New York City FC captured the Premier Division title at the Generation adidas Cup last year and at least two MLS teams will have the chance to match that this year.
The Montreal Impact and Seattle Sounders both advanced to the semifinals in the 2018 Generation adidas Cup, defeating MLS opponents to win their groups. They will play each other on Thursday at Toyota Stadium with a chance to advance to the finals on Saturday. The Premier Division is the lower of the two divisions at GA Cup.
Montreal entered the day needing a win against the Philadelphia Union and some help from the Colorado Rapids, who were playing Club Tijuana. The Impact managed to get goals from Woobens Pacius and Calin Calaidjoglu to get by the Union and the Rapids beat Xolos 3-1 to keep the Mexican club at just three points in the group. The Impact and Union tied on six points and Montreal advanced thanks to their head-to-head win.
Seattle played Columbus Crew SC in a winner-take-all match and the two sides played to a stalemate over the 70 minutes of regulation. Seattle entered the penalty-kick shootout without the services of Sounders 2 players Ray Serrano and Azriel Gonzalez after they subbed off and their starting goalkeeper, Robert Harraka, who was forced to leave the match with an injury.
That was no problem as Conrad Lee stepped up to make three consecutive saves for the Sounders to beat Crew SC 3-2 in the shootout.
Monterrey is the third team so far to advance to the Premier Division semifinals, with the fourth to be determined on Tuesday night. The New York Red Bulls, San Jose Earthquakes and Tigres UANL all have a chance to win the group.
Dallas top LA Galaxy in battle of MLS heavyweights
Both FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy entered the day with a chance to win Group D in the Champions Division. The two MLS teams were on three points along with Pachuca and AS Monaco and the two internationals kicked off at the same time as Dallas and LA.
The Galaxy played the match without the services of first-teamer Efrain Alvarez, who played all 70 minutes in the team's 4-1 loss to Monaco on Sunday. After a stalemate in the first half, defensive midfielder Luis Hernandez was able to open the scoring for Dallas in the 45th minute after some nice combination play from the home side.
Luchi Gonzalez' team was able to hold on after Luis Cruz was shown red just three minutes later, with Julian Hinojosa even adding a second for Dallas in the 53rd minute. Unfortunately for Dallas, Pachuca beat Monaco 1-0 and the Tuzos advanced out of the group thanks their head-to-head win.
Bello, Scally put their names on the scoresheet
Atlanta United and NYCFC were unable to advance to the semifinals in the Champions Division as Atlanta were unable to beat Brazilian giants Flamengo and NYCFC did not get any help from Real Madrid after beating Sporting Kansas City, as Atletico Paranaense wrapped up the group with a 3-0 win against Madrid.
First team players George Bello (Atlanta) and Joe Scally (NYCFC) both drilled penalty kicks, with Scally's being the game-winner against Sporting KC.
Autore: Stefano Bentivogli / Twitter: @sbentivogli10
Other news - MLS
Other news
- 18:00 NYCFC Turn Their Focus to New England: What Must Improve After Nashville?
- 16:30 Can NYCFC Keep Competing Until Moralez, Parks and Hannes Wolf Return?
- 15:00 NYCFC 0-0 Nashville: One Point Gained or Two Points Lost?
- 21:30 NYCFC Defend With Character, but the Attack Still Needs More Ruthlessness
- 20:00 Aiden O’Neill Makes His Mark for NYCFC: A Valuable Defensive Option for Pascal Jansen
- 18:30 NYCFC Show Their Depth: Seven Players Missing, Yet Another Clean Sheet
- 17:00 Pascal Jansen’s NYCFC Rotation Worked Defensively — But Questions Remain in Attack
- 15:30 Nico Fernández Mercau Sets the Tone: Why His Pressing Is Crucial for NYCFC
- 14:00 Bénie Traoré and Luighi Show Early Chemistry: NYCFC’s New-Look Attack Is Taking Shape
- 23:00 Luighi’s Next Step at NYCFC: From Rising Star to Consistent MLS Threat
- 22:00 Raul Gustavo’s Costly Scare: What NYCFC Must Learn From the Mukhtar Chance
- 21:00 Malachi Jones Nearly Wins It for NYCFC: Has He Earned More Minutes?
- 20:00 Agustín Ojeda Shines for NYCFC: Is a Breakout Run About to Begin?
- 19:00 NYCFC’s Biggest Problem Is Clear: Who Is Going to Score the Goals?
- 18:00 Matt Freese Saves NYCFC Again: Is He Becoming the Team’s Most Important Player?
- 17:28 NYCFC Held to 0-0 Draw by Nashville SC at Yankee Stadium
- 18:30 NYCFC Need Their Identity Back: What Happened to the Aggressive, Fearless Team Fans Expected?
- 17:00 What Should NYCFC’s Real Goal Be Now: MLS Cup, a Playoff Run or Building for 2027?
- 15:30 Nashville and New England Could Define NYCFC’s Season — The Next Two Games Suddenly Feel Massive
- 14:00 Can NYCFC’s Young Core Carry the Club Into Its Next Era?
- 20:00 NYCFC’s Next Transfer Window Could Define the Future: Three Positions New York Must Reinforce
- 18:30 Is Pascal Jansen Building the Right NYCFC for the Future? The Answer Is Still Complicated
- 17:00 NYCFC Need a Killer Instinct: Good Performances Are No Longer Enough
- 15:30 From MLS Cup Dreams to Playoff Anxiety: Where NYCFC Really Stand Right Now
- 14:00 Can NYCFC Still Win MLS Cup in 2026? Five Reasons to Believe — and Five Reasons to Worry
- 19:00 NYCFC’s Defense Has Talent — So Why Does It Still Look So Vulnerable?
- 17:30 The Keaton Parks Question: Is He Still Essential to NYCFC’s Midfield Future?
- 16:00 Without Alonso Martínez, NYCFC Need a New Source of Goals — Who Is Ready to Step Up?
- 14:30 Luighi’s Big NYCFC Opportunity: Can the Brazilian Prospect Become New York’s Next Starting Striker?
- 13:00 NYCFC’s Five-Game Winless Run Is Becoming a Real Problem — Can Pascal Jansen Fix It Before the Slide Gets Worse?
- 04:00 NYCFC’s Injury Crisis Is Exposing a Bigger Question: Is the Roster Deep Enough to Compete for MLS Cup?
- 03:00 NYCFC Keep Dropping Leads — Is This Becoming a Mental Problem?
- 02:00 Pascal Jansen Under Pressure: Are His In-Game Decisions Costing NYCFC Points?
- 01:00 Matt Freese Keeps Saving NYCFC — But New York Cannot Keep Asking Its Goalkeeper to Rescue Every Game
- 00:01 Nico Fernández Mercau Is Becoming NYCFC’s Most Important Attacking Player
- 23:00 NYCFC Are Sliding at the Worst Possible Time: Five Games Without a Win and the Table Could Turn Ugly
- 22:00 Pascal Jansen’s Risky Substitution Backfired: NYCFC’s Left Side Collapsed Before Toronto’s Equalizer
- 21:00 NYCFC Threw Away Two More Points: This Time Pascal Jansen Has to Share the Blame
- 19:04 NYCFC Let Another Lead Slip: Fernández Mercau Stunner Not Enough to Finish Toronto Job
- 16:00 NYCFC Faces a Season-Defining Night in Toronto: Win or Invite a Playoff Crisis
- 15:00 Etihad Park Installs Its First Seat — NYCFC’s Long-Awaited Home Is Finally Becoming Real
- 14:00 Toronto vs. NYCFC Has Suddenly Become a Must-Win Match for Pascal Jansen
- 13:00 NYCFC’s Playoff Dream Could Be Destroyed by an Unprecedented Injury Emergency
- 19:00 Pascal Jansen’s Ruthless Double Substitution May Have Saved NYCFC’s Season
- 18:00 Has Maxi Moralez Already Played His Final Game for NYCFC?
- 17:00 NYCFC’s Injury Crisis Is Getting Out of Control — Can the Playoff Push Survive?
- 16:00 This One-of-One Knicks Championship Card Could Become a Record-Breaking Collectible
- 15:00 James Sands Is Becoming NYCFC’s Emotional Leader at Exactly the Right Time
- 14:00 Matt Freese’s Incredible Double Save May Have Rescued NYCFC’s Season
- 13:00 NYCFC Makes Bold Move for Alexandru Musi — Is He the Missing Piece in New York’s Attack?
- 07:54 NYCFC Rejects $25 Million for Nico Fernández Mercau: Ambition or a Massive Gamble?
