Toronto FC Academy’s U-17 and U-15 squads will participate in the Major League Soccer (MLS) and MLS NEXT supported tournament, Generation adidas (GA) Cup, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The GA Cup will feature 49 clubs from 15 different countries, with 80 teams split between the two age groups and have all 29 MLS clubs represented, in addition to a tournament record 19 different international clubs. The tournament will run from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, April 7.
“The Generation adidas Cup has evolved into one of the top youth tournaments in the world,” said Toronto FC Academy Director Anthony Capotosto. “The games will be intense and will serve as a benchmark for our player assessment. The commitment MLS has shown over the years has elevated the profile of the GA Cup for all stakeholders both domestically and internationally. It provides a unique platform used to raise the standard of performance, while enhancing overall player development through meaningful competition. We are excited to participate again and look forward to testing ourselves against some of the best youth teams in the world.”
Each team at the tournament is guaranteed to play seven matches. The first three games are during group play in the opening round. Based on performance, from the opening three matches, each team will proceed to the championship or consolation bracket to play their remaining four guaranteed games. The top 16 teams will advance to the single-elimination championship bracket, comprising the 10 group winners and the top six second-place finishers. The other best 16 teams who do not qualify for the championship bracket enter a consolation bracket, and the final eight teams will play in consolation groups. All games that end in a tie after the final whistle will go directly to a penalty shootout.
The schedule and group brackets were announced by the tournament earlier this month. TFC Academy’s U-15 team was drawn in Group H alongside MLS-affiliated teams Columbus Crew, LA Galaxy, and Liga MX’s CF Monterrey. The U-17 team was placed in Group I and will face MLS clubs Charlotte FC and FC Dallas and Club Necaxa from Liga MX. A full breakdown of the U-15 bracket can be found here and the U-17 bracket breakdown can be found here.
Led by Toronto FC Academy U-15 Head Coach, Arman Mohammadi, the team will take on CF Monterrey on Saturday, March 30 (9:00 a.m. ET) before facing Columbus Crew on Sunday, March 31 (9:00 a.m. ET) and concluding group play against LA Galaxy on Monday, April 1 (9:00 a.m. ET). The TFC Academy U-17 team, led by Head Coach Paul Stalteri, will open the tournament against Club Necaxa on Saturday, March 30 (2:00 p.m. ET), face MLS side FC Dallas the next day on Sunday, March 31 (2:00 p.m. ET) and round out group play against Charlotte FC (2:00 p.m. ET).
The U-17 roster includes two players who represented Canada at the 2023 U-17 Concacaf Championship - Nathaniel Abraham and Richard Chukwu - and four players at the U-15 Concacaf Championship in 2023 - Ajahni Carter, Richard Chukwu, Tim Fortier and Kemari Record-Wright. Stefan Kapor of the U-15 GA Cup roster was also called up as an alternate for the 2023 U-15 Concacaf Championship.
Historically, the TFC Academy U-15 and U-17 teams have a combined three championship appearances at the GA Cup. In 2019, the U-15 team advanced to the championship final to face Liga MX’s Chivas de Guadalajara, falling short in a penalty shootout. That same year, the U-15 team remained undefeated until the finals and finished as the top MLS team in the eight-team tournament, a team highlighted by current Toronto FC First Team player, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. In 2012, the GA Cup had both the U-15 and U-17 TFC teams climb to the championship match. The U-17 squad went head-to-head with FC Delco while the U-15 side faced Chivas de Guadalajara in the final again. Both age groups fell short in the championship matches as the U-17s lost in the penalty shootout and the U-15s were edged by the Liga MX side in extra time. Another Academy team saw success at the GA Cup when TFC Academy’s U-12 team participated in the first-ever 7v7 U-12 GA Cup in 2015. After placing first in their group, the team advanced to the title match and defeated FC Dallas to bring home the championship trophy.
The tournament will be livestreamed for 28 matches including the championship games in both the U-15 and U-17 age groups for subscribers of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. A full broadcast breakdown can be viewed here and the tournament schedule can be found here.
