FRISCO, TEXAS – A trio of championship matches in the Pizza Hut Park stadium highlighted Saturday’s play at the Dallas Cup, with older age groups also playing their semifinals on the outlying fields to set up championship matches for Sunday.

Inside the stadium the club of choice was clearly LAFC Chelsea, as the Los Angeles club won both the U13 and U14 age group championships, and even managed a runner-up spot at U13 in what was an all-LAFC final.

In U15 play, German club Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Chivas Guadalajara on penalties (6-5) after a 2-2 draw through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.

LAFC Chelsea v West Coast FC

U14 Final – LAFC Chelsea 1, West Coast FC 0

An all Southern California rivalry added some spice to the U14 final. Both teams seemed adept at adapting to the larger playing surface, as they both feature a bit of size and speed in the lineup. In the end it was

The opening 10 minutes of the game was played largely in midfield, with both teams trying to spray the ball around the park but neither team finding much in the way of openings.

The first chance came when LAFC’s Axel Mendez went on a run through the middle of the park and uncordked a left-footed drive that West Coast goalkeeper Teddy Czaja had to stretch for in order to push it wide. The resulting corner put the ball in the West Coast area, but West Coast’s Juan Espinoza blocked the shot and the danger was averted.

On the other end a good pass from Thomas Hutchings helped Christian Carrillo win a corner for West Coast, but it came to nothing. It was evident early that West Coast right winger Cruz Corral is a very dangerous player, always looking to get forward and possessing considerable ball skills and acceleration.

The team wearing the Chelsea uniforms came close when Eduardo Martinez ran onto a lob and fired a hard shot that seemed destined for the back of the net, but, Czaja turned it aside. Then off a corner, Miguel Duran had a chance that appeared to beat the keeper, but Willie Velasquez cleared off the line for West Coast. The rest of the 35-minute half went uneventfully and the teams went to the break scoreless.

The start of the 2nd half was being played mostly in midfield as each team seemed to focus first on its defensive responsibilities. West Coast had an opportunity in the 44th minute when Christian Carrillo won a ball at midfield and then held it well until he played a ball for Trevor Hyman who had made a good run. The play almost resulted in a shot on goal,but LAFC goalkeeper Jonas Carranza made an alert sliding tackle to end the threat.

A misplay in the 53rd minute by the goalkeeper allowed LAFC’s Eduardo Martinez a shot at goal from inside the 6-yard box, but he was put under enough duress by a West Coast defender that his awkward shot went off the upright and the match remained scoreless.
 
But that changed in the 56th minute as LAFC’s Carlos Chogolla served a dangerous free kick from 40 yards out on the left. His teammate Eduardo Martinez, another LAFC player and the goalkeeper arrived at the same spot at the same time as the ball, and the resulting contact put the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 for the team in blue.

West Coast pushed for the equalizer but Carranza saved their only decent scoring chance and LAFC had their 2nd title of the day.

LAFC coach Hector Alcantar said the team’s preparation played a big role in their success.

We started three months ago with (another club) giving us their three best players), and we picked up five players, but we started our training sessions while everybody was doing high school soccer. We were getting ready for this dream,” Alcantar said. “Last year we came here and lost in the semis, but this is a big win for us.

“We wanted them to get together and gel,” he continued. “We weren’t playing any competitive games but we wanted them to put in the extra work on top of their high school practices. They were still showing up three times a week to put in an extra two hours (per day). It’s always a tight game between us and West Coast. The last few years they beat us in our Cal South National Cup finals, and this time we got them.”

Shutout goalkeeper Jonas Carranza echoed his coach’s comments.

It’s always them and in the final and we always have a good game. They come out on top most of the time but today we up as champs,” he said. “We were ready in the locker room, pumped up on the way down to the field. We were all good.. We have great coaches and awesome training, the best in the country. We love our coaches.”

U13 LAFC Chelsea v LAFC Chelsea Black

U13 FINAL – LAFC Chelsea 7, LAFC Chelsea Black 0

The matchup in itself was extraordinary, with two teams from the same club facing off in the final of one of the most prestigious events on the youth soccer calendar LAFC’s Barry Ritson was listed as the coach for both sides, making one wonder if the well-respected mentor can outwit himself tactically.

The opening goal in the 5th minute as LAFC’s Sebastian Velasco found the back of the net from a set piece. Just two minutes later Adonis Amaya doubled his team’s advantage with a good close-range finish, and the prospects for a good match were looking dim.

LAFC nearly made it 3-0 in the 22nd minute when Oscar Palma hit a hard shot on net, but Black defender Timothy Bates was there to clear the ball off the line. The delay was only temporary however, as Palma scored in the 24th minute.

The margin went to 4-0 in the 31st minute as Bradford Jamison played a good ball across from the right and Edgar Murillo controlled it well before slotting home.

In the 2nd half, the tempo of the match got very slow. Malcolm Jones came close to scoring in the 48th minute with a drive from 20 yards that crashed off the bar. A minute later, Jacob Tudor hit a good cross from the left that Omar Hermosillo chested down into the path of Caleb Calvert who provided a good finish to make it 5-0.

Tudor scored one of his own in the 55th minute, running onto a through ball from Rolando Munoz and beating the Black keeper 1v1 to make it 6-0. Tudor then added a 2nd from wide left to make it 7-0.

Chelsea head coach Barry Retson was ecstatic with the performance of both teams at this event.

“Unbelievable. For a club to produce two teams that could not only compete but get to the final, speaks volumes about what we’re trying to do in California and what we’re trying to do across America as well,” Retson said. “I think these boys are young enough just to play. By having two teams here it enabled more boys to play, and they just got on and played their game. We play good soccer, but it’s effective soccer. There are times when with or against the wind your tactics change a little bit, but on the whole they’re very, very technical. They are a joy to coach.”

Two-goal scorer Jacob Tudor said the performance Saturday is typical of what his team can produce.

“We like to score early and score often,” he said. “I think we’re the best team in the United States.”

Saturday Results

U13 Final
LAFC Chelsea 7, LAFC Chelsea Black 0

U14 Final
West Coast FC LAFC Chelsea

U15 Final

U16 Semifinals
Houston Dynamo 3, TFC 0
Santa Clara S porting 7, Monterrey 0
(Sunday Final: Houston Dynamo vs. Santa Clara Sporting)

U17 Semifinals
Tigres 7, Erin Mills 0
Monterrey Rayados 2, Dallas Texans Academy 0
(Sunday Final: Monterrey Rayados vs. Tigres)

U19 Semifinals
Chorrillo 3, Solar U18 Academy 0
Shattuck St. Marys 1, LAFC Black 0
(Sunday Final: Shattuck St. Marys vs. Chorrillo)

SuperGroup Final (Sunday)
Monterrey vs. Cruzeiro