PHOENIX, Arizona - It took exactly one game at the Development Academy Winter Showcase on Friday for the following declaration to be clear:

The U18 Derby County Wolves are the favorites to win the Academy championship.

We know, we know - it’s a long season.

We know, we know - there are 76 other academy clubs who may have something to say about that.

We know, we know - Derby County has played just one game of what will be a long season.

We don’t care.

Based on what we saw, and already knew coming in, the Derby County U18s are the best the academy has to offer; plus, they have a motive, but we’ll get to that later. Let’s start with the 3-0 lesson they gave to the California Development Academy on Day 1.  

Soony Saad, A.K.A., “all he does is score goals,” showed the impact he’ll have on his new teammates right away. Saad, who played with Vardar and was in residency with the U.S. U17 National team before rejoining the club where he spent his early teens, scored twice. Both goals were beauties, of the 25-30 yard blast variety.

Saad’s first goal came from the right wing, and was a laser that bent upper left and deflected off the fingertips of Cal Development goalkeeper Tyler Kinn. Saad netted a similar long range shot in the second that Kinn never had a chance on.

“I love shooting the ball from anywhere,” said Saad, clearly one of the best finishers in the country. “Every time I strike the ball it’s a clean feel through my foot, and it’s just a great feeling for the ball to go into the net. The key is just to keep your head down and make sure you keep your eye on the ball and follow through.”

Even without the services of one of their most dangerous attackers, Josh Gatt, Derby County showed that they’re on another level with players like Joshua Barens, Adam Grinwis, Jordan Tyler and Eric Weberman.

The squad is big, quick, physical, strong with their possession, and doesn’t appear to make a lot of mistakes.

Tyler, an athletically-gifted midfielder with great size, hooked up with Reed Losee for the team’s other goal. Jordan dropped off a perfect pass in the middle of the field where Losee took it and patiently converted.

“I just started my run really wide, got the ball and took one touch toward the middle. I saw Reed coming and he put it in the net,” Tyler explained. “We sort of felt like we have the target on our backs from winning the nationals (as U15/U16s) last year so we have to tough it out and just play as a team.”

One other side note to remember is that in addition to talent Derby County has clear motivation for this year. After being heavily favored to win it as U17/U18s a year ago, they shockingly didn’t make the National Finals. This time, they’ll be hungry to get back.

“We started practicing a month ago but we played exceptionally well for our first game,” Saad said. "I only see us getting better.”

NIKE FRIENDLIES

The U.S. U17 Men’s National team fell in a disappointing 2-1 loss to Portugal on Friday.

The game was marked by a poor defensive effort from the U.S. side, which seemed to have trouble staying organized whenever Portugal attacked. The U.S. allowed two early goals in the first half before Irvin Gijon got the Americans on the board with a penalty kick in the 37th minute.

In the other international match, Brazil beat Netherlands 2-0.

We’ll have full coverage of the U.S. team’s prime time match against Brazil on Saturday.

TOP PLAYERS

Here are some of Friday’s best, observed on Day 1 (in no particular order):

Yaw Amankwa, U15/16 D.C. United: A well-built striker, he was easily the most physically dominant player on the field during his team’s match against Real So Cal. Amankwa is surprisingly shifty for his size and when he puts his head down and breaks into full stride he can run with the best of them.

Jalen Robinson, U15/16 D.C. United: A teammate of Amankwa, Robinson is a very athletic center back who stood out because of his communication and his ability to hold attackers.

Benjamin Burdon, U15/16 Charlotte Soccer Academy: A speedster up front, he was more than willing to fight for possession and stick his body in the action against Colorado Rapids.

Zachary Pfeffer, U15/16 FC DELCO: Technically gifted, with great speed and quickness Pfeffer showed why he has a great future ahead of him. Showed his poise in the box on a great run that resulted in a picture perfect goal for Pfeffer.

Mike Gonzalez, U15/16 FC DELCO: A nice complement to teammate Pfeffer, Gonzalez was great at controlling possessions in the middle of the field and getting rid of the ball.

Tyler Happ, U15/16 Concorde Fire: He showed that he’s an opportunist by producing the game-winning goal in his team’s 2-1 victory over FC DELCO.

Nicholas Prys, U17/18 Derby County Wolves: A lot of guys could be named from this team, and certainly Saad, Tyler and Losee were three of the bigger standouts, but Prys was a hidden gem. Playing at right back, he was efficient moving forward and super solid with possessions.

Fabian Machado, U17/18 Nomads SC: A rare combination of size and technical skill. Machado is built like a striker but advances east to west like the midfielder he is.

Tyrone Martin, U17/18 Indiana United Academy: A valuable commodity for a national championship team, Martin again showed that he’s a game changer on the backline. He’s a great battler who knows how to use his speed and athletic frame.

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY RESULTS

U17/U18 Crew Soccer Academy 6, Atlanta Fire United 1 Vardar 4, Crossfire Premier 0 Indiana United Academy 2, FC Westchester 1 De Anza Force 3, North Meck SC 1 BW Gottschee NYC 2, Real Colorado 1 Greensboro Youth Soccer 2, Nomads SC 1 Derby County Wolves 3, California Development Academy 0 Colorado Rapids 2, Charlotte Soccer Academy 1 Seacoast United 0, Kansas City Wizards 0 San Diego Surf 1, Albertson SC 0 Baltimore Bays Chelsea 4, FC Milwaukee 1 Real So Cal 2, D.C. United 1 Chicago Fire 6, Pateadores 0 Internationals 1, Birmingham United 1 FC Delco 2, Concorde Fire 1 South Central Premier 2, Richmond Kickers 1 Cal Odyssey 1, Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 0 Oakwood SC 4, Chicago Magic 1 Colorado Rush AJ Auxerre 2, AFC Lightning 0

U15/U16 Crew Soccer Academy 4, Atlanta Fire United 0 Vardar 0, Crossfire Premier 0 Indiana United Academy 2, FC Westchester 2 De Anza Force 3, North Meck SC 0 Real Colorado 2, BW Gottschee NYC 1 Nomads SC 1, Greensboro Youth Soccer 0, California Development Academy 1, Derby County Wolves 0 Colorado Rapids 0, Charlotte Soccer Academy 0 Kansas City Wizards 1, Seacoast United 0 San Diego Surf 1, Albertson SC 1 Baltimore Bays Chelsea 1, FC Milwaukee 0 D.C. United 3, Real So Cal 2 Chicago Fire 2, Pateadores 2 Internationals 0, Birmingham United 0 Concorde Fire 2, FC Delco 1 South Central Premier 1, Richmond Kickers 1 Cal Odyssey 1, Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 0 Oakwood SC 0, Chicago Magic 0 Colorado Rush AJ Auxerre 2, AFC Lightning 0