MLS Next Is heating Up With Ga Cup on the Horizon

MLS NEXT Sees Multiple Intense Matches

MLS NEXT play continued to march on over the weekend. One game that was particularly interesting was the U16 matchup between the New England Revolution and Atlanta United. Two quality teams going head-to-head is usually bound to result in a great game, and this was no exception. New England struck first in the 31 st minute, with Judah Siqueira finding the back of the net. The Revolution would look to hold their lead going into halftime, but Atlanta had other plans. In the 45 th minute, Andres Alvarez equalized for the side from Georgia. The game would go into the half at a goal apiece. Both teams would hold to a stalemate coming out of the break, with the 1-1 score line remaining untouched. Things would change in the 63 rd minute, when Andres Alvarez would secure a brace for himself, as well as a 2-1 lead for Atlanta United. The 77 th minute would see Atlanta double their advantage, with Alex Lee burying a chance to make it a 3-1 game late in the second half. New England put forth a valiant effort in their attempt to battle back, halving the deficit in the 90 th minute through Joshua Macedo. This would not be enough, however, and Atlanta United held on for a nail-biting 3-2 victory. Atlanta sits atop the U16 East (South) division, holding a narrow lead over second placed Inter Miami. Meanwhile, the New England Revolution U16s are currently 5 th in the East (North) table but are only .13 Points Per Match behind 3 rd placed D.C. United. The U19 league also saw some excellent action during the weekend. One of the feature matchups was a Canadian fight between CF Montreal and Toronto FC. Montreal opened their account early. Nataniel Dore-Belair put his side ahead in the 13 th minute. The lead held for roughly 20 minutes before Joshua Nugent put an equalizer into the back of the net, leveling the game. 1-1 was the score line at halftime. Both teams held each other at bay for much of the second half, the score staying knotted for 30 minutes. Things began to unravel for CF Montreal in the 77 th minute, when Emanuele Cappello netted the go-ahead goal for Toronto. While conceding the lead was not ideal for Montreal, they were still in the game. 2-1 is not a surefire win, and Toronto would need another goal to make sure the game ended in their favor. Queue Emanuele Cappello for the second time in just over 10 minutes. His brace in the 88 th minute gave Toronto FC a convincing 3-1 advantage, and the game would end with the same score. After this past weekend, the Toronto FC U19s sit second in the East (North) division standings, trailing only the Philadelphia Union. The CF Montreal U19s put up a good fight, but the loss means they remain firmly in the 5 th position of the East (North) table, right behind the New York Red Bulls.

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