The first signs of the fall season fell upon the U.S. U18 National team camp roster as they played their first outside scrimmage of their camp gathering Thursday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

In an opening match against Arsenal FC that ended in a 1-1 tie, the U.S. team came out anxious and active. The squad was clearly motivated to produce goals as their energy level and communication elevated with every possession.

Samuel Adjei, of the New York Red Bulls, was one of the engines that drove the attack. Adjei is an athletic specimen whose speed seems to pick up when he has the ball at his feet. He has lateral quickness and a herky-jerky aspect that makes him a difficult mark.

Adjei was teamed up top with Ryan Zinkhan, of the Richmond Strikers, who has a nose for the goal.

Attacking midfielder Jimmy Petruccelli was also a positive influence with his decision-making and accurate passing. Petruccelli worked the left wing and served up some perfect crosses, one that met Zinkhan at the apex of his leaping header that sailed over the net.

Not to be overlooked were midfielders Daniel Metzger and Bryan Gallego, who kept the team in control of most first-half possessions. Metzger won balls in the midfield while Gallego was the steady captain, providing a good presence for the entire squad.   

Left back Victor Vasquez was another notable, who helped build from the back. Goalkeeper Adam Zepeda was active when challenged and came off his line well. He collided with Arsenal players while snaring a service in the box, needed a few minutes to gather himself before he recovered.

The second half was a decidedly different game. The Arsenal team, featuring players like Keegan Smith, really showed their ball skills and controlled a lot of the play.

Second-half insertions for the U.S. included Steve Palacios, Victor Pineda, Zach Batteer, Isaiah Trejo, Steeven Saba, Sekani Sinclair up top and Max Kurtzman in goal.

After a half of pressing forward the Arsenal threaded a ball through the U.S. backline and beat Kurtzman with a bottom shelf strike.

The American unit lacked the dynamics of the opening team and couldn’t take control. Gallego was at his best with the second-half unit however, and really showed leadership when things weren’t playing out as well as they had earlier.

Saba, who plays in the midfield, is a very interesting player to watch and not just for his big hair. You can see his potential to make big plays but on this night he was a plus-minus, making good and bad decisions all at once.

The U.S. team took a 2-0 win in a second scrimmage against Chivas USA, getting a goal from Bryce Follensbee in the second half. Follensbee was inserted along with back Ricardo Hernandez, who had a strong game. He joined Aaron Simmons, Eric Weberman and keeper Kurtzman in the line of defense for the second half.

The starters included Sean Okoli, Will Trapp, Marcus Lacroix, Scott Thomsen, Kevin Pahl, Miguel Lopez, David Caban, George Fradenburg, Nat Eggleston, Kevin Alvarenga and Jonathan Kempin.

The U.S. team will play a set of morning scrimmages Sunday against the U18s of LAFC and the L.A. Galaxy.