With a 3-1 record coming into their last game of group play, the formula for the Red Bulls U-14 squad reaching the Semi-Finals of the English Premier League Youth Tournament was simple: Win and you’re in.
The Red Bulls’ young men finished with a flourish, posting a 1-0 win in a convincing performance against Newcastle, who also needed a win to clinch a spot in the Semi-Finals.
As has been the
case in several games, the U-14s took the game to their opponent early. The
breakthrough did not take long, as midfielder Callum Johnson unleashed a rocket
from 25 yards that hit top corner of the net to give his team the lead in the 6th
minute. The Red Bulls were unlucky not to add another in the 12th
minute when Stephen Elias beat a defender and forced the Newcastle goalkeeper
into a diving save. Elias repeated the play in the 21st minute and
was only denied a spectacular goal from another diving one handed save from the
Newcastle goalkeeper. As the first half came to a close, the Red Bulls had four
straight corner kicks and again were unlucky not to have scored a second goal.
“At half-time we talked about
continuing to attack and take the game to them,” U-14 head coach Jeff Zaun
said. “We felt that we had a lot of chances and we encouraged the players to go
forward. Our attack minded approach forced Newcastle back and limited their
opportunities in the second half.”
The Red Bulls continue to dominate after the break, creating several close scoring chances, but goalkeeper Nick Giordano still had to make a great save in the last minute to preserve the win that earned them top spot in Group A play with a 4-1 record.
The Red Bulls impressed many Premier League observers, including FA Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking, playing some attractive soccer on their way to defeating defending Champion Chelsea 1-0 and pre-tournament favorite Palmeiras 2-1. The Red Bulls play Ajax (Netherlands) at 11:30am ET on Thursday. The other Semi-Final match-up sees West Bromwich Albion square off against Group B winner Villarreal.
