The Sporting KC U-17s kicked off 2011 Generation adidas Cup action Monday night with a 4-2 loss to FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park.
PHOTOS: See the SKC Juniors in action on The Junior Way blog
Dallas jumped out to an early lead when Marco Ortiz sent the ball past Sporting goalkeeper Jacole Turner high to the near post in just the eighth minute.
FCD added to its lead, scoring back-to-back goals midway through the first half.
In the 23rd minute, Dallas was awarded a corner kick. The ball was crossed into the box, where forward Alfred Koroma sent a header towards the Sporting goal. Turner swatted the attempt away, but the ball ricocheted off the post and found the foot of FCD defender Alessandro Mion, who sent it into the Kansas City net.
In the 25th minute FCD displayed spot-on passing, stringing four-consecutive one-touch passes which ended with forward Victor Portillo sending the ball past Turner low to the far post from outside the box.
Dallas kept the tempo high to the start the second half and continually pressed the attack.
FCD lengthened the lead in the 59th minute when a Sporting defender made an errant pass to Turner which was picked off by Diego De La Tejera Farias, who chipped the ball into the back of the net.
Kansas City began to test FCD goalkeeper Jose Gonzalez in the latter portion of the second half. Gonzalez made save after save throughout the game, but his shut out hopes ended in the 73rd minute when Sporting midfielder Wes White scored the team’s first goal of the match.
Minutes later, in the 77th minute, White added a second goal to cut his team’s deficit to two. However, time was not on Sporting’s side and Dallas left the pitch with a 4-2 win.
FCD sits atop Group B with an edge in goal differential over the Philadelphia Union, who beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 Monday night. Sporting Kansas City will face Seattle Sounders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night at Pizza Hut Park on Field 7.
Follow @SKCJuniors on Twitter for updates throughout the tournament.
Scoring Summary:
FCD – Ortiz 8’
FCD – Mion 23’
FCD – Portillo 25’
FCD – De La Tejera Farias 59’
SKC – Steven Enna 73’
SKC – Steven Enna 77’
FC Dallas U-17 lineup: Gonzalez, Laverde, Mion, Ashby (Haberkorn 50’), Frankenfeld, Acosta (Reeves 65’), De La Tejera Farias (Abdulranhman 70’), Meyer, Ortiz (Parthain 58’), Koroma (Galvan 70’), Portillo (Edet 65’)
Sporting KC U-17 starting lineup: Jacole Turner; Leonard, Peterson, Eric DeJulio, Daniel Hare; Derek Schrick, Clay Stewart, Joey Piatczyc; Nate Opperman, Cole Stevenson, Seo-In Kim

