Philadelphia Union's U17 squad went head-to-head with the U17 team of the club that just blew Sporting Kansas City out of the Concacaf Champions League and fell 1-0 despite a massive effort from Chay Kaplan in goal. A stunning series of first-half stops from Kaplan kept the score level and midfielder Danny Flores nearly gave the Union a breakthrough with a blistering strike off the underside of the crossbar.
Patrick Bohui, the youngest ever player for appear for Bethlehem Steel, nearly followed up Flores' shot but it bounced over him and the opportunity was lost. Late in the match, Aboubacar Camara popped free in the left channel but put his shot straight at the Monterrey goalie.
In the second half, the Union moved to a box-shape in midfield with two in front and gained far more control of the match. Monterrey finally broke through with a late counterattack, but Philly's young stars can be extremely happy with how they responded against a strong opponent.
The U17s rebounded from that defeat with a 2-0 thumping of Fjolnir on Sunday evening.
Philadelphia's next GA Cup match kicks off against Sporting Kansas City today at 2:45 p.m. ET. This match is a make up game originally scheduled from Friday, April 13th that was rained out.
To follow all the GA Cup action featuring the Union's U17s and U15s, stay tuned to PhiladelphiaUnion.com
