Academy recap: SKC wins, FCD struggles
Central Conference:
Make no mistake about it, Sporting KC U18s are on a roll.
The MLS club academy won its sixth straight game in a row to open the season, defeating Texans SC Houston on Friday 2-0. Austin Wilcox and Eduardo Moreno tallied on the day. A point was shared by the U16s in the corresponding game, as the two sides drew 2-2.
Another MLS academy off to a good start in the early days of the DA schedule is the Chicago Fire. And FC Milwaukee felt the full force of the Fire’s offensive threat, on the losing end of a 7-1 result. John Moderwell had a hat trick on the day, while Marcus Epps and Jeff Farina also joined in on the scoring.
Keegan McHugh’s goal in the first minute ensured a perfect start for St. Louis Scott Gallagher’s U18s against Crew Soccer Academy, and SLSG finished strong to win 3-0 on the day. Nick Jones also found the back of the net in the win. The U16s drew 2-2, although it was still a positive road trip for the Missouri club.
For the first time this season, FC Dallas U18s lost a game. And in the process, they blew a 2-0 lead, en route to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Rush. Kellyn Acosta and Bobby Edet got the game off to a great start, each scoring in the game’s first 15 minutes. But the Rush scored three goals after the halftime break, Brian Nsang scoring twice, including the game winner in the 90th minute to deny FCD even a point. FC Dallas’ U16s salvaged the trip for the club, winning the other game 2-1.
FCD’s U18s also lost 2-1 against Real Colorado, while the U16s won 4-1 on the busy road trip up to Colorado.
West Conference:
Making a return from a separated shoulder suffered while on a trip to Europe with the U.S. U18 national team, Ben Spencer scored for Chivas USA’s U18s as they drew 1-1 against Real So Cal. Chivas’ loaded U16 team had little trouble winning the corresponding fixture, cruising to a 3-0 win.
A club that is on the rise nationally, De Anza Force enjoyed a strong weekend, picking up two wins against San Juan Soccer club. Rajaee DeLane, Skyler Felt and Jason Romero provided the offense for the Force’s U18s in a narrow 3-2 win, while the U16 game was much closer, only a 1-0 win to De Anza.
Paul Salcedo and Christian Thierjung powered Strikers FC U18s to a 2-0 win over Arsenal FC. The two U16 sides split the points, a 2-2 draw.
East Conference:
In a battle of Philadelphia Union youth affiliates, PA Classics and FC Delco each emerged with one win apiece. PA Classics U18s picked up the first win on the day, a 2-1 victory, thanks to goals from Andrew Skundrich and Joey Julius. George Tsirukis scored in injury time to provide for a nervy ending, though Delco couldn’t score again. Delco’s U16s reversed the trend on the day, scoring twice and keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
PDA held on to win a pair of close games over the weekend, defeating McLean Youth Soccer 2-1 and 2-0. Alec Neumann (brother of Georgetown’s Steve) scored the game winning goal in the 85th minute for PDA’s U18s.
Squaring off for the first time this fall, Orlando City Youth Soccer and Weston FC split a pair of games. Weston’s U18s had a relatively easy time of the first matchup, winning by a 4-0 score, while Orlando’s U16s picked up the slack to win 2-0.
The New England Revolution Academy had little trouble dealing with Met Oval, as the U18s won 3-1, while the U16s romped to a 6-0 win. D.C. United enjoyed similar success against Potomac, with a 5-0 win for the U18s and a 4-1 win for the U16s.
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