Recap of Saturday's Boys U13-U16 Championship Matches at Toyota Stadium
DALLAS, Texas (Saturday, April 8) – The 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola played four boys championship matches today at Toyota Stadium. Aired live on ESPN3, champions of the boys Under 13 through Under 16 age brackets were decided with four teams hoisting “Boot and Ball” championship trophies.
The first match of the day was a North Texas clash between the U13 FC Dallas Academy and U13 Dallas Texans Academy ECNL. In the 8th minute, after a beautiful bit of passing around the box, the ball found FC Dallas’ Aiden Gallardo who scored the opening goal of the match. In the 52nd minute, Gallardo scored his brace, connecting from outside the box to put FC Dallas ahead 2-0 late in the match. Dallas Texans’ Noam Lipszyc added a goal with about four minutes remaining in the match, but FC Dallas was able to fend off any other equalizing threats. The match ended 2-1 in favor of the U13 FC Dallas Academy, who were named the 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola Under-13 boys champions.
The boys’ Under-14 final between Mexico’s Atlas FC Academy and Orlando City Soccer School South kicked off at 11:00am from Toyota Stadium. From the opening kick, the match had the look of a defensive battle and that’s exactly what it turned into, as both side’s back line held strong and stifled any meaningful scoring threats. The match ended 0-0 after regulation, sending the teams into a penalty kick shootout to decide the Under-14 champion. Atlas FC Academy converted all of their attempts and won the shootout, 5-3, crowning the Mexican side as the first international champion of the 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola.
The Under-15 final kicked off at 1:00pm, featuring Japan’s Maebashi FC and Crossfire Premier ECNL out of Washington. Crossfire Premier entered the match having scored 21 goals in the tournament and their goal scoring prowess was on display at Toyota Stadium. By the 10th minute, Zachariah Hume had already scored a pair of goals (1’, 10’) and Nathan Knoblich notched a goal of his own (6’), as Crossfire jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. In the 16th minute, Maebashi’s Toumu Tobe pulled the Japanese side within two as he connected on a marvelous left-footed strike from outside the box to make the match 3-1. Despite the breakneck pace at the beginning of the game, the play evened out throughout the second half and no more goals were conceded. Crossfire Premier ECNL hoisted the Under 15 “Boot & Ball” trophy, becoming just the second boys’ champion from the state of Washington all-time.
The last game of the day was the Under-16 final between the 2007 ODP National Select team and Solar SC. It was a well-played, physical game throughout, but neither side was able to put their name on the scoresheet as the match was sent to PKs following regulation. ODP National Select’s keeper Marshall Degraff set the tone with an outstretched save on the first Solar attempt. Ultimately, the ODP side won the shootout, 4-2, as they were crowned the Under-16 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola champions.
Sunday, April 9
The 2023 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola concludes on Sunday with the championship matches in the 17U, 18U, 19U, and 19U Gordon Jago Super Group divisions.
The Gordon Jago Super Group championship headlines the day with a showdown between Denmark’s FC Midtjylland and Brazil’s Sao Paulo FC. The marquee match of the day will kick off at 4:00pm CT at Toyota Stadium.
9:00AM – 17U Final – ODP National Select (USA) vs. Tigres (MEX)
11:30AM – 18U Final – FC Dallas ECNL White (TX) vs. ODP National Select
2:00PM – 19U Final – Dallas Texans ECNL (TX) vs. LouCity Academy Purple (KY)
4:30PM – Gordon Jago Super Group Final – FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs. Sao Paulo FC (BRA)
Fans and teams alike can learn more about the tournament by visiting www.DallasCup.org or following us on social media @dallascup.
The intensity of the U13 final with Gallardo's brace was truly something special! It’s amazing how these young athletes give their all on the pitch, especially in such high-stakes matches. The U14 shootout between Atlas and Orlando City added a nail-biting touch to the day. When capturing these moments, I often wish I could enhance my photos afterward; I found that using an emoji tool like Photo From Emoji can add a fun twist to any image, making them memorable in a unique way!
Great recap of the championship day at Toyota Stadium! Gallardo's brace for FC Dallas Academy and those tense penalty shootouts in the U14 and U16 finals made for a memorable afternoon. For anyone sharing matchday photos or tournament graphics afterward, an image size checker makes it easy to confirm file size and dimensions before uploading.
Great recap of Saturday's championship action! Gallardo's brace was the perfect way to seal the U13 title for FC Dallas, and that U14 shootout between Atlas and Orlando City was pure drama. Between matches I like to unwind by trying chords on the Online Virtual Piano right in my browser while waiting for the next kickoff.
Great recap! That U13 final was intense - Gallardo's brace really sealed it for FC Dallas Academy, and you could tell the kids left everything on the pitch. The defensive battle in the U14 match was something else too; those penalty shootouts are always nerve-wracking to watch even on TV. Speaking of which, I tried taking some photos of the action on my phone but they came out pretty rough - honestly they look like something you'd get from a low quality image maker, all blurry and pixelated. Guess I'll stick to just watching the matches instead of trying to capture them!
Great recap of Saturday's championship action at Toyota Stadium! Gallardo's brace in the U13 final and those dramatic penalty shootouts in the U14 and U16 games were incredible to follow. On a side note, an ocr ai document tool makes it simple to convert printed tournament schedules and recaps like this into fully searchable text.