SARASOTA, Florida – A little rain, a lot of sunshine and more than enough entertainment. The US Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase at the Sarasota Polo Club treated those attending to some great soccer.
From game-winning goals, to national team play, it was a good week. How good?

Here are the cliff notes:

Henry Rios

BEST U16 TEAMS

Albertson: Midfielder Juan Dominguez recorded three goals to pace the offense while Tal Grinbaum had a shutout for the team sitting atop first place in the Northeast Division.

Arsenal FC: Leading the SoCal Division, the Arsenal played its way to a 3-0 mark Henry Rios and Ruben Valencia were strong for the Southern California group.

Colorado Rush AS Monaco: Despite currently sitting in last place in the Frontier Division, Colorado was unbeatable in a strong defensive performance and got timely goals from Logan Bailey.

BEST U18 TEAMS

Derby County Wolves: This should come as no surprise, but the Wolves continued to burnish their strong reputation. With studs like Shane Lyons and Brian Klemczak, Michigan was focused for every match and it showed.

Irvine Strikers: Played consistently in a 3-0 stretch that featured strong performances from Kovi Konowiecki and Alec Sundly.

Brian Kelemczak

PDA: Performed well despite playing without key guys and playing through injury. PDA squeaked through three competitive matches on the strength of performances by Dylan Renna, Jonathan Aguirre and Scott Keogh.

BEST GOAL OF THE WEEK

Christian Velez, Academy Select team: Playing against the U17 National Team on Saturday, he took a ball that bounced a foot above his head, leaped and volleyed a rocket in the net from 20 yards out. It initially stunned the crowd, which caught drift and erupted in cheers.
 
PEOPLE’S CHAMPION

Riley Wolfe, U18 LA Galaxy: He’s the kind of guy you root for – unless you’re playing against him, in which case he’s the kind of guy you despise. Wolfe isn’t much taller than 5-foot-3, but his speed makes him a nightmare for teams to deal with. The crowd always gets a kick out of watching Wolfe on a run out, his defenders left in his dust.