Sebastien des Pres wasted little time making a statement for Blackpool. The teenager from California scored his first goal for the club on Saturday in the youth side’s 9-0 win over Bury. Des Pres scored the opener after four minutes and the Tangerines rolled to a comfortable win. 

Des Pres, who signed with the club on Jan. 9 and made his professional debut on Jan. 10 in a 1-1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers in the Checkatrade Trade. Blackpool lost 4-5 in penalties and exited out of the competition. 

The U.S. U19 MNT midfielder previously played for Real Salt Lake Academy. He was a member of Del Mar Carmel Valley (DMCV Sharks) before joining the MLS franchise’s residential academy in Arizona. He was committed to UC Santa Barbara in 2016, but he decided to explore his options in Europe rather than go the college route. Blackpool is in the English Football League Two, the fourth division. The club was relegated last season, and sits in 12th place in the table for this season. 

Weah on Point 

U.S. U17 Men’s National Team forward Timothy Weah scored twice for PSG U19 in a 2-1 win over Amiens SC on Sunday. Weah helped PSG extend the unbeaten run, which began on Oct. 23rd. Weah is fourth on the team in scoring with four goals this season. PSG is tied for first in the youth league with Le Havre A.C. Both teams have an identical 13-1-3 second through 17 games. 

Two for You

Kai Koreniuk scored twice for Jong Vitessee in a 5-1 win over Jong FC Twente. Koreniuk scored the first and fourth goals for the squad in the big win. Vitesse is ninth in the table with an 8-2-9 record on the campaign. 

The Yellow Submarine 

Mukwalle Akale scored the opening goal in Villarreal C’s 3-1 win over Silla CF on Saturday. Akale scored the game-winner last week for Villarreal C in a 2-1 win over CD Torreviejo. The teenager from Minnesota has played in 15 games this season for Villarreal C. He has logged 791 minutes and scored three goals with his best production coming in the last two games. 

Locked Up

U.S. U20 Men’s National Team defender Hugo Arellano signed a Homegrown contract with MLS franchise LA Galaxy on Friday. The Galaxy announced the deal during the MLS SuperDraft as a subtle hint that the Southern California team is going to build through the academy instead of handing prospects through the collegiate game. 

Arellano had interests from Mexican clubs before signing a USL contract with LA Galaxy II last year. Arellano spurned interest from Pumas to stay with his local team. The left-footed center back might be feeling some pressure immediately as LA Galaxy have cut salary in the offseason and looked toward a younger team to guide the way during the 2017 season. 

Arellano does not have the physicality or athleticism to succeed in the rough-and-tumble league so he needs to fall back on his intelligence. He needs to outwit the competition in order to break through with the Galaxy first team. The challenges he will receive from Gio Dos Santos in training will be a good crash course on how to improve as a defender against some of the best in the league. 

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