CARSON, California - The U.S. U14 Boys National Team wrapped up their first and only camp of 2016 on Saturday from the National Training Center in Southern California. The camp ended with three scrimmages against local Development Academy teams.
TopDrawerSoccer was on hand for the games on Saturday. Below is a recap of the first game against Strikers.
Strikers came away with a 3-2 win in the opening clash of the evening. The local Development Academy side, consistently of players born in 2002, played some of the best soccer out of any of the teams on Saturday. The quick passing between the midfielders really set Strikers apart from the crowd. Sean Ganey’s group moved the ball well and showed some ingenuity in breaking down the opposition with the ball.
Strikers also had a massive advantage on the wings as Reese Reda was pretty successful down the right channel through the first half. The U.S. defenders, a squad of players born in 2003, were way too eager to dive in and struggled to deal with Reda’s pace and size.
When the U.S. had the ball, the National Team fell victim to over dribbling and ended up losing possession often in the middle third after taking too long to make a decision on the ball.
Despite the struggles, the U.S. had the early lead thanks to Andre Saucedo-Avila (Portland Timbers) in the opening five minutes. Strikers responded with a goal of their own in the first half, but the U.S. carried the lead into the break thanks to Andres Cardenas (Weston FC), who was fouled in the box and converted the penalty kick. Strikers scored twice in the late stages of the game to claim the win from the game.
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Standouts from the U.S. U14 BNT Scrimmage
