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Real Salt Lake held its nerve to advance to the SUM U-17 Cup final after a thrilling 5-4 sudden-death penalty kick win over the host Houston Dynamo Tuesday night at the Carl Lewis Track & Field Complex after the teams played to a 1-1 tie. RSL, the 2008 champion and boasting a 13-game unbeaten streak in SUM Cup competition, will face 2007 and 2009 winner D.C. United in the final on Thursday morning.

The game opened in bizarre fashion, with Real Salt Lake’s Richard Haddock going down injured in just the first minute and having to leave the game. Play resumed with a long throw-in from Real Salt Lake’s Rayshawn Washington, and RSL capitalized with a fluky goal after the ball bounced around in the box on a play the Dynamo thought should have been whistled a foul.

The remainder of the first half was tense and chippy, with neither team creating many scoring opportunities. Real Salt Lake’s imposing backline of Washington, Tanner Clay, Phanuel Kavita, and Julio Alcaron effectively shut down Houston’s Tamay Sanchez, the tournament’s leading scorer. RSL was content to play the ball long and sit on its lead for most of the half.

The Dynamo came out flying early in the second half, forcing three saves from RSL goalkeeper Carson Elliot in the first 15 minutes, including long-range shots from Alex Gonzalez and Sanchez and a close-range flick from Miguel Zapata. Houston finally broke through in the 51st minute when right back Siegfried Casar made a strong 30-yard run up the right sideline and cut across the top of the penalty area. The ball was deflected away from him but fell to Zapata 25 yards from goal, and he rifled a shot into the lower left corner before Elliot could react, sending the Dynamo and their fans crazy.

Houston dominated possession in the second half, with Real Salt Lake often relying on long balls. RSL’s best chance came with just a minute of regulation time remaining, when Nick Semintendi curled a free kick on goal from 27 yards out, but Houston goalkeeper Fernando Piña, a halftime substitute, had it covered.

The Dynamo then had two set pieces with a chance to win the game deep in stoppage time, and the second one almost yielded a dramatic finish. Manuel Chavez’s driven corner to the back post found central defender Bradley Bourgeois, but his downward header was cleared off the goal line by a terrific defensive play to maintain the tie.

The shootout saw Sanchez bizarrely ejected after coming to a stop on Houston’s opening penalty kick attempt and receiving his second yellow card. Although the Dynamo were allowed to replace the shooter, Elliot dove to his right to stop the opening shot from Juan Ramirez. The one-goal edge carried into the final frame, when Antonio Murillo fired his shot over the bar, giving Houston a chance. Martin Fiemawhle equalized to send the shootout into sudden death. Salt Lake’s Cole Nagy converted his shot in the top of the frame, and Bourgeois could not answer in the bottom, sending RSL to the final.

Houston, still unbeaten in the tournament at 3-0-1, will face Columbus in the third-place match.

Real Salt Lake 2, Kansas City Wizards 0

2008 SUM U-17 Cup champion Real Salt Lake advanced to the 2010 semifinals by winning Group D Tuesday, downing the Kansas City Wizards 2-0 to finish group play 2-0-1.

Controlling the game, RSL opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Richard Haddock broke in alone on Kansas City goalkeeper Jonathan Kempin and slotted the ball low inside the right-hand post.

Kansas City never seriously threatened to break through the Salt Lake backline, and RSL put the game away with a well-taken goal in the 49th minute, when Junior Jbopau crossed for Cole Nagy, who settled the ball on his chest, dribbled around Kempin, and slotted the ball home to wrap up Salt Lake’s trip to the semis.

Group D

Real Salt Lake 1, Los Angeles Galaxy 1 (RSL won on penalty kicks)

After a first half marked by frustrating, unproductive play by both sides, the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake both broke through with goals in the second half, but only RSL would leave a winner after defeating LA on PKs.

The Galaxy’s Dyllan Stevens opened the scoring with an unassisted strike created from sheer determination to push his way through the defense. The lead was short-lived, as RSL struck back only one minute later when Junior Jbopau received a skillful, nearly no-look cross from Maikon Orellana to tie things up. Tied at the end of regulation, the teams went to penalty kicks, where RSL emerged victorious for the second game in a row.

Real Salt Lake (1-0-1) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (0-1-1)
2010 SUM U-17 Cup – Group D
July 24, 2010 –- Centennial Park, Friendswood TX

Scoring Summary:
LA — Dyllan Stevens 1 (unassisted) 48
RSL — Junior Jbopau 1 (Maikon Orellana 1) 49

Los Angeles Galaxy — Alexis Padilla, Jonathan Hower, Juan Chavez, Justin Dhillon, Mykal Riley, Drew Murphy, Jack McBean, Jake Kim, Nathaniel Schnitman, Juan Mendoza, Jake Laporte.
Subs: Eric Gonzalez 31, Jose Avila 41, Dyllan Stevens 31, Neil Ignacio 31, Dennis Flores 55

Real Salt Lake — Tyler Wilson, Joseph Metzger, Carson Elliot, Julio Alcaron, Cole Nagy, Junior Jbopau, Phanuel Kavita, Aaron Caprio, Austin Jex, Lucas Cawley, Alejandra Espinoza.
Subs: Zander Rados 22, Tanney Clay 12, Maikon Orellana 31, Matt Gay 31, Antonio Murillo 31

Real Salt Lake 2, New York Red Bulls 1

Real Salt Lake opened their 2010 SUM U-17 Cup with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls Friday night.

New York’s bruising defense controlled the game early. Its offense, run by dynamic midfielder Russell Canouse, made its presence felt when Brandon Allen fired a shot past RSL goalkeeper Carson Elliot in the ninth minute to give New York a 1-0.

RSL persevered, though, and it paid off in a big way when Richard Velasco equalized late in the first half. The comeback was sealed by an incredible left-footed shot off the right post from 18 yards out by Maikon Orellana.

Real Salt Lake READY FOR 2010 SUM U-17 Cup
2008 Champs Join Under-17 Sides from All MLS Clubs for Fourth Annual Edition of Tournament in Houston

SANDY, Utah (Friday, July 23, 2010) – The Real Salt Lake Under-17 Team is in Houston and ready to kick off play this evening in the 2010 SUM U-17 Cup, with the fourth annual edition of the youth tournament taking place at Houston’s Centennial Park as part of the festivities surrounding the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. This year, for the first time, all 16 Major League Soccer clubs will be represented in the youth tournament.

This year’s 23-man Real Salt Lake U-17 squad again draws from the defending MLS Cup champion’s three Youth Development branches – Utah (11), Arizona (9), and Florida (3). The squad will be led by RSL First Team Assistant Coach and Youth Development Technical Director Miles Joseph, Head Coach Greg Maas (RSL-UT), Assistant Coach Patrick Rennie (RSL-UT), and Assistant Coach Greg Vanney (RSL-AZ). The full RSL U-17 player roster is included below.

The RSL U-17s will begin their quest for a second title in the competition tonight at 7:00 p.m. MT, when they start Group D play against the New York Red Bulls. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s U-17s will continue pool play tomorrow evening against the LA Galaxy (5:30 p.m. MT) before rounding out their round-robin portion against the Kansas City Wizards next Monday, July 26 (5:30 p.m. MT).

Every team will be guaranteed a fourth match on Tuesday, July 27, with the four group winners advancing to the tournament’s semifinals and the other 12 squads facing off in placement matches. Additional placement games will be contested on the morning of Thursday, July 29, while the Championship Match will take place either Wednesday at Reliant Stadium at 3:00 p.m. MT (prior to the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game against Manchester United) or Thursday morning at a venue to be determined.

As has been the case in the first three years of the tournament, the SUM U-17 Cup winner will be invited to represent Major League Soccer in the prestigious 2010 M18 Mundial Clubes de Futbol Sub-18 competition in Madrid, Spain next spring.

The Real Salt Lake Under-17 Team has turned in impressive performances in its brief three-year history, claiming the SUM Cup crown in underdog fashion in 2008 and finishing third in last year’s competition after going undefeated with a 2-0-2 record. Last June, Real Salt Lake enjoyed the most success of any of the previous MLS teams that took part in the M18 Mundial Clubes de Futbol tournament, garnering a pair of ties and a loss in the group play portion of the competition against youth squads representing some of the world’s finest clubs.

Fans are encouraged to follow the results of the RSL U-17s at the SUM Cup on RealSaltLake.com and RSL’s official blog, Behind the Shield, located at www.RSLtotheCore.com. For more information on the tournament, visit the host Houston Dynamo’s SUM U-17 Cup website.

Real Salt Lake 2010 SUM U-17 Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Carson Elliot (RSL-UT; Bountiful, UT), Tyler Wilson (RSL-AZ; Tucson, AZ)
DEFENDERS: Julio Alcaron (RSL-AZ; El Paso, TX), Eric Christensen (RSL-UT; Layton, UT), Tanner Clay (RSL-AZ; Gilbert, AZ), Austin Jex (RSL-UT, West Haven, UT), Phanuel Kavita (RSL-UT; SLC, UT), Rayshawn Washington (RSL-FL; St. Petersburg, FL)
MIDFIELDERS: Aaron Caprio (RSL-UT; Lehi, UT), Lucas Cawley (RSL-UT; Centerville, UT), Joseph Metzger (RSL-FL; Tampa, FL), Antonio Murillo (RSL-AZ; Las Vegas, NV), Cole Nagy (RSL-AZ; Scottsdale, AZ), Alexander Rados (RSL-FL; Tampa, FL), Nick Semintendi (RSL-AZ; Phoenix, AZ), John Taylor (RSL-UT; Kaysville, UT), Richard Velasco (RSL-AZ; Tuscon, AZ),
FORWARDS: Alejandro Espinoza (RSL-UT; Park City, UT), Matt Gay (RSL-UT; Orem, UT), Richard Haddock (RSL-UT; Bountiful, UT), Junior Jbopau (RSL-AZ; Tuscon, AZ), Maikon Orellana (RSL-UT; Provo, UT)

Technical Director: Miles Joseph
Head Coach: Greg Maas (RSL-UT)
Assistant Coach: Patrick Rennie (RSL-UT)
Assistant Coach: Greg Vanney (RSL-AZ), Assistant Coach: Michael Munoz (RSL-AZ)
Trainer: Paul Lombardo
Team Administrator: Teresa Nelson

Real Salt Lake 2010 SUM U-17 Cup Schedule
Friday, July 23: RSL v. New York Red Bulls – 7:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, July 24: RSL v. LA Galaxy – 5:30 p.m. MT
Sunday, July 25: Off Day
Monday, July 26: RSL v. Kansas City Wizards – 5:30 p.m. MT
Tuesday, July 27: Semifinals OR Placement Game (5:30 p.m./7:00 p.m.)
Final: Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m. MT at Reliant Stadium OR Thursday, July 29 (Time/Location TBD)

www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com

Eight players from the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Development Academy will be representing Real Salt Lake U17 Boys at the Major League Soccer SUM Cup in Houston, Texas from July 23-29.

For the first time in its four-year history, every MLS team will be represented in the SUM U-17 Cup to be held in Houston’s Centennial Park from July 23 to July 29.

The 16-team tournament, which showcases the talent in the U-17 development squads, has been a launching platform of sorts for current MLS players Tristan Bowen (LA Galaxy), Andy Najar (D.C. United), Bill Hamid (D.C.), Juan Agudelo (New York) and Bryan Leyva (FC Dallas).

The tournament will consist of four groups made up of four teams, and the top team from each group will advance to the single-game knockout stages. The final will be played on July 28.

The SUM U-17 Cup will be played in conjunction with the MLS All-Star Game to take place in Houston’s Reliant Stadium on July 27, where the MLS’ best 11 will take on English Premier League giants Manchester United.

Last year, D.C. United beat the Kansas City Wizards in a penalty shootout to claim the SUM Cup. United also claimed the title in 2007.

Real Salt Lake is the only other team to have won the SUM Cup.

The U17’s are grouped with the New York Red Bull, Kansas City Wizards and the LA Galaxy.

Here are the RSL-AZ players representatives:

Cole Nagy

Julio Alarcon

Antonio Murrillo

Tanner Clay

Ricardo Velasco

JR. Jbapou

Tyler Wilson

Nick Semintendi