FRISCO,Texas — It was a day of entertaining and surprising results as the Development Academy playoffs wrapped up on Friday.

READ: U18 teams grab Finals Week Spots | Academy Photos | U16 Day Two Recap

The U16 field was narrowed down to eight teams for Finals Week in July, as teams gutted through one more day in the hot Texas sun to advance, while others wrapped up the 2012-13 season.

Here's a look at some of the action:

Houston Dynamo 3, New York Red Bulls 1

New York Red Bulls came into the Development Academy Playoffs as the rockstars of the U16 division. They had lost just once all year and gave up a minuscule eight goals in 25 regular season games. If anyone was going to keep NYRB from getting to Finals Week, it was going to take a Herculean effort.

The Dynamo provided the lightning bolt Friday that struck down perhaps the most accomplished U16 team in the country. And now the Dynamo are headed home for Finals Week.

Houston scored three goals in the opening half hour, capping a dominant spell in which the Dynamo looked the better side. Despite the fact NYRB had the better attacking passages in the second half, the Dynamo had done plenty in its early burst to hold off the talented Red Bulls, the defending U16 academy champion.

The teams came into the final of three group games even on six points. That created a juicy situation in which the winner advanced and the loser was done. In this case, the winner was the Dynamo, who won't have to leave home for Finals Week next month.

"We told our guys coming into the week, look, we saw the schedule and we're playing (NYRB) last, arguably the best team in the country," Dynamo coach Eddie Robinson said. "We said, listen, the only way we're going to get through is three one-game tournaments. You win, you advance."

Houston got over the final hump by rocking NYRB back on its heels in the opening minutes during a sticky, oppressively hot afternoon. Houston poured forward with abandon until dynamic midfielder Christian Lucatero connected on a shot from 15 yards that took a wicked deflection and knuckled over the keeper for a 1-0 lead.

The next two came in rapid succession from rangy Nigerian forward Elochukwu Ozumba. About five minutes after Lucatero's tally, Ozumba ran under a long ball, muscled inside his defender and poked his shot under the keeper from about five yards. Three minutes after that, Ozumba sliced home another goal, this one from the edge of the box to give the Dynamo a stunning 3-0 lead just 30 minutes in.

"I think over the course of the season how many hard games we played, and I don't think (NYRB's) division is as difficult as ours," Robinson said. "So they don't get those hard games, so they're not used to having to fight and scratch and claw. And when they get in these games I think it's difficult for them. I certainly know we haven't played a better team this year than Red Bull, and the guys rose to the occasion."

The Red Bulls turned the game in the second half, putting a more cautious Dynamo team on the back foot. But they were only able to cash in on their bevy of chances once, a cracking volley from Wesley Wade that bounced off the underside of the crossbar and in with about 20 minutes to play. But the Dynamo back line, led by standout captain center back Matthew Dorsey, didn't allow another.

"We'll get to keep our usual routine," Robinson said. "It's certainly an advantage, but we won't take it for granted. There's still a lot of work to be done. It's very special that it's in our hometown, though. I think that'll be huge for the guys."

Real Salt Lake-AZ 6, FC Dallas 3

In one of the best matchups of the week, Real Salt Lake jumped all over FC Dallas in the game's opening 20 minutes, then pulled away at the very end to book a ticket to Finals Week.

"It was a very good performance," head coach Freddy Juarez said. "I think last night they were prepared for the match. They had a gathering with the 18s, our seniors spoke, and that helped focused the boys, and today they followed the game plan and from the begining to the end we were the better team. Got some early goals which always helps with confidence against a very good Dallas team."

With host side FCD only needing a draw to advance, scoring early and often provided the best hope for a result for RSL. They got that and more in the game's first seven minutes, as Sebastian Saucedo scored twice to stake RSL to a 2-0 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.

Brooks Lennon's cross in the second minute found Saucedo in the box for the second-minute opener, then five minutes later Saucedo got his head on a cross from Diego Silva. Lennon then extended the lead, dribbling in from the right wing and unleashing a powerful, left-footed strike from outside the box that nestled into the corner.

A dazed FC Dallas side looked to forward Santiago Agudelo for help spurring the attack on, and FC Dallas was able to scramble home a goal right before the half from a corner kick.

Just when a Dallas comeback looked inevitable, Diego Silva bagged the fourth RSL goal of the game, restoring the three-goal lead.

Whatever it was, that finally woke up FCD, as they scored two goals in two minutes to make things interesting. First, Patrick Khouri headed home a long throw, then Agudelo got on the end of a low, bouncing ball to make it a 4-3 game.

But Lennon and Saucedo, who had been instrumental all game, helped seal the game. After Joshua Doughty scored on a breakaway to nudge the side back out in front, Saucedo won a penalty that Lennon converted. The pair were certainly instrumental, saving their best performance for last.

"We had a talk with them, we think the first two games they weren't at their best and I think that you could see that in the results we had," Juarez said. "Credit to them, they took the critique, stepped up and helped the team. We asked them to be team players and that's why we were the better team today."

Colorado Rapids 1, Revolution Empire 1

The Rapids clinched their first ever berth in the U16 Finals Week by holding out for a draw that got tenuous in the final moments.

Colorado got a goal from Edward Venta-Yepes just minutes after halftime, and it looked like they'd cruise through until Empire drew a penalty with about two minutes to play. Andan Bakalobic finished coolly to pull the Empire level, but the Rapids held out through a nervy stoppage time to go through.

By virtue of two wins in its first two games, the Rapids were guaranteed to go through with a draw or a win. Now, the Rapids U16s are headed to Houston next month.

"It's a great growing experience for these guys," Rapids coach Mitch Murray said.

After an early shaky period and a somewhat drab opening half, the Rapids came out firing in the second frame. They finally struck on a connection between forwards when Hayden Heinrich centered for Venta-Yepes, who blasted through the finish. The Empire added a goal late, but it wasn't enough to keep the Rapids from going through.

Otherwise, the Rapids' back line, which gave up just two goals in three games in Frisco, was steady. Led by right back Enda O'Neill, the brother of U20 national team defender Shane, the Rapids should be a tough out in Houston.

"I think our back line is as good as any in the country," Murray said. "I think they're all tremendous players. Enda has just been growing and growing, improving with every week. I think he's going to be a player who still has a tremendous upside and has a great future in this game."

De Anza Force 1, Chicago Fire 0

A huge second half penalty kick save from goalkeeper Andrew Ferber helped De Anza Force preserve a narrow 1-0 win, securing passage to Finals Week by edging the Chicago Fire.

"It was difficult to do," head coach Shaun Tsakaris said. "Certainly towards the end not the way we like to play, but we knew we were going to need everybody, we got our goal that we needed and found a way to get it done."

The Force starte the game extremely well, pressing the Fire from the opening whistle, with Aravind Sivakumar and Carlos Delgadillo causing problems for De Anza. Defending Nick Carroll joined the attack from his left back spot, and helped the Force make that pressure pay off with a cross that Delgadillo headed home.

But for what seemed like the rest of the game, the Fire was on the front foot, and Ferber had to come up big a couple of times, including a great save on Mauricio Pineda's second half penalty that preserved the win.

"In a game that tight we knew we weren't going to win the game 4-0," Tsakaris said. "Chicago's a very good team, super organized and created problems for it. So if you have something like that your goalkeeper is able to, you can't write the script for it."

Five Stars of the Day:

D Enda O'Neill, Colorado Rapids: O'Neill knows top-level competition well, since his brother Shane recently got a call-up to the Rapids senior team. But he continued his solid week Friday at right back for the U16s, locking down that side completely and helping the Rapids advance to Finals Week.

MF Christian Lucatero, Houston Dynamo: The Dynamo pulled off a huge 3-1 win over favorites NYRB to win their group, and Lucatero's slithery play in the middle made a huge mark. He created the first goal and was the most creative player on the field for most of the game.

F Elochukwu Ozumba, Houston Dynamo: The Nigerian scored twice Friday, and he looked terribly dangerous up top for most of the game. Good in tight spots and deadly in space, Ozumba probably won't be on the market as a recruit for long.

F Brooks Lennon, Real Salt Lake-AZ: The wide attacker hit form just when his side needed him most, setting up a goal and scoring a pair of his own.

F Sebastian Saucedo, Real Salt Lake-AZ: A forward with plenty of pace and power, Saucedo provided the opening spark his side needed to get the result that netted them a trip to Houston. 

Group Winners:

Group 1
De Anza Force 

Group 2
Colorado Rapids 

Group 3
Solar Chelsea 

Group 4
Crew Soccer Academy Wolves 

Group 5
Albertson SC 

Group 6
Real Salt Lake-AZ 

Group 7
Houston Dynamo 

Group 8
Texans SC Houston