Two second-half goals from Max Eisenberg in the 49th minute and Augie Hoelscher in the 74th minute were enough for the Portland Timbers U-15 Academy side to raise the Generation Adidas trophy.
After eliminating tournament favorite LAFC on penalty kicks on Friday in a 4-3 shootout, Valencia was looking dominant with near arrivals and coming close to scoring on the Timbers goal. In the second half, the Timbers started to gain momentum.
In the 49th minute, Max Eisenberg’s pressure paid off with Portland’s first goal of the evening after stealing the ball away from the Valencia goalkeeper. In the 74th, the Timbers extended their lead via Augie Hoelscher putting the game away with a well-taken strike inside the box.
The Portland Timbers in this 2022 Generation adidas Cup finished second in their Group G play with a win and two draws in a group that included Atlanta United, Philadelphia Union, and Portuguese side FC Porto.
The Timbers U-15 paved its way to the Final by defeating England’s Manchester United, New York Red Bulls, and LAFC, before the final against Valencia CF in the playoffs.
This title is the first one that an academy team and the Portland Timbers U-15 have won in the GA Cup. Congratulations to all this intrepid group and its coach Fernando Pessoa for this one-of-a-kind feat.
Source: Portland Timbers and Major League Soccer Communications
Portland Timbers
