougher matchup for the U-15 team as they faced St. Louis CITY SC, walking away with a tight 3-2 loss. On day three, they returned to the win column with a defensively sound 1-0 win against Los Angeles FC. Since the U-15s ended the group play stage as one of the top 16 teams, they qualified for the Championship stage of the competition.
U-17
The U-17s started their first day against Brazilian club Flamengo, walking away with a 1-0 loss. The second day of the tournament proved to be better for them with a 1-0 victory and a clean sheet against St. Louis CITY SC.
For the final day of the group stage, the U-17s played the Portland Timbers to a draw in regulation, setting up a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner. The shootout ended with Atlanta besting the Timbers 5-4.
Up Next
With group play out of the way, the next stage of the tournament for the U-15 squad is the Championship bracket. They will be taking on Inter Miami CF in the Round of 16 on April 3 at 9:30 a.m. If they advance, they will play the winner of Valencia CF (Spanish La Liga club) and Orlando City SC.
The U-17s advanced to the Premier Bracket and will take on Club Necaxa (Liga MX club) on April 3 at 2:00 p.m. in the Round of 16. If they advance, they will face the winner of LAFC and Minnesota United in the next round.
