MLS 2018 Homegrown Match Picked Top Talent To Battle Mexico
The MLS Homegrown Team vs Tigres Uanl Under 20 match ended in a 1-1 draw. The Starting XI for the #MLSHomegrown Game was packed with potential future MLS stars.
The Turning Point: Technology played a part in this match — changing Jesus Ferreira’s goal and turning it into a subsequent indirect free kick which evened up the scoreboard.
Soccer News: The 2018 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer clearly showed that the future of American soccer is bright, even on a stormy night. With what the MLS called “flashes of brilliance from young players” on both teams, as the Homegrown Team settled for a 1-1 draw against Tigres UANL’s Under-20 squad on Tuesday at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, Ga.
The annual showcase of top young talent around MLS, the Homegrown Game has pitted the MLS Homegrown team against a Liga MX club’s youth squad the last four years. This time around, the reigning Liga MX U-20 champions, Tigres, were the opponent.
Starting Homegrown goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski impressed fans and he was under attack from the beginning and made two spectacular saves within the first 10 minutes of the match. After this demonstration of strength, the stage was set to the MLS Homegrown players to prove their worth.
MLS RECAP: In the 19th minute, Anthony Fontana had a chance in the box off a feed from Jesus Ferreira, but a spectacular save from Tigres GK Marcos Barbosa kept the Homegrown Team off the board.
But the Homegrowns found the net in first-half stoppage time, with Liam Fraser in the right place at the right time to poke the shot in the goal.
Shortly after the restart, Homegrown defender Mark McKenzie made a vital block near his team’s goal to prevent a Tigres shot.
It appeared Ferreira doubled the Homegrowns’ lead, but his goal was called back after Video Review, as the tally was chalked off for a goalkeeper infraction at the other end by Sean Melvin. Tigres scored on the subsequent indirect free kick, from Adrian Garza, in the 77th minute.
A minute later, Tigres went down to 10 men, as Jorge Cruz picked up his second yellow card of the match, but the Homegrown Team could not make them pay for it.
Carlos Bocanegra told us to keep an eye on a couple center backs from the Philadelphia Union, Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie who are doing quite well. And, from Atlanta, we’ve got Andrew Carleton and Lagos Kunga, two homegrown kids that grew up in Atlanta and played in our Academy.
As he wore the captain’s armband, it Andrew Carleton’s night.
As reported by the MLS: “Playing under the lights with the summer Georgian rain teeming down, Atlanta United’s very own Homegrown star was in his element as he shined in the MLS Homegrown Team’s 1-1 draw with Mexican U-20 champions Tigres UANL in the 2018 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer on Wednesday.”
Atlanta’s Carleton earned the match’s official MVP and was the instrumental in the lead up that led to Fraser’s first-half goal.
Carleton proved why MLS Homegrown head coach Tony Annan said “he does things that other players don’t dare to do.”
“It was an honor representing Atlanta, representing the league and representing my family,” Carleton said after the match. “It was a dream come true, wearing the captain’s armband, representing the guys and everything.”
“Our goal was to go out there, have fun, play well. I think all the guys enjoyed it and had a good time out there. I enjoyed my soccer and I thought it was a pretty successful night.”
Sporting Kansas City defender Jaylin Lindsey and midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal logged 45 minutes each as the MLS Homegrown battle.
Lindsey played the first half and Kuzain came off the bench for the second half.
According to Sporting KC, Lindsey and Kuzain are the third and fourth players to be featured in an MLS Homegrown Game, joining former goalkeeper Jon Kempin and former defender Erik Palmer-Brown.
Sporting KC has had at least one representative in four of the five MLS Homegrown Games since the event began in 2014.
Last year’s MLS Homegrown Team match also ended in a draw with the final score of 2-2 Chivas de Guadalajara U-20. In fact, the first year of the event, the 2014 MLS Homegrown Team also ended in a tie with the MLS Homegrown team 0–0 with Portland Timbers U-23s.
