Sometimes, the true measure of a team is how it comes back from initial disappointment.
And for the Red Bulls Youth Academy Teams, after a tough Day 1 of competition at the annual Dallas Cup presented by American Airlines, they fought back the next day, winning two of their three games Tuesday and giving themselves a chance to advance to the next round.
In the U-19 division, the Red Bulls U-18s pulled out a 2-1 win over FCU Barcelona behind goals by Matt Kassel and John Tardy. Meanwhile, in the U-16 group, the Red Bulls also grinded out a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Junior Lynx.
"The 18s came out today a lot sharper, a lot better and really took the game to the opponent," said U-18 head coach Paul O'Donnell. "They bounced back well."
The results in Day 2 were a stark contrast to those in Day 1, in which each of the three Red Bulls squads lost their opening matches.
"[Monday] was disappointing," said U-16 head coach Stan Lembryk. "I felt we didn't come out aggressively. I thought we were very passive, whether it was nerves or not."
It was a different story, however, for Lembryk's squad against the Lynx. After losing their opening match 2-0 to NASA 09 Elite, the Red Bulls got going quickly after a 40-yard cross-field ball from Akil Howard found an on-rushing Zach Gomez, who beat the offside trap and put his team up, 1-0 just three minutes in. Howard later became the hero when he one-timed a cross in the 75th minute from the top of the box into the back of the net.
"The early goal really set the tone for the rest of the game and I think it's a great day for the team because they decided that yesterday was gone and today we were going to play," Lembryk said.
For the U-18s, an early goal also gave them extra momentum as Kassel scored the game's opener in the fourth minute before Tardy wrapped it up 15 minutes from time. Their victory comes a day after they lost 2-0 to FC Dallas.
The U-16s and U-18s must win their final group matches Wednesday to earn a spot in the next round. The U-16s will face off against the No. 1-ranked squad in the country, Real SoCal, who won their first two games. Meanwhile, the U-18s take on group leader Knowsley Youth.
"I think they're the strongest team in the group," O'Donnell said. "We really have to come out strong and see what happens in the other games."
"The most important thing is to start out with confidence and enjoy being the team that comes in to play as underdogs," Lembryk said. "We need to play with confidence, take our chances and defend as a team."
The U-15s have run into one of the most difficult groups in the competition in Bracket C and dropped decisions to Universidad de Monterrey (3-1) and Valley United SC (5-0).
For updates on the competition, please visit www.dallascup.com.
Scores from Dallas Cup presented by American Airlines:
U-18s
Red Bulls 0, FC Dallas 2
Red Bulls 2, SCU Barcelona 1
Red Bulls vs. Knowsley Youth at 12 p.m. CT
U-16s
Red Bulls 0, NASA 09 Elite 2
Red Bulls 2, Toronto Junior Lynx 1
Red Bulls vs. Real SoCal at 4 p.m. CT
U-15s
Red Bulls 1, Universidad de Monterrey 3
Red Bulls 0, Valley United SC 5
Red Bulls vs. Solar SC at 6 p.m. CT
