FRISCO - The FC Dallas U-17s kicked off the 2018 Generation adidas Cup with a 2-1 win over AS Monaco FC's U-17 side all the way from France.
Julian Hinojosa and Johan Gomez each scored once for Luchi Gonzalez’s team. Monaco managed to get a goal back in the last 15 minutes of the match from a counter attack down the left wing.
First Half Dominance
The U-17’s started off the first half with the wind on their side and it led directly to an onslaught of Monaco’s defense for the first 10 to 15 minutes. The high attacking pressure immediately led to the first goal of the match as FCD played quickly on the transition from the right wing to the left wing. The ball was played from the right to Beni Redzic who had drifted in the middle dragging Monaco’s right back out of position. The resulting space left FCD left back Hinojosa wide open to a pass from Redzic, which Hinojosa slotted low and hard past Monaco’s goalkeeper.
Other notable first-half moments included a stand out performance from midfielder Tanner Tessman. Tessman cemented his presence early on when he was all over the pitch winning balls and feeding the wingers. He often pushed up centrally and held up the ball well allowing his teammates to find space. Tessman had a 30-yard shot hit the crossbar in the 26th minute, only inches away from extending FCD’s lead.
Closing Out the Second
The second half saw the game slow down a bit more from FCD’s perspective as they mainly kept possession and kept Monaco in their own half. Monaco seemed to only threaten on the counter and the backline led by Judson Burn’s held them down well for most of the match.
FC Dallas’ second goal saw a nice buildup leading to Tessman receiving the ball in the middle with some space where he went 2v1 against Monaco’s center back with Gomez, who was able to slot home another goal to make it 2-0 FCD in the 40th minute
The second half ended on a bit of a sour note for FCD as their shutout was thwarted when Monaco broke on the counter down the left wing and scored in the 61st minute to make it 2-1.
“The goal was disappointing to give up and I think it was a little bit of the wind helping them out," Tessman said. "The ball kept rolling for them and then with a good service they scored. So we just have to look forward and keep progressing.” FCD managed to fend off further attacks from the French side and win the first group game of the 2018 GA Cup 2-1.
“Take care of business. In your meal tonight, in your sleep, in your attitude, your language, body language, in your training, rehab," head coach Luchi Gonzalez said of his message to the team moving into their second match on Sunday. "We just have to take care of business, take one day at a time like a professional and be ready for Pachuca. But Pachuca is going to be in 2 days, so tomorrow is our focus. Let’s do the best job we can tomorrow and tomorrow we’ll prepare for the next match.”
FC Dallas U-17’s will continue GA group play this Sunday against CF Pachuca at 6:30 PM at Toyota Soccer Center Field 4.
Line-up:
FC Dallas U-17s: Zachary Schawl; Jose Bonilla, Nathan Toledo, Judson Burns, Julian Hinojosa; Luis Hernandez, Tanner Tessman (Ricardo Pepi 70’), Cesar Garcia (Luis Pacheco 63’); Luis Cruz (Christian Escribano), Johan Gomez, Beni Redzic