On Wednesday the U-16 Division saw four teams book their tickets to the Semifinals of Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy.
U-16 | Philadelphia Union 3, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1
With their semifinal spot already secured earlier in the day, Philadelphia Union’s U-16s closed out the group stage with a composed 3-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The German side started aggressively despite needing only a draw to advance. In the ninth minute, Union captain Landon Mulvena delivered a crucial sliding tackle inside the box to deny a breakaway chance and preserve the early stalemate. A physical first half followed, with hard challenges disrupting rhythm and limiting clear opportunities for both sides.
Philadelphia seized control after halftime. Timoni Gbalajobi nearly opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a solo run, and Jayden Kouadio rattled the post moments later as the pressure mounted.
The breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Kouadio finished first-time off a cross from Chris Thompson to give the Union the lead. Philly struck again almost immediately, forcing a turnover off the restart before Samuel Gallego set up Gbalajobi for a low finish to double the advantage.
Relentless defensive pressure produced a third in the 52nd minute, as Enoch Koleth forced another turnover that led to a one-time finish from substitute William Mihelic.
Borussia Mönchengladbach converted a late penalty through Aldrin Asani in the 59th minute, but the Union comfortably saw out the result to finish the group stage on a high note.
U-18 | Philadelphia Union 6, Alberg NextGen 0
Philadelphia Union U-18s remain perfect in Snow Bowl 2026, routing Alberg NextGen by a X-X scoreline.
The first half was defined by a breakout performance from Tyler Gladstone, who recorded three assists — including two to forward Chuka Ebo. The duo connected just 68 seconds into the match, as Gladstone drove to the end line on the left flank and cut the ball back for Ebo to finish.
Philly doubled its advantage in the seventh minute when Jason Hunt won a 50/50 ball and pushed it wide to Tyler Capretto, who cut through the defense and finished at the far post.
Gladstone continued to orchestrate the attack, beating a pair of defenders before delivering a centering pass that Tiger Graham converted. The dominant half continued in the 19th minute when Ebo netted his second of the afternoon, volleying home another setup from Gladstone.
Philly continued to control the match as they sought to earn their first shutout of the tournament. Ronan Sullivan added to the Union's impressive scoring display in the second half, bagging a brace. Sullivan notched his first goal of the afternoon in the 37th minute, heading home a corner kick from Erik Guzman. Sullivan extended the lead in the 44th minute, converting from the penalty spot after getting taken down by a defender moments earlier.
U-16 | S.L. Benfica 2, Chicago Fire FC 0
S.L. Benfica booked their ticket to the semifinals in Wednesday’s opening match, defeating Chicago Fire FC 2-0.
The two sides battled through a scoreless first half, with neither able to generate more than a half-chance in the opening 30 minutes.
Benfica broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when Gonçalo Fernandes picked out Raimo Djalo on a free kick, and Djalo powered home a header to give the Portuguese side the lead.
Benfica nearly doubled their advantage moments later but were denied by an incredible defensive sequence from center back Edgar Campos. As Benfica launched a counterattack, Chicago’s goalkeeper came off his line to close down the shooting angle. When the shot slipped through, Campos cleared it off the line before making back-to-back blocks inside the six-yard box to keep it a one-goal game.
As the Fire pushed numbers forward, they nearly found an equalizer, only to see their effort crash off the crossbar and stay out. Minutes later, Benfica put the match away with a 59th-minute finish from Bernardo Rodrigues, who backed down his defender before spinning and firing past the keeper.
U-16 | Lyngby Boldklub 2, PSV Eindhoven 2
Lyngby Boldklub needed only a draw to advance to the knockout round — and secured it in dramatic fashion with a 2-2 result against PSV Eindhoven.
Space was tight in the first half, with the two teams combining for just one shot on target apiece. PSV’s lone shot came in stoppage time before the break and found the net via a deflection. Capitalizing on a perfectly timed high press off a Lyngby goal kick, PSV forced a turnover just outside the 18-yard box. The ball fell to David Zirarusha Shyaka on the left, whose shot clipped a defender and slipped past the keeper.
After generating just one real threat before halftime, Lyngby emerged from the break with renewed urgency. The pressure paid off 10 minutes into the second half (40’) when Amgai controlled a centering pass at the top of the box and drove a low strike through traffic to equalize. PSV barely had time to regroup. Just 70 seconds later, De Kongeblå struck again. Center back Jacob Adebeci Kock found space behind PSV’s back line and redirected a volley into the path of Arthur Lillesø Bech, who finished quickly to give Lyngby the lead.
It appeared Lyngby would see out the final 20 minutes, but the match had one final twist. With three minutes left in regulation, Shyaka sparked the equalizer with a darting run into the left side of the box. His left-footed effort was punched away by the goalkeeper, but Adin Camo reacted quickest, charging in from midfield and firing home from the top of the box to level the match at 2-2.
Despite surrendering the late goal, the draw was enough to send De Kongeblå into the knockout round.
U-18 | Lyngby Boldklub 2, S.L. Benfica 0
Lyngby Boldklub became the first U-18 side to secure its place in the Snow Bowl Final, improving to 2-0 in the tournament with a 2-0 victory over S.L. Benfica.
Lyngby nearly struck early, but Benfica goalkeeper Leonardo Lopes produced a point-blank save in the ninth minute to deny an unmarked Oscar Wind from the edge of the six-yard box. Benfica grew into the match as the half progressed, pinning the Danish side in its own half for the final 10 minutes before the break, but neither team was able to find the opener.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute after Lyngby earned a free kick just outside the penalty area. William Brink stepped up and curled a strike around the wall and into the back of the net to give the Danish side a 1-0 lead.
Lyngby doubled its advantage four minutes later. Jonathan Adebeci received a pass in stride, dribbled past two defenders, and finished confidently to extend the lead to 2-0.
Noah Krucov nearly added a third in the 44th minute, but Lopes came up with another strong save to keep the deficit at two.
Group Stage Concludes Thursday
Snow Bowl 2026 presented by The SWAG and YSC Academy returns Thursday with the final group stage matches in the U-15 and U-18 divisions.
Borussia Dortmund has already secured a spot in the U-15 knockout round, but the remaining five squads are still mathematically alive — setting the stage for a dramatic final day where every goal could shift the standings. With semifinal berths hanging in the balance, expect intensity from the opening whistle.
Action begins at 9 a.m. on the indoor IBX Field turf, with all matches available via livestream here.
