A wild second day of the Generation adidas U-17 Cup saw numerous draws, leaving most teams alive heading into the final day of group action scheduled for Thursday night in Frisco, Texas.
Games tied at regulation in group matches are decided by penalty kicks, as three were on Tuesday.
The most enthralling encounter took place between Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders. Goals by Nate Opperman and Clay Stewart had Sporting up 2-1 with seconds remaining, only for Seattle to equalize on the last play of the game.
KC goalkeeper Evan Wright was the hero in the shootout, however, making two stops to give his side a 5-4 win and a chance to top the group — although they’ll need a win against a tough FC Dallas side — later this week.
Houston were able to bounce back from an opening-day loss with a win against D.C. United, defeating the 10-man side, 1-0. United went down a man in the second half when goalie Alec Dockser took down a Houston attacker in the box.
Substitute 'keeper Cody Niedermeier saved the ensuing penalty, but Carlos Ibarra grabbed the winner for Houston. With the Crew defeating San Jose by the same score, all four teams in Group A are tied at three points heading into the final day.
The same can be said of Group D, as wins by Chicago and New York on Tuesday over the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, respectively, made it a four-way tie in the standings. The Fire dropped a talented LA side, 2-1, with forward Kellen Gulley scoring the winner. New York defeated RSL, 3-0, meaning that an RSL win over the Galaxy in Thursday's Group D finale coupled with a NY-CHI draw or a victory for either side by a margin less than RSL's will push the Claret-and-Cobalt through into Friday's Semifinal Round.
