The D.C. United Under-14 academy team won the championship at the Montreal Impact’s 2016 inaugural summer invitational (July 7-10). The U-14’s traveled to Montreal, Canada and competed against Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire and Montreal Impact as well as Serie A’s Bologna F.C.
D.C. United started the group stage of the tournament with a 3-2 win against Chicago on July 7. The U-14’s then tied the Montreal Impact 1-1 on July 8 before losing 1-0 to Bologna F.C. in the final group stage match on July 9.
The Black-and-Red then played the Italian top division side in a rematch for the championship game on July 10. United goalkeeper Khamari Cucleasure, who was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, suffered an injury late in the match with the score tied at 0-0. Backup goalkeeper Hayden Evans played the remainder of the game and made a crucial save in the penalty shootout to help win the inaugural summer invitational for the Black-and-Red.
“The tournament was a great opportunity for our players to compete against top domestic and international competition. We want to thank the Montreal Impact for inviting us to participate in this inaugural event and their hospitality throughout our stay,” said U-14 Head Coach John Bello. “Our players benefited tremendously from the high-pressure environment created within the tournament. Finishing in first place was a goal that the group set prior to the event and each player was committed to the process in order to achieve it. Our staff is incredibly proud of their efforts as they held each other accountable to represent the club at the highest possible level no matter the outcome.”
Results
<strong>Group Stage</strong> |
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<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
July 7 |
Chicago Fire |
3-2 (W) |
July 8 |
Montreal Impact |
1-1 (D) |
July 9 |
Bologna F.C. |
01- (L) |
<strong>Championship</strong> |
||
July 10 |
Bologna F.C. |
0-0 (8-7 PK W) |
