CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — This is their last chance. With 2014 around the corner, this weekend’s id2 Program Training Camp for boys mostly born in 2000 and girls mostly born in 1999 is the last of the year for the selected players to impress. After a day of training on Thursday, Friday brought the camp’s first day of scrimmages at Grande Sports World. Only the boys teams played Friday, two matches with 30-minute halves. Both the boys and girls teams will play Saturday. And Sunday will feature two boys matches between rearranged teams. We will cover the action throughout the weekend. 

Team One 2, Team Three 1

Team One: Kenny Amaral, Luis Arriaga, Ethan Atterberry, Zico Bailey, Edward Berumen, Gabriel Barando, Marco Campos, Timothy Cleere, Adonis Diaz, Juan Estrada, Logan Haustein, Emmanuel Iwe, Jacob Muchnick, Conant Smith, David Wrona, Gabriel Green.

Starters: (4-4-2 formation): GK Green; LB Berumen, LCB Kenny Amaral, RCB David Wrona, RB Zico Bailey; LM Diaz LCM Campos, RCM Muchnick, RM Cleere; LF Arriaga, RF Estrada

Team Three: Noah Thomas, Alexander Castrilli, Philip Kendler, Emerson Krause, Elias Lara, Jordan LeBlanc, Kevin Li, Ivan Loncar, John Lynam, Joseph McGee, Ricky Mendez, Nathan Minter, Corrigan Neville, Theophile Ngangmeni, Benjamin Ofeimu, D. Marcelo Palomino, Jesus Ortiz, Tyler Ripey.

Starters (4-5-1): GK Thomas; LB Ripley, LCB Krause, RCB Ofeimu, RB Kendler; LM Palomino, LCM McGee, CDM Loncar, RCM Castrilli, RM Ortiz; CF Mendez

Team One dominated the first half at the first kick. The midfield partnership of Marco Campos and Jacob Muchnick with the help of Juan Estrada dropping to the midfield to find the ball helped Team One control possession. Zico Bailey was a terror down the right side, whether he was defending or attacking, to keep Team Three on its back foot. If it wasn’t for Noah Thomas’ impressive saves between the goalposts, Team One would have scored twice in the first 10 minutes. But Team One would score its first goal in the 12th minute when Campos’ shot from 25 yards beat Thomas near post.

Team Three had its moments — Alexander Castrilli’s shot in the 22nd minute pinged off the far post against the run of play and Ricky Mendez’s shot a minute later was saved — but there were few and were usually terminated in the final third by Kenny Amaral. Thomas would save two more shots, the best coming just before halftime when he saved an Estrada shot. One of the more fun battles to watch was Team One’s right midfielder Timothy Cleere vs. Team Three’s left back Tyler Ripley. Both are about 4-feet-10 with comparable speed and skill set in attack and defense. Cleere and Ripley traded wins throughout the half.  

Team One scored two minutes into the second half. When Bailey’s pinpoint cross found Adonis Diaz, who headed in the goal.Team Three started to find the ball more, but it again needed Thomas to keep the scoreline down. Thomas’ double-save in the 41st minute added to his highlight reel. Emerson Krause and Benjamin Ofeimu also played well in the second half despite Team One’s attacking forays.

That defensive fortitude paid off for Team Three, which cut the lead in half in the 57th minute when a cross from Jesus Ortiz, who was very impressive during previous training sessions, deflected right to Philip Kender, whose half-volley strike from 18 yards stung the back of the net. Team One could have scored just before the final whistle but a combination between Muchnick and Gabriel Brandao, which ended in a Ethan Attaberry shot was saved by Thomas.

Team Two 4, Team Four 0

Team Two: Kelee Cornfield, Sebastian Cruz, Jonathan Estrada, Colton Farley, Nick Fernandez, Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus, Diego Gonzalez, Luke Hansen, Miguel Ibarra, Diego Ibarra, Jalen James, Nico Lemoine, Christian Marion, Andrew Smith, Collin Turner, Jackson Weyman, Thomas Gallina.

Starters (4-2-3-1): GK Gallina; LB Fernandez, LCB Cornfield, RCB Farley, RB M. Ibarra; LDM D. Ibarra, RDM Foe Nuphaus; LAM James, CAM Gonzalez, RAM Lemoine; CF Estrada.

Team Four: Keshav Bhatnagar, Timothy Bielic, Scott Byrouty, Mark Fisher, Alex Mendez, David Ortiz, Isaiah Parente, Alan Piceno, Mario Rocha, David Saturno, Nicholas Schimbeno, Carsen Smith, Luke Stephen, Sammy Tojaga, Bishop Washington, Tristan Weber, Nick Randazzo.

Starters (4-2-3-1): GK Randazzo; LB Stephen, LCB Rocha, RCB Byrouty, RB Schimbeno; LDM Washington, RDM Tojaga; LAM Piceno, CAM Bielic, RAM Mendez; CF Weber.

Jonathan Estrada recorded a hat trick to lead Team Two on the scoreboard with all three of his goals coming after facing Nick Randazzo 1v1. Estrada’s first goal came in the 24th minute when he chased down a through ball and beat everyone to it, including a rushing Randazzo, to score with a toe poke. Estrada would score the last two goals of the match. In the 53rd minute, he finished a pass from second-half substitute Sebastian Cruz, who used a quick stepover to beat his defender before centering his assist from the end line. Estrada made it 4-0 on another Cruz assist two minutes later. Cruz picked up the ball from midfield on a counter attack and drew three defenders to him with a 15-yard dribbling run before sending in a perfectly-weighted through ball for Estrada to run onto. Estrada would score again with ease.

Despite the lopsided scoreline, the match was fairly even in possession. Team Four’s defensive midfield duo of Bishop Washington and Sammy Tojaga made sure of that, playing controlled, simple passes. Tristan Weber, who showed good individual skill on the ball, also dropped back often to help Team Four keep possession. Team Four’s best chance at a goal came in the 22nd minute but Alan Piceno’s shot was saved.

Team Two played some well-worked combinations to get off shots on goal. Kelee Cornfield wasn’t afraid to attack from his center back spot, combining with Jalen James up the field to get a shot off that was just wide. Three players that influenced much of the game were Team Two’s Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus, who showed off his dribbling skills at times; Diego Gonzalez, who is listed as a defender, showcased good vision from his central attacking midfield spot; and Nick Fernandez, whose smart defensive play kept Team Two out of trouble.

Team Four just couldn’t find the right ideas in the final third to bother Thomas Gallina, the lone 1999 boy in the camp, much . The team’s last best chance to score came in the 42nd minute on Weber’s shot that was just wide. 

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