Day 4 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 1 Results

On Tuesday, the top teams in the U17/18 age group showed enough to impress everyone watching – but not enough to solidify their lead in the group standings.

FC Dallas put on a display of attacking football fit for a textbook, yet couldn’t find the net enough to win. Real So Cal, meanwhile, got the victory but remains stuck behind overachieving Vardar in Group Two.

With six out of eight teams still capable of advancing to the final, it all sets up perfectly for a highly dramatic finish to the group stage on Thursday.

But first – here’s a rundown of all of Tuesday’s action.

FC Dallas 1 – 1 Derby County Wolves

FC Dallas came out swinging, with forward Bradlee Baladez working well in front of a defense, led by Moises Hernandez, and midfield that dominated possession early on.

But Derby County struck first, and it was one for the highlight reel. In the 47th minute, Nathan Hicklin lined up a free kick from 25 yards out and, maybe with a little help from the wind, he blasted it into the top corner, where goalkeeper Jaime Ibarra had no chance.

Derby’s confidence was high after the spectacular shot, but Dallas stayed composed and continued pounding the ball into the Derby penalty area, and was rewarded when David Robledo latched onto an errant clearance to tie the score in the 50th minute.

Dallas played patiently, efficiently and put on a passing clinic, as Marlon Duran and Damian Rosales swung the ball and distributed to create several scoring chances.

Perhaps the best came when Ruben Luna sent Chris Figueroa a ball that gave him a one-on-one with Derby goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, but Figueroa poked the ball just wide, and the final whistle blew moments later.

FC Dallas looked excellent despite the modest score. Their patience and ball-movement at this tournament are second to none, and they appear well-positioned to win Group One. But Crossfire Premier is hot on their heels.

Crossfire Premier 1 – 0 CASL Chelsea FC Academy

Crossfire Premier was desperate to win after losing to Dallas on Sunday, and did, though somewhat luckily, after a sloppy performance against CASL.

You couldn’t blame spectators for turning their backs on this one, as neither team looked good. The Crossfire midfield, led by the normally rock-steady Jim Oganga, looked out of sorts, while CASL could get nothing going offensively, relying on Charles Root to run himself ragged to create something.

CASL did have a nice chance in the 49th minute when Root’s cross from the right flank nearly found a sliding John Pace at the far post, but the ball skidded just past his outstretched foot. Defender Michael Forsyth also had a near miss when a cheeky attempt on a set piece from 30 yards out sailed inches wide.

Crossfire finally put an end to everyone’s misery when Liam Kelly took a Kelyn Rowe pass at the 18 and slotted it past CASL ‘keeper Davis Griffin for the decisive score.

“I was making a diagonal run,” Kelly said, “and Kelyn played the ball at the right time. I took a touch and passed it in, nice and simple.”

Asked about his team winning even on a subpar day, Kelly credited Crossfire’s team work ethic.

“We’re a persistent team, we work really hard for each other, and we’ve got some great guys up front,” he said. “We just make things happen when we need to. Tonight we’ll rest up, eat well, prepare mentally for Thursday’s game, and hopefully we can come out with a stronger performance than today.”

FC Dallas v. Derby County in Tuesday action

Real So Cal 2 – 1 Baltimore Bays Chelsea

Real So Cal, among the tournament favorites coming in, lived up to their billing and dominated the first half, going up 2-0.

Moises Orozco and Edwin Rivas dominated the midfield, and So Cal looked crisp and confident with a massive home-team crowd behind them. Emilio Orozco out-jumped the entire Baltimore defense to score off a corner kick header in the 16th minute, and Edwin Rivas followed with a goal of his own minutes later.

But the crowd was mostly silent in the second half, as Baltimore’s defense tightened and made So Cal look one-dimensional, disrupting their possession and forcing them to lob long balls constantly forward, to no avail.

Baltimore midfielders Peter Caringi and Eli Dennis settled into the game and were rewarded when Caringi slashed to the goal line and found Geaton Caltabiano at the top of the box, made a defender miss and scored in the 81st minute to cut the So Cal lead in half.

With only minutes remaining, Baltimore pushed forward frantically, relentlessly, and nearly scored again on several occasions, but the So Cal defense held – barely – and escaped with the 2-1 win.

After the game So Cal coach Julio Castillo was breathless, but relieved.

“It was chaos at the end there, and we defended with our lives,” he said. “Some way, somehow, through pure heart and will to win, we found a way to stick with it. Give Baltimore a lot of credit – they destroyed our game plan. They brought a lot of pressure in our defensive third, and they made us resort to a lot of long balls in the second half, and that’s not our style. Give them all the credit. We got lucky, I guess, but the win is all that matters.”

Vardar 3 – 0 Concorde Fire

The 3-0 result in this game vaulted Vardar to the top of Group Two (ahead of Real So Cal by virtue of goal differential) and dropped Concorde completely out of the Finals Week picture.

Concorde actually controlled possession for most of the game, and Greg MacKenzie and Carlos McCrary made good things happen on the offensive end – but they simply could not finish.

Vardar, meanwhile, did. Ezekiel Harris, Joseph Dillon and Miche’le Lipari each scored, while Caleb Stanko was very active on the wing and Zachary Carroll was sturdy in the defense.

In the end, Vardar will obviously be pleased with the goal-differential and their position atop Group Two – but they shouldn't rest on their laurels, because there is no telling how many Real So Cal will put up against Concorde on Thursday.

For Concorde, meanwhile, a superb season looks to be nearing its end. They’ve been excellent all year long, but the other teams at Finals Week have so far been just a few steps ahead.

U17/18 standings after two games:

Group One
FC Dallas: 4 points
Crossfire Premier: 3
CASL Chelsea FC Academy: 3
Derby County Wolves: 1

Group Two
Vardar: 4
Real So Cal: 4
Baltimore Bays Chelsea: 3
Concorde Fire: 0

And Wednesday will feature the following U15/16 contests:

Group One
D.C. United vs. Sockers FC
Chicago Fire vs. De Anza Force

Group Two
Baltimore Bays Chelsea vs. Cal Odyssey
CASL Chelsea FC Academy vs. Internationals

Day 4 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 1 Results