NYCFC U-17s Face Lyon, River Plate & RSL at GA Cup 2019

New York City FC U-17s have been drawn in a group with Lyon, River Plate and RSL at the Generation adidas Cup Champions bracket finals in Frisco.

The Boys in Blue earned qualification for the Champions bracket of the 2019 competition which takes place later this month.

NYCFC won the U-17 Generation  adidas Cup Premier Division title back in 2017 with a team containing future Homegrown signings Justin Haak and Joe Scally,  before they went on to lift the DA National title in 2018.

Clubs from 14 different countries will convene at the Toyota Soccer Center at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas from April 13-20 in a tournament featuring elite professional club academies from North America, Asia, Europe and South America.

The future stars of MLS will test their skills against some of the most renowned professional academies in the world in the expanded U-17 competition that includes 15 premier international clubs.

Among the esteemed international academies set to play in the 2019 Generation adidas Cup include England’s West Ham United, France’s Olympique Lyonnais, Spain’s Valencia, Argentine power River Plate, Brazilian side Flamengo, and Croatian giant Dinamo Zagreb, among others.

MLS clubs will also see regional rivalries play out in the tournament with eight Liga MX clubs playing in the U-17 and U-15 divisions. Club América, Monterrey, Tijuana and Deportivo Toluca will face MLS teams in the U-17 portion of play.

The newly formed U-15 tournament between MLS and Liga MX clubs is the latest competitive initiative in the collaboration between the two leagues, following in the footsteps of the Campeones Cup and the annual MLS Homegrown Game which pits the MLS squad against a Liga MX U-20 opponent.

Chivas de Guadalajara, Club Leon, Cruz Azul and Monterrey will each face the four MLS sides once, setting up an exciting fifth and final matchup pitting the first-place Liga MX side against the top MLS club in a winner-take-all showdown.

The Generation adidas Cup has developed into the premier youth tournament in which elite MLS academy players test their talents against international competition.