FRISCO, Texas (Tuesday, April 12, 2022) – In the Round of 16, The Real Salt Lake Academy U15s defeated Austin FC U15s 1-0 to move on to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Generation Adidas Cup.
On Tuesday night at the Toyota Soccer Complex, the U15s opened the match as the aggressors, scoring early in the eighth minute. Forward Zavier Gozo made a run to the end line before cutting back and finding fellow forward Tony Ramirez wide open in front of the net for the easy finish. The assist marked Gozo’s third of the tournament, he leads the team with two goals and three assists in four matches. As the half progressed, both sides alternated possession back and forth with neither side taking control of the match.
Coming out of the halftime break, RSL looked to maintain its lead, dominating on the defensive end. Goalkeeper Ty Rinker led the defensive effort, keeping Austin FC out of the net despite high pressure from the Texas side. The U15s were able to hold on to its one goal advantage for Rinker’s second clean sheet of the tournament and to punch its ticket to the 2022 GA Cup Quarterfinals where they will face Spain’s Valencia CF on Thursday, April 14 at 3:00 p.m. MT.
Forward Tony Ramirez on his goal: “It was a good press from [Zavier] Gozo. He went after a bad pass, and he just passed it back to me, and I was lucky enough to finish the early goal. It gave us the lead, and we just held back our defense to win the game.”
Academy Director of Coaching Arnold Rijsenburg on the match: ”It was a nervous and difficult game. I think [Austin FC] was the first opponent we played against who was physically stronger than we were. I think the lack of experience of [the U15s] made them nervous. They didn’t play the game we expected them to play, but they got the result. I think this was an important experience for them, and let's go to the next game.”
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
RSL Academy U15 1 0 1
Austin FC U15 0 0 0
RSL: Tony Ramirez (Zavier Gozo) 8’
Up Next: The RSL Academy U15’s will now face Valencia CF of Spain on Thursday, April 14 at 3:00 p.m. MT for a berth in the Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals. The match will be streamed live on Youtube and Twitch via the Major League Soccer page.
