Soccer
The knockout round of the 2025 Generation adidas Cup kicked off Wednesday with the Round of 16.
The first-ever Girls Division also began, as the Girls Academy All-Star teams competed against European opposition.
Here’s a rundown of how things shook out in the Championship Bracket, bringing us closer to crowning winners.
Both the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy looked strong in knockout wins over MLS counterparts. The clubs advanced via 3-0 victories, with LA defeating Nashville SC and Columbus beating the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Galaxy used a second-half flurry of goals to win. Aaron Medina, Giovanni Salazar and Alexis Mondragon powered the attack, all scoring after the break.
CF Montréal, who defeated Barça Residency Academy 2-1, await the Galaxy on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Eloi Breton bagged a first-half brace for the Canadian side.
Prince Forfor played a central role in Columbus’ victory, scoring goals in the 24th and 30th minutes to put the Crew up 2-0. Jamil Danjaji added a third, securing a quarterfinal meeting with PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch side knocked out LAFC, 3-1.
Charlotte FC secured a big upset, beating the Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout. Keegan Kerr scored in the 44th minute for Charlotte, though the lead lasted just 11 minutes, thanks to an equalizer from the Union’s Olatimoni Gbalajobi. Charlotte ultimately triumphed 4-3 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw.
Next up for Charlotte is a clash with Real Salt Lake. Thanks to a second-half goal from Rowan Martin, RSL advanced to the quarterfinals courtesy of a 1-0 win against Japanese side FC Tokyo.
Austin FC round out the quarterfinalists from the U16 age group. The defense locked down an early 1-0 lead against Vancouver Whitecaps FC across the 60 minutes, after forward Jacob Peale scored the winning goal. Austin will take on Belgium’s KRC Genk, who beat the Portland Timbers, 2-1.
After a torrid run through the Group Stage, Inter Milan looked like contenders for the older age group. Atlanta United had other ideas, however.
The Five Stripes eliminated the Serie A side on penalty kicks, winning 4-3 in the wake of a 0-0 draw. Kaiden Moore scored the winner from the spot, and Jonathan Ransom came up clutch in goal.
Three other games were settled by penalty kicks, and Sockers FC advanced thanks to a 5-4 shootout win over FC Dallas after a 0-0 draw. Up next for the Chicagoland MLS NEXT side is a matchup with Santos Laguna. The Mexican squad beat Inter Miami, 2-0.
No goals were scored between Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC, with the former winning 3-1 from the spot. The Portland Timbers drew 1-1 with LA Galaxy, and the Timbers progressed with a 5-4 shootout win.
A second-half goal from Grant Gilmore was enough to secure a 1-0 triumph for the Colorado Rapids against the New York Red Bulls. His 47th-minute tally propelled Colorado to the quarterfinals.
One goal also decided the matchup between Orlando City SC and St. Louis CITY SC, as Justin Ellis struck in a 1-0 victory. Next up, Orlando meet Real Salt Lake in the quarterfinals.
Both Girls Academy All-Star teams notched wins on the first day of play in the Girls Division.
The Red Team topped Manchester City by a 3-1 score, with goals coming from Bristol Kersh, Molly McGuire and Karolina Bodyziak.
It was a strong attacking showing for the Blue Team as well. Reece Hoffman, Blake Landry, Kendall Conway and Ashley Scott pushed the GA squad to a four-goal advantage in the game’s first 40 minutes against Bayern Munich. While the German side scored twice, the Blue Team held on for a 4-2 win.
Read MoreMargarett Badon