If the Portland Timbers were to pick an opponent to secure its first-ever win against in Development Academy play, Seattle couldn’t have been too far down the list.

And after sputtering through ups and downs during the first two opening weekends of the Academy schedule, Portland finally got its first win against the Sounders Academy, as the U16 team won 2-1 on Saturday.

Jesse Garcia-Aguilar was the hero for the Timbers, scoring both goals in the second half. Shane Gomez pulled one back for the home side, but the Sounders couldn’t overcome the deficit.

Chike Nwaezeapu

Seattle’s U18s needed a late equalizer from Ike Crook to avoid being beaten in both Academy games on the day, as the two teams drew 1-1. Christian Desir opened the scoring for Portland in that one.

East Conference

Even this early in the season, the Carolina clubs are getting the chance to clash with each other. Charlotte Soccer Academy’s U18s defeated North Carolina Fusion 1-0 thanks to a goal from Justen Shear. The two U16 sides drew 2-2 in their other game of the weekend.           

D.C. United’s U18s were powerless in trying to slow down PA Classics forward Joseph Julius, as the striker scored a hat trick to secure a 4-2 win on the road – Chike Nwaezeapu and Denis Najar snagged consolation goals in the game’s final ten minutes with the results out of reach. D.C.’s U16s grabbed some respect back for the MLS club, besting Classics 5-0.

Speaking of routs, McLean Youth Soccer U18s dismantled the struggling Richmond Strikers side in a 7-0 win. McLean had seven separate goal scorers find the back of the net, including Conor Nogueira, Joel Teston and Gregory Boehme. Strikers U16s proved their worth in the other matchup, however, besting McLean 2-0.

Central Conference

It’s been a strong start to the Dev. Academy season for Sporting KC’s Academy sides. Both the U16 and U18 teams moved their respective records to 3-0-0 on the season with a pair of wins over the weekend. The U18s beat Classics Elite 4-1 on Saturday, and then blanked Lonestar SC 3-0, while the U16s won 3-1 and 5-2 over the same opponents.

Chicago Fire’s U18s look primed and prepared to pick off where the U16 team left off last year. Jeff Farina and Marcus Epps – two key players to the U16s last season – enjoyed a ferocious start to the season over the weekend. Farina scored a hat trick and Epps had a brace in a 7-0 win over Internationals. The Fire followed that up with a 4-1 defeat of Crew Soccer Academy on Sunday, with Farina getting another three goals.

It’s still quite early in the season, though Houston Dynamo Academy looks primed to bounce back from a down year. The U18s came out strong against Andromeda, scoring two goals in the first 25 minutes to take an early 2-0 lead. And while Nathaniel Coons pulled one back for Andromeda not too shortly, Carlos Ibarra put the game out of reach in the 3-2 win. Houston’s U16s also got the win by a 2-1 score line.

Another team starting strong in the Academy is the Chicago Magic U18s. They’ve yet to concede a goal through three games this season, and the Magic rolled to a pair of wins, beating Crew Soccer Academy 2-0 and Internationals 4-0.

West Conference

An all-MLS clash out west saw Real Salt Lake-AZ’s U18s handily defeat the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1. Goals from Jose Hernandez, Riggs Lennon and Jose Navarro powered RSL to the win, while RSL’s U16s also won by a two-goal margin, 2-0, over the weekend.

Two goals a piece from Kevin de la Torre and Brian Torres led Pateadores U18s to a runaway 5-0 win against Nomads SC. Pats U16s also won big on the weekend, beating Nomads 5-1.

Another new Development Academy team currently learning how challenging the competition can be is San Juan Soccer club. The U18 team lost its second straight game of the season this past weekend, falling 4-0 against visiting Crossfire Premier. San Juan’s U16 team did manage a 0-0 draw against Crossfire.

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