CARSON, Calif. – Coughing up a three-goal lead would not leave most coaches smiling, but U14 Boys National Team head coach Hugo Perez was all smiles following his team’s 3-3 draw with Chivas USA Academy on Thursday night at the Home Depot Center.

The U14 BNT jumped out to an ideal start with three goals in the opening 21 minutes, but let in three goals in 12 minutes to start the second half.

“It was the best futbol I have seen in a long time,” Perez told TopDrawerSoccer.com after the game about his team’s start to the game. “Complete with offense, defense, creating chances, just everything. We are still in the early stage with this group . . . but it was beautiful!”

Chicago Magic’s Elijah Rice tallied the first goal in the ninth minute when he tapped in a rebound off a spilled shot.

Ten minutes later, Joshua Perez, Hugo’s nephew, hit a bending effort around a defender and inside the far post to put the youth national team up 2-0.

PA Classics’ Christian Pulisic started the movement that led to Perez’s goal. The shifty attacker skated past a mark and hit a cross to Rice near the corner of the six-yard box. With a defender on his hip, Rice played the ball back to Perez for his wicked, curling goal.

Only a couple of minutes later, Rice grabbed his second of the evening to put the U14s up 3-0. Perez was the catalyst of the movement with a splendid piece of skill to get past multiple defenders and pick out Luca De La Torre in the 18-yard box. De La Torre left it off for Rice, who slotted it through a few defenders and into the twine.

“I asked them at half, was that fun?” Hugo Perez said with a big grin. “This whole week, we have worked on attacking and playing in tight spaces. I think you can see it paid off.”

The tide shifted in Chivas USA’s favor in the second half with U.S. U15 Boys National Team forward Jorge Ruiz finally breaking free from Daniel Barbir, George Braima, and the rest of the U14 BNT defense.

Ruiz scored only six minutes into the second half when Ryo Fujii picked off an errant diagonal pass. Fujii was free on goal, but U14 BNT goalkeeper Abraham Romero managed to get a foot on his shot. Ruiz anticipated the block and tapped the rebound into the empty net.

Four minutes later, Chivas USA cut the deficit to one. Caleb Calvert turned his mark on a sloppy piece of defending following a long drop kick from the Chivas USA goalkeeper. Calvert cleanly finished the chance from 25 yards out for his first of two goals in two minutes.

Ruiz was once again in the thick of things for the tying-goal. The speedster had the U.S. BNT defense on ice when he cut past two defenders and picked out a wide-open Calvert in front of the goal. The tall striker tapped it in for his second goal of the game.

“I thought we played well for 65 minutes,” Perez said about the three goals in 12 minutes for Chivas USA. “We gave up three goals because I still want them to gamble.

“We switched the ball and it cost us two times. But I am happy with it because we hardly kicked the ball long. Everything was from the back and building up and that was our main goal.”

A major part of the success of building up the attack came from the work of the midfielders who did well to relieve pressure and quickly move the ball between them against older competition.

“That has been the goal up to now,” Perez said about the possession. “I was very happy with that.”

The unheralded star of that effort was Logan Panchot, who did not appear on the score sheet, but did everything else in the center of the park. Panchot’s toughness and smarts allowed Pulisic and De La Torre to be dangerous on the ball, which helped generate multiple chances for the younger squad.

U.S. U14 BNT Lineup: Abraham Romero; Alexis Velela (Weston McKennie 60’), George Braima (capt.), Daniel Barbir, Hugo Arellano; Logan Panchot, Christian Pulisic (Matthew Olosunde 70’), Luca De La Torre (Eric Calvillo 54’); Joshua Perez, Elijah Rice (Joe Gallardo 57’), Haji Wright (Alejandro Zendejas ‘60’)

Fram (U16) 5,  U.S. U14 Boys National Team 2

In the earlier contest of the evening, Fram, a Southern California club, handily defeated the U14 BNT, 5-2.

“We were playing a big team, but there were instances of very good soccer,” Hugo Perez said. “I knew physically our team was not going to compete with that team, but the way they played, and the idea they had, I am satisfied.”

Fram’s Grant Sampson scored twice and Matt Michell had a goal and an assist in the win for Fram, which is one of the best teams in the area for that age group.

Dawson McCartney and Lagos Kunga found the back of the net for the U.S.

U.S. U14 BNT Lineup: Kevin Silva; Joseph Schmidt, Kyle Gruno, Juan Riley, Franco Mestre; Kyle Gurrieri, Emmanual Perez, Sebastien des Pres; Dawson McCartney, Jonathan Gonzalez, Lagos Kunga