Toronto FC Academy’s U-18 and U-16 teams wrapped up group play yesterday, Monday, April 14, at the Generation adidas Cup at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The tournament’s knockout rounds are scheduled to start tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, kicking off with the Round of 16. The quarterfinals will begin on Thursday, April 17, the semifinals on Saturday, April 19, and the tournament will conclude with the Championship match on Sunday, April 20.
With the group stages completed, 16 teams advanced to the Championship bracket, which is composed of 10 group winners and the top six second-place finishers. The next-best 16 teams will compete in the Premier bracket, and the final eight teams will compete in consolation groups. A full breakdown of the schedule can be found HERE.
Toronto FC’s U-18 team advanced to the Championship bracket and will face Real Salt Lake tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, with a 4:30 p.m. ET kick-off in an-all-or-nothing Round of 16 matchup. The U-16 team will compete in the Premier bracket and are set to battle Orlando City SC in the Premier Round of 16 match tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. ET.
The U-18’s went undefeated during the group stage with a 2W-0L-1T record, finishing tied for first in points with seven and placed second overall after a head-to-head penalty kick loss to the Portland Timbers. The team started strong, defeating the Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-1 and Major League Soccer opponent Houston Dynamo 3-1, before a goalless draw against the Timbers. TFC U-18’s five goals were spread across five different goalscorers, including Joshua Nugent, Timothy Fortier, Dante Wright, Will Caldwell and Shyon Pinnock.
The U-16’s finished third in their bracket with three points after a final record of 1W-2L-0T, taking them into the Premier bracket. After dropping a pair of 2-1 results in the first two matches to a strong Japanese team, FC Tokyo and MLS’s Chicago Fire, the U-16’s fought back from a 2-0 deficit and finished the group play with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids. Out of TFC U-16’s five goals scored, forward Kervon Kerr put away four while midfielder Matthias Olivares netted one.
To stay up to date on TFC’s GA Cup run, follow the Toronto FC Academy on Instagram (@torontofcacademy) and X (@tfcacademy).
