The U-15 United States youth national team became champions of the Vlatko Markovic tournament over the weekend after defeating Japan 1-0 in the final. The match was very closely contested. In the first half, the United States created several dangerous plays through Zidane Cadet and Darris Hyte, who had a lot of involvement both with and without the ball. As time passed, the Japanese team took control of the ball and created very good chances, but goalkeeper James Donaldson made excellent saves and was solid throughout the match.

In the second half, the game remained very close, with both teams playing intensely in the midfield. The United States made some substitutions, and in the 58th minute, Omar Hassan pressured the defenders and, after a brilliant individual move, finished smoothly against the left post, scoring the only goal of the game. In the final minutes, the United States remained vigilant in defense and managed to maintain the 1-0 scoreline, thus becoming champions of the Vlatko Markovic tournament.

The United States' journey in the tournament began on May 15 when they beat Croatia 2-0 with goals from Zidane Cadet and Manu Romero, who had previously returned to Real Madrid in a mutual agreement between the team and the United States federation. A day later, the United States team lost 4-3 to England, with an impressive individual performance by Omar Hassan, who scored two goals, and another goal from Will Ostrander. Last Friday, the United States competed for first place, and thanks to a 4-2 victory over Morocco with two goals from Paul Sokoloff, and goals from Lukas Bruegmann and Will Ostrander, they qualified for the final.

The young forward from Seattle Sounders, Omar Hassan, was chosen as the MVP of the tournament, being a key player for the United States in all four games played. Hassan played a crucial role in the final and demonstrated his great talent throughout the tournament. He finished with 3 goals, while Paul Sokoloff and Will Ostrander each scored 2 goals.

The 2009 generation of the United States managed to win their second youth tournament, following their victory in the UEFA Development Tournament last December, where the U15 team finished in first place ahead of Scotland, Italy, and Portugal.

MLS Next Pro Weekend Recap: Stefan Chirila Scores a Brace and Kelvin Luis Brito Debuts with Tacoma Defiance

Stefan Chirila continues his scoring streak, netting a brace in FC Cincinnati 2's 4-1 victory against New York Red Bulls II. Chirila scored Cincinnati's second goal in the 28th minute with a great free-kick goal. In the second half, in the 56th minute, Chirila received a pass inside the box and scored with an empty net. With these two goals, the forward born in 2007 now has 4 goals in 7 games.

This game featured the participation of Julian Hall and goalkeeper Aidan Stokes from the start. In the second half, youth prospects Davi Alexandre and forward Tanner Rosborough subbed in as well.

The weekend in MLS Next Pro also highlighted the debut of Kelvin Luis Brito, an offensive midfielder from the Seattle Sounders academy, who logged his first minutes as a professional for Tacoma Defiance in the game against Minnesota United 2. Brito came on in the 65th minute and showed very good qualities in his limited time on the field. This game also marked the debut of central defender Shaun Brun and the entry in the second half of center back Gallatin Sandnes, born in 2008.

Midfielder Snyder Brunell, born in 2007, started the game for Tacoma Defiance, while Minnesota United 2's Alisa Randell also started.

Forward Charlie Rosenthal made his first start in the game between The Town FC and LAFC 2. This match featured the participation of Matias Wanchope from the start for the Los Angeles team.

Harbor Miller and Ruben Ramos started for Ventura County FC, while national team forward Aiden Hezarkhani started for Real Monarchs.

MLS Next: Philadelphia Union U17 Clinched the Ticket for The Playoffs & Weekend Results

The Philadelphia Union U17 team secured a playoff spot after defeating Charlotte FC. Henry Bernstein opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a brilliant free kick. In the second half, Jamir Johnson scored the second goal after finishing off a great cross. The third goal came from Henry Bernstein again, who scored in the 88th minute to achieve the final score of 3-0 for Philadelphia Union.

Philadelphia Union U-15’s tied 1-1 against Charlotte FC. The center forward born in 2010 Olatimoni Gbalajobi scored in the 31st minute, and at the end of the match, in the 80th minute, Wyatt Holt equalized the score.

The weekend also featured Atlanta United's 2-1 victory over Orlando City U17. Theo Franca scored in the 18th minute for Orlando City, but Atlanta United recovered at the end of the game and, with goals from Mason Peacock in the 86th minute and Landon Zuñiga in the 90th minute, secured the win. For its part, Orlando City managed to beat Atlanta United U15 3-1. Matthew Belgodere scored in the 24th minute, in the second half David Sibrian equalized the score at 1-1, and a brace from Jakob Garcia gave Orlando City a 3-1 victory.

New York Red Bulls achieved a resounding 5-1 victory over New England Revolution U15. Ryan Choi scored a brace, Josh Munson, Tim McFarland, and David Rutkowski scored for the Red Bulls, while Aarin Prajapati scored the only goal for New England Revolution.

In turn, the Red Bulls U17 managed to beat New England Revolution 4-0. Ryan Scuro scored a hat-trick while the remaining goal was scored by Timothy Logan.