This past Saturday, the Seattle Sounders made history as the first-ever Major League Soccer academy to win the Champions Division at the Generation adidas Cup, a U-17 international tournament held annually in Dallas, Texas.
Along the way, the Sounders downed Flamengo (Brazil), Montreal Impact (Canada), River Plate (Argentina), West Ham (England) and, ultimately, Valencia (Spain) in the championship match. The run, in many ways, validated Seattle’s commitment to youth development, as highlighted by several key players for their USL Championship side, Tacoma Defiance, featuring prominently.
But front and center was also a local, as goalkeeper Conrad Lee backstopped the MLS side from start to finish. Lee, who spent many of his formative soccer years in New Hampshire, was just as critical, pitching several shutouts.
