(Scroll Down for a complete rundown of quarterfinal pairings)

FRISCO, TEXAS – Group play ended Wednesday and 24 quarterfinal appointments were booked here at the 30th Dallas Cup.

The event’s SuperGroup semifinals were also set, with Mike Powers’ Andromeda U18 Academy team being edged out by Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0, meaning no American team is left alive in the feature age group. Teams from the USA did quite well in the other six categories however, with 38 of the 48 quarterfinalists being from the USA.

Of those teams, 16 are from California and 15 are from Texas, setting up a number of matchups between teams from those two states. Wednesday’s weather was the best of the week, allowing teams and spectators alike to enjoy the soccer.

One vital showdown came in the U15 age group where Northern California side Santa Clara Sporting needed a win or a draw to advance, while Dallas-area club Solar Red had to have the win. Adrian Solca’s Solar team started brightly when Connor Copeland scored after Karl deZoeten’s corner set off a scramble in the area to put the Texas side up 1-0.

Santa Clara responded to the goal well however, and Julio Morales and Fabian Valdez both came close to scoring in the next few minutes, with Solar goalkeeper Oshick Shams making a good save on the latter effort. Morales broke through with an equalizer however and it was game on at 1-1.

Morales then turned provider, presenting David Perez with a good opportunity that Perez finished well to make it 2-1 for Santa Clara. Solar tried to answer back when Eric Dinka fed Dalton Eudy with a good pass, and then Eudy fired a cross that whizzed through the 6-yard box, but nobody could get the vital touch on it for Solar and the teams went to the break at 2-1.

Fabian Valdez made a strong run through the Solar defense early in the half, but Solar’s Kyle Underwood made a vital clearance to keep his team’s deficit at just one. The reprieve was only temporary however, as Morales fed Gabriel Borges and Borges buried the chance to make it 3-1.

Borjes then killed off the match with a headed goal off a cross from Cameron Jurado. Solar kept battling and got some good serves from Chandler Crosswait and Karl deZoeten, plus near misses from John Vinson and Mark Flores, but Santa Clara goalkeeper David Silva was good coming off his line, and Juan Velasquez was solid in defense.

Santa Clara coach John Azevedo explained that the team played two State Cup matches at home over the weekend, making this the fifth match in five days for the group.

“We’ve got some heavy legs, but they are starting to get used to it. If they’re on, they can play,” Azevedo said. “We (only) needed a tie, and when they got the first goal, we had to come out and start playing.”

Morales said the Solar goal kickstarted his team.

“It woke the team up, then we started controlling more of the game and played better in the 2nd half,” he said. “We’ve played together for three years. We know how to move the ball and mentally what each other is doing.”

In another U15 showdown, Dallas Texans U16 Academy team, playing in the U15 age group under U.S. Youth Soccer’s Aug. 1 cutoff, were able to advance over San Diego-area side Aztecs FC with a 1-0 win.

The teams exchanged early chances, with Texans’ Andre Reyes and Caleb Richardson combining to set up Geoffrey Hill for a near miss, and Aztecs’ Kevin Lugo and Alberto Diaz working a neat 1-2 before Texans’ goalkeeper Kevin Wright made a good save.

Texans nearly scored the opener shortly afterward, but Kevin Machado’s drive appeared to be blocked by his own player. Geoffrey Hill wasn’t to be denied however and knocked home what would be the winning goal from the area.

On the other end, Wright preserved the lead with a highlight reel, diving save on a drive from Alfredo Rodriguez. Later on, Richard Damian had a good chance, but Texans’ defender Christopher Turner blocked the drive. Jack VanCompernolle also played well in the back line for Dallas, winning a lot of challenges and providing some good services from out wide.

Texans appeared to sit back a little too much in the 2nd half, affording Aztecs more chances to score, but the California team was unable to capitalize. With 13 minutes remaining, their chances were effectively ended when a player was sent off for a 2nd bookable offense. Texans held the ball for most of the match’s remainder. Sylvester Contreras and Jesus Estrada put in some work to help keep the ball out of Aztecs’ possession.

Goalkeeper Wright is good coming off his line, something he said he has been prodded to be by his coaches.

“At first I was a little tentative and then my coaches would get all over me about coming off of my line,” he said. “After that I had to figure out that you can’t be scared, so I started doing it.”

Wright added that the team was at times too tentative in the field, but still managed to get the job done.

“In the 1st half we sort of were (sitting back),” he said. “In the 2nd half, we were supposed to go at them, but we didn’t do as well as we could have. But a win’s a win.”

 

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Quarterfinal Pairings by Age Group


U13 (To be played Thursday)
Lehigh Valley United (PA) vs. Dallas Texans Red
Surf SC (CA) vs. West Coast FC (CA)
Legends FC (CA) vs. West Pines United (FL)
Southampton FC (UK) vs. Los Angeles FC

U14 (To be played Thursday)
CD Independiente (TX) vs. CESA Premier (SC)
Elgin Pumas (IL) vs. Irvine Strikers (CA)
Albion White (CA) vs. Solar Red (TX)
De Anza Force Blue (CA) vs. Dallas Texans Red

U15 (To be played Thursday)
Tigres (MX) vs. Pumas (MX)
CF Monterrey (MX) vs. De Anza Force Blue (CA)
Santa Clara Sporting (CA) vs. Dallas Texans U16 Academy
Los Angeles FC Chelsea vs. Lonestar Red (TX)

U16 (To be played Friday)
Santa Clara Sporting (CA) vs. Dallas Texans-Houston
South Bay Force (CA) vs. Ajax Gunners (CN)
Club Morumbi (MX) vs. Arsenal (CA)
Dallas Texans Red vs. Real SoCal (CA)

U17 (To be played Friday)
Tigres (MX) vs. Lonestar Red (TX)
CF Monterrey (MX) vs. Oakville Gunners (CN)
Chicago Magic AS Monaco Academy vs. FC Dallas U16 Academy)
CZ Elite (CA) vs. Andromeda U16 Academy (TX)

U19 (To be played Friday)
North Texas Strikers vs. Miami FC Kendall Academy (FL)
NV Fusion (CA) vs. FC Dallas U18 Academy
Dallas Texans U18 Academy vs. Royal Navy (UK)
Shattuck St. Marys (MN) vs. Solar SC U18 Academy (TX)

SuperGroups (Semifinals, to be played Friday)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GE) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (CN)
Manchester City (UK) vs. Sao Paulo FC (BR)

Click here for more 2009 Dallas Cup Coverage