With the eyes of an international audience and every single fan on the grounds, Philadelphia Union showcased tremendous calm to defeat Real Madrid in shots from the penalty spot to advance to the 2023 Generation adidas Cup Semifinals.
After playing to a scoreless draw that saw the Union dominate the second half with countless attacking chances, a clutch save from goalkeeper Alex Smith in the seventh round set the stage for substitute Gavin DeHart to book the Boys in Blue spot in the semifinal.
The battle of the two favorites at the U15 level kicked off with the Union looking to strike early off the opening kick like they had the day prior however Real Madrid’s defense reacted to prevent the chance. After the opening seconds the match settled in the two competing styles on display with Real Madrid dictating the tempo with long spells of possession like fans have seen from the Spanish national team for a generation.
Communication was critical for the entire Union lineup against Real Madrid and a turnover near the center stripe sparking an attack for the squad. After Anisse Saidi dropped back to intercept a pass, a quick flick out wide had the Union off and running with Kellan LeBlanc making a strong run. Cutting into the box, LeBlanc went for the stepover but a late boot from a defender ended the chance.
Goalkeeper Alex Smith was tested for the first time in the 10th minute with a clinical attack from the left flank seeing a cross into the box. With the defense recovering, Real Madrid opted for the quick touch centrally to a forward who unleashed a low shot that Smith timed perfectly to make the save.
The save injected some momentum and extra energy in Henry Apaloo’s side as a big switch of attack gave the Union a scoring chance but a cross went just out of reach for Nehan Hasan. Philadelphia’s best chance of the half came in the 27th minute off a long throw-in which Cavan Sullivan quickly tipped to the feet of Saidi. Backing down a pair of defenders, the U15’s captain passed it back to Hasan who made the unselfish play for an extra pass out wide instead of forcing a shot. The pass went to an unmarked run by Jordan Griffin but the outside back’s shot went over the bar.
Still deadlocked at the break, the Union came out on the front foot with the captain nearly bagging the first goal of the afternoon. In the 33rd minute Griffin found acres of space on the left side and sent in a pin-perfect dime to Saidi inside the six. With the ball at his feet, he quickly turned and fired a right-footed blast for the lower corner but was denied by the keeper’s kick save.
The Union kept pushing early in the half with LeBlanc drifting inside and threading a ball to Hasan to the endline. With a pair a defenders watching the winger, Sullivan came from behind his teammate and collected a pass to dribble into the box but Real Madrid emerged unharmed from the scramble drill.
Sullivan and Saidi continued to cause issues for Real Madrid and had a look back at the head official in the 41st minute as Sullivan flicked a leading pass for Saidi into the box that forced the Spanish keeper off his line. Contact came from both sides but was judged not worthy of a call with a corner kick called.
Real Madrid’s only scoring chance of the final 30 minutes came midway through the period, with a long cross from the outside connecting with a forward at the box post but Smith tracked it perfectly to stop the headed chance.
Just before the final whistle rang out, the Union were denied a match-winner in the 60th minute as Gabriel Wesseh picked out a near post run from Willyam Ferreira that forced a reaction save by Real Madrid.
In the penalty shootout both sides traded goals in the opening round before Smith made a diving save on the ground to his right. After the stop, the two teams continued to exchange goals with Peyton Presson, Gabriel Wesseh and Massimo Morabio getting goals. In the fifth round the two teams once again hit a dead lock to send the match to extra kicks. Willyam Ferreira followed up a Los Blancos goal before Smith once again made the stop to his right side. Substituted with just minutes left in regulation  for this exact moment, Gavin DeHart sent the keeper the wrong way to claim the win and start the celebrations at IMG Academy.
The Boys in Blue will face off against Orlando City SC U15s on Saturday, April 8th. Kick off is set for 12 p.m. ET with the match broadcast exclusively on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
