Academy recap: Close encounters
East Conference:
Only one goal separated FC Delco and D.C. United U18s over the weekend, as a George Tsirukis goal in the 76th minute won the game for Delco on the day. Nothing made up the difference between the two U16s side, as they shared the points in a 2-2 draw.
CASL Chelsea split a pair of games against their rivals to the south, as the U18s fell 1-0 against South Carolina United Battery, but CASL’s U16s cruised to a 3-0 win. Caleb Duvernay, William Gauger and William Ramirez accounted for all the goals for CASL’s U16s. CASL also welcome Orlando City Youth Soccer to town, grabbing three points in both of those games. Evan De Ycaza scored the winning goal for the 18s in a 1-0 win, while the U16s eased to a 4-0 victory.
Montreal Impact’s U18s dug themselves a nice hole against FC Bolts Celtic, going down 2-0 early in the second half after Alex Ainscough doubled their lead. The Impact fought back to grab a point, scoring an own goal in the 67th minute before Michael Bilak tied the game 2-2. FC Bolts U16s secure all three points in the other game, a 2-0 win.
The Impact was also in action against an MLS Academy counterpart, squaring off with the New England Revolution on Sunday. There weren’t many goals to be had from either side, as New England’s U18s won 1-0, while the U16s drew 0-0.
The lopsided result of the weekend went to New York Red Bulls U16s, handily beating South Central Premier 9-0. Alexander Tejera scored a hat trick, one of six goal scorers on the day. The U18s could only muster a 1-1 draw, denying New York the chance for a banner afternoon.
Central Conference:
It was quite the weekend for Crew Soccer Academy, jumping on an extremely long bus ride to Minnesota for a series of games against the pair of Minnesota-based Academy sides.
It was a bright start to the weekend for the Crew’s U18s, winning 3-1 over the Minnesota Thunder Academy. Shattuck St. Mary’s denied the Crew U18s two straight wins, winning 3-0 on the Sunday. Meanwhile, the U16s also split the two games – winning 3-2 against the Thunder, before losing 4-3 against Shattuck.
Speaking of life on the road, FC Dallas hopped on a plane to Colorado to face a pair of tough games against the Rapids. FCD dominated their MLS counterparts, with the U18s winning 2-0, and the U16s by a 2-1 score. Santiago Agudelo continues to score goals in bunches for FCD’s U16s, grabbing the game winner in the first half.
A trip to Dallas didn’t go the way Sporting KC might have mapped it out. Facing two difficult games against a tough Solar Chelsea side, KC’s U18s and U16s lost 4-0 and 2-0 respectively. Samuel Hayward and Jesse Toledo each scored twice for Solar’s U18 team in its impressive win.
West Conference:
Forward Ben Spencer scored a brace for Chivas USA’s U18s, leading his side to a 2-1 win against Arsenal FC. The U16s were also successful, picking up a 4-0 win.
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