The Impact U17 will kick off the second phase of the 2019 GA Cup qualifying process this Friday at 11am, at the Houston Sports Park, in Houston, against the Columbus Crew SC. Nicolas Gagnon’s team will then play the following day at 1:30pm, against the Chicago Fire and on Monday, February 18, at 10am, against the Houston Dynamo.
The U17 team is now fourth in group B with one win and two losses. To qualify for the GA Cup Champions Division, the team must finish in the top two spots of the group at the end of the qualifying process or be one of the two best third-placed teams.
“Our goal is to put up three good performances in high-level games,” said the Impact U17 head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “We want to apply what we’ve been putting in place since the beginning of the season with precision and intensity. Obviously, we want to qualify for the Champions Division, but it’s also about the quality of the performances we need to have to get the results. It’s also a good opportunity to progress and show that we are amongst the best MLS academies.”
After losing its first two games, the Impact U17 beat Toronto FC 2-0 at Centre Nutrilait, leaving Nicolas Gagnon’s men in the race for the group’s top spots.
Last year, the Impact U17 didn’t take part in the qualifying process, which means it played in the Premier Division. The team finished first in its group and lost 2-1 in the semifinals against the Seattle Sounders FC, before winning the third-place final 3-2 against Mexican club CF Monterrey.
