GA Cup Preview: Sporting KC's U-17s and U-15s ready for international competition in Bradenton, Florida

Two Sporting Kansas City Academy sides are gearing up for another massive Generation adidas Cup as the U-17s and U-15s head down to Bradenton, Florida. from March 30 - April 7 to compete in the prestigious MLS NEXT event. With the most global field in the tournament's 15-year history, this year's GA Cup promises to be as exciting as ever. 

Led by head coaches Angel Rivillo and Luis Pacheco, the U-17s and U-15s have been working for this event all season long. The groups will look to build on the success of the 2023 GA Cup in which the groups earned a combined 10 results in 13 matches. 

The U-17s enter the competition red hot. They have picked up four wins in their last five matches, outscored opponents 17-7 and kept two clean sheets. Two U-17 players, Ian James and Johann Oritz have been playing with Sporting Kansas City II in MLS NEXT Pro with James making his first pro start and Ortiz tallying his first professional assist in their last match on Sunday, March 24. In one of their best performances of the season, the U-17s bested Houston Rangers 9-1 before defeating Idea Toros on the road 1-0 in their most recent outing. 

Sporting’s U-17s will be in Group B taking on Real Salt Lake in their GA Cup opener on Saturday. In December, SKC bested RSL at MLS NEXT Fest in Phoenix. Sunday, they face Inter Miami and close out group stage play against Atletico Nacional from Colombia after that on Monday. 

SKC U-17 Standings

Sporting Kansas City’s U-15 head to Bradenton after their best performance of 2024. Facing Idea Toros in southern Texas, the U-15s tallied four goals and blanked their opponents for their second clean sheet on the new year. Their other clean sheet came in a hard-fought draw against Minnesota United at Swope Soccer Village in early March. A very talented collection of players, the U-15s just missed out on qualifying for the knockouts at the last cup and will look to improve on that performance in this rendition of the cup. 

Taking on Group D, Sporting KC’s U-15s' first opponent of the Cup will be the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. They will face Charlotte FC, a familiar opponent they just saw at MLS NEXT Fest. The group stage finale pits them against Liga MX side Club Nexaca on Monday.

SKC U-15 Standings

Sporting fans can follow along the Sporting KC Academy's GA Cup experience by following @SKCAcademy on X and Instagram. Both will feature score updates, starting XIs as well as photos from all of Sporting's matches.

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