The third day of the grueling Super-20 schedule left no time for teams to relax entering their morning matches. D.C. United and the Brooklyn Knights, whom 90 minutes could not separate Thursday, faced off against separate opponents at 9 a.m. today – the tournament hanging on their fates.

 

Clear skies and temperatures in the mid-eighties allowed the fans to finally focus on soccer rather than the umbrellas and sunscreen of the two days past.

 

The D.C./Mequon battle and its lofty implications began as a shootout with D.C.’s J.J Lewis handing his side a very early one goal lead. Mequon was up to the challenge, playing for pride, and quickly retaliated with a goal of their own just minutes later.

 

Unfortunately Mequon’s counter-attack was short celebrated as D.C.’s Lewis controlled a pass from Carroll who controlled the ball down the sideline and dished to a late arriving Lewis who placed the ball in the opposite corner of Mequon’s goalkeeper.

 

The second half escalated with a second Mequon goal but D.C. attacked late on and found the win right before the final whistle. The victory was enough to push the side through to semi-final play regardless of the heroics of Seacoast United in a match with the Brooklyn Knights.

 

“In the second half we tried to hold a man back and defend our 2-1 lead,” said D.C. United’s Head Coach Gene Mishalow. “What I love from a tournament like this is the level of play. Today we saw a side already out of playoff contention here and they gave us everything we could handle. Winning in the 3-2 in the 90th minute isn’t great for a coach. I think I have another grey hair.”

 

“The rain yesterday could have ruined the fields at a lesser facility yesterday,” added Mishalow. “If I could take anything from this tournament I would package the facilities and take them back to D.C.”

 

The Seacoast/Brooklyn match, two fields away, played 0-0 through the first before erupting in the second frame. The host made their mark on tournament play, shocking the Brooklyn Knights by going ahead 1-0 and holding the lead late on. The side looked poised to complete a tournament altering upset on the strength of the play out of goalkeeper Tim Murray.

 

Murray did things above and beyond the normal capabilities of a human being wearing a pair of gloves. He safeguarded his net with brilliance, holding back several impending Knights chances.

 

With minutes winding down the fortress that was the Seacoast defense was inevitably breeched by a rush down the right sideline and a subsequent drop pass played back across the six. A late arriving Knight knocked home the game tying goal while a helpless Murray, drawn by the end line rush was helplessly out of position.

 

Murray continued to exert himself over a barrage of Brooklyn chances – highlighting his efforts with a saved PK. His efforts were all erased by a second converted PK attempt nearing the final whistle. The goal earned Brooklyn the wildcard position and a semifinal date with West Kendall later in the evening.

 

“A lot of it is routine,” said Murray, who can be seen at nearby Providence College later this fall. “The saves build on one another. You make the first, then a second, a third – gaining confidence with each one. You just get in a zone.”

 

Super-20 Semifinals
On one side of the semifinal, Major League Soccer’s top two youth sides battled in a place unheard-of to their senior clubs fierce rivalry – Epping, New Hampshire.

 

D.C. United, on the strength of their earlier win over Midwest champion Mequon rolled into the semi-finals looking to conquer Red Bull New York with their high paced midfield.

 

The early part of the match however, was dominated by Red Bull’s towering center back, Nick Pardini who slowed the pace of United’s quick midfield and dominated play out of the air.

 

With United’s offense subdued, Red Bull focused their attack down the left flank. Whenever their wings broke through they played dangerous crosses into the box where several worthy targets were ready to finish.

 

Their efforts paid off in the 15th minute when Red Bull’s Louis Martinez broke down the same flank leaving two sprawling D.C. backs in his wake before finding Matt Bouree, whose near post blast beat D.C.’s Adam Hahn high to the near post for an early 1-0 lead.

 

J.J. Lewis, mired in the stout defensive midfield of Red Bull New York awoke soon after the goal, with several long range tests of Erik Gaiger. Lewis’s two goal game earlier in the day got United to this point, but his legs showed no wear flashing quick touches and Eskandarian-like defensive pressure to the Red Bull back four.

 

Despite D.C.’s midfield heroics, Red Bull’s tactics of attack were dead on. A forced left wing barrage of crosses won the side a 2-0 lead in the 32nd minute that held through the first 45 minutes.

 

New York slowed the game down in the second half and took calculated and precise chances through the middle, this time to freeing Michael Delguierod with a ball that split two closing United backs. The pass left Delguierod with enough time to write a book on how to beat a helpless Hahn to the back post.

 

The goal put the game out of reach, 3-0 in favor of Red Bull, and closed the book on a very strong D.C. United side.

 

“We went into this game trying to match them in the midfield,” said Red Bull New York Assistant Coach Stan Matlak. “We got that early goal and really felt we had control of the game. Obviously we don’t want to lose to D.C. United with the rivalry overflowing from the first team and we were able to follow our tactics and direction 100% to get the job done. ”

 

On the upper field a first half goal from West Kendall was all that separated the two bearing down on dusk. The goal came from an intelligent run on combination play through the middle – a ball played over the top and won by Pablo Martino in the box.

 

One touch from his electric feet freed him in on goal, with nothing left for the Brooklyn back to do but drag him down for a PK. 

 

Two minutes after the PK, a second chance came for West Kendall when Ryan Holstein found a bouncing ball about 30 yards from goal. He turned the ball into a torpedo that rattled off Brooklyn’s crossbar.

 

A second half of petty fouls marred the beautiful potential of these two talented sides and West Kendall advanced to face Red Bull in Sunday’s final on the strength of the 1-0 lead.

 

“Brooklyn played good soccer in the first half,” said Martino. “The second was a bit different but we played well this evening despite being tired and banged up. I was just looking to get the ball off my feet as quick as possible in a game like this.”

 

Martino is among the elite in the tournament – tallying four goals and two assists through four games.

 

“My goal is to play professional soccer,” said Martino. “You have to make a choice around my age, college or pro. And I am very interested in pursuing a professional career.”

 

With talent like his – he won’t be on the market much longer.

 

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