Dev. Academy Recap: Chivas on top
Heading into this past weekend of Academy action, most of the attention was always going to swirl around the matchup of Chivas USA and LA Galaxy.
With rumors about the former’s future swirling across media outlets in Mexico and the United States, Chivas USA put in another strong performance to come away with the full points against its more storied rival.
Caleb Calvert’s strong season continued, and his 57th minute strike for the Goats turned into the eventual game-winning goal for the U18s in a 2-1 victory. Jaime Villarreal provided the consolation tally for LA in the 80th minute.
Despite a bright start for the Galaxy in the U16 match – Haji Wright scoring two first half goals – Chivas scored three of its own in the first half to come away 4-2 winners. Adonis Amaya rounded out the day with a 79th minute strike.
For all the scores from over the weekend in the Development Academy, check here.
East Conference
Matchups between a pair of storied clubs from New Jersey always provide entertainment, and a fixture between PDA and NJSA 04 produced two close encounters. A pair of second half goals was enough for the U18s to grab the win for PDA, while Brian White’s brace in the final 20 minutes of the game made it a clean sweep on the day, as the U16s grabbed a 2-1 victory.
Baltimore Bays Chelsea put in a couple of impressive performances against McLean Youth Soccer. Yaw Amankwa scored twice for the U18s in a 3-2 win against the Virginia side, while the U16s secured a comfortable 3-0 win as well.
Just a bit farther west, two programs from Pennsylvania also went toe-to-toe. FC Delco and PA Classics battled to a 1-1 draw between the U18s, while Armin Efendic’s 63rd minute goal snatched a 1-0 win for FC Delco U16s.
West Conference
It was certainly a difficult weekend for San Jose Earthquakes Academy. Needing wins to keep in contention, the Quakes hopped on a plane for a jaunt up to the Pacific Northwest. The weekend opened up with a 3-1 defeat for the U18s, at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps. The British Columbia side couldn’t make it two wins on the day, as the Quakes responded with two goals in two minutes to get a 3-2 win between the U16 sides. A trip to the Seattle area went a bit better for San Jose, winning 7-1 (U18s) and 3-1 (U16s) against Crossfire Premier.
Prior to the weekend, RSL-AZ U18s trailed the LA Galaxy in the standings, needing a win to keep within striking distance. They get what they needed during a visit of Pateadores to Casa Grande, putting in a solid performance to come away with a 4-1 win. RSL U16s also got the full points, a 4-0 victory against the California-based opposition.
Central Conference
A strong performance from Indiana Fire Academy U18s drew them closer and closer to a first place finish in the Mid-America Division. Tied in first with Shattuck-Saint Mary’s, Indiana won 4-0 over Crew Soccer Academy Wolves, and will look to put in a competitive run towards the top spot with two more games left in the season.
It’s another two division titles for FC Dallas. The U18s tied 1-1 with Real Colorado thanks to a 71st minute Fernando Laverde equalizer, and with a 6-3 win on Sunday, officially locked up the Frontier Division. FCD U16s also solidified its first place standing in the division, coming away with a pair of 3-0 wins against Real Colorado and the Rush. Coy Craft scored twice in Sunday’s win over the Rush.
Solar Chelsea, looking to keep pressure on FCD, could only secure a pair of draws in its U18s matches to come up short, tying the Colorado Rush and Real Colorado by identical 1-1 scorelines.
Complete list of scores: U18 Academy | U16 Academy
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