Generation adidas Cup announces Houston Dynamo U-17 Academy schedule

Major League Soccer announced today that the Houston Dynamo U-17 squad will compete in Group B of the U-17 Premier Division of the 2019 Generation adidas Cup in Frisco, Texas from April 13-20.

In the Dynamo's group is FC Midtylland from Denmark, which was the first full-time Danish football academy established in the Scandinavian country. South Korean powerhouse Ulsan Hyundai FC will also compete in Group B and will make its debut in the tournament at the U-17 level. Group B also features two MLS clubs in Orlando City SC and the Portland Timbers.

The future stars of MLS will test their skills against some of the most renowned professional academies in the world in the expanded U-17 competition that includes 15 premier international clubs. Among the esteemed international academies set to play in the 2019 Generation adidas Cup include England’s West Ham United, France’s Olympique Lyonnais, Spain’s Valencia, Argentine power River Plate, Brazilian side Flamengo, and Croatian giant Dinamo Zagreb, among others.

MLS clubs will also see regional rivalries play out in the tournament with eight Liga MX clubs playing in the U-17 and U-15 divisions. Club América, Monterrey, Tijuana and Deportivo Toluca will face MLS teams in the U-17 portion of play.

The newly formed U-15 tournament between MLS and Liga MX clubs is the latest competitive initiative in the collaboration between the two leagues, following in the footsteps of the Campeones Cup and the annual MLS Homegrown Game team which pits the MLS squad against a Liga MX U-20 opponent. Chivas de Guadalajara, Club Leon, Cruz Azul and Monterrey will each face the four MLS sides once, setting up an exciting fifth and final matchup pitting the first-place Liga MX side against the top MLS club in a winner-take-all showdown.

The Generation adidas Cup has developed into the premier youth tournament in which elite MLS academy players test their talents against international competition. Previous MLS academy products to participate in the tournament in recent years include Efrain Álvarez (LA Galaxy / LA Galaxy Academy), Weston McKennie (Schalke 04 / FC Dallas Academy), Djordje Mihailović (Chicago Fire / Chicago Fire Academy), and Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas / FC Dallas Academy), among others.