U18s win but final place not guaranteed
Liverpool U18s will need to beat Maccabi Haifa on Friday if they are to qualify for this weekend's final of the Newark Liberty International Soccer Summit in America.
The Reds beat hosts St Benedict's Prep 3-1 on Wednesday night in New Jersey to go joint-top of Group B but with Maccabi having beaten Colombia's Fuddercol 7-0 earlier in the evening - a team Liverpool beat 2-0 on Tuesday - the Israeli side know that a draw will be good enough to progress to the final.
It's a similar story in Group A with QPR leading Inter Milan on goal difference at the top of the table with both sides due to meet on Friday evening to determine which team will go on to contest the final.
It took Liverpool just 12 minutes to open the scoring through winger Harry Wilson's low strike before captain Nathan Burke doubled his side's lead from the penalty spot - his second spot kick in as many days.
Sergi Canos - who earlier in the day travelled to Long Island to meet fellow Spaniard and Euro 2008 winner Marcos Senna at the New York Cosmos training ground - added a third for Liverpool late into the first half before Jose Manderos grabbed a consolation goal for St Benedict's with just over 10 minutes remaining.
For U18 coach Mike Garrity, it was exactly the response he had demanded of his players after a slightly lacklustre performance during the opening day win over Fuddercol.
"I thought we were very, very good in the first half," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "I thought we passed the ball extremely well - certainly a lot better than we did in the first game - and I thought we were rewarded for how well we played with three first-half goals. We were nice and patient with our build-up play, created good chances and obviously scored the three goals.
"It was cooler than Tuesday but I think in the last half-hour, a few of the boys were feeling the humidity but thankfully, the first half performance won us the game.
"The conditions will be very different on Friday as it's a 2.30pm kick-off but the players will have to deal with that. Maccabi Haifa look like a strong team so it will be tough but we'll go into the game hoping to win it. The opposition look very powerful and are clearly well organised but we'll prepare well and hopefully we can make it through to the final."
Follow @LFCUSA for live Twitter coverage of the game on Friday from 2.30pm (US time).