A second half goal from midfielder Luca Petrasso gave the U-17 Kia Toronto FC Academy a 1-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes Academy in a consolation match at the Generation adidas Cup.
The U-17’s will take on Columbus Crew SC Academy on Saturday at 3PM ET to close out the tournament.
Head Coach Danny Dichio went with a relatively new starting lineup for the match.
Afram Gorgees, Jacob Maurutto, Armando Caracciolo, Steffan Yeaetes, and Petrasso all made their first starts of the tournament against San Jose.
The Young Reds nearly had the opener thanks to a howler from the San Jose keeper. His attempt to clear the ball struck Ethan Beckford in the back and was inches away from bouncing into his own net.
San Jose had two great opportunities to open up the scoring themselves towards the end of the first half: a shot that struck the outside of the post, and a free kick in the 30th minute that was saved by Kia TFC Academy goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano.
The match would remain scoreless going into halftime.
The Young Reds had several opportunities to open up the scoring in the second half including Glenn Muenkat’s free kick that was just over the bar.
Petrasso, who was lively all match on the right flank, would put Kia TFC Academy up in the 56th minute.
Muenkat shielded off a defender before sliding a pass over to an open Petrasso on the right, who then placed a low shot into the corner of the far post.
Two minutes a fingertip save by the San Jose keeper denied Petrasso of his second of the match.
The Young Reds were solid defensively and would close out the match with another shutout, their second in four matches at the tournament.
The Kia TFC Academy take on Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, March 26, at 3PM ET. Follow us on Twitter @TFCAcademy for live updates.
