The Academy U-18s took home third place at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Championships Sunday afternoon defeating the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in Carson, Calif. The young Sounders advanced to the semifinals by defeating their in-state rivals, Crossfire Premier, 3-2 in the quarterfinals before falling to the LA Galaxy U-18s 3-2 in extra-time on Friday night.
The third place victory earned the U-18s the highest-ever finish in club history. The Development Academy Championships also saw the U-16s advance to the quarterfinals signifying a bright future for the Sounders FC Academy. This was the first time in program history that both the U-16s and U-18s won their respective groups and advanced to the USSDA quarterfinals.
Both squads will enjoy some time off before preseason begins again in August. However, since a number of starters on the U-16s are eligible to play for the U-14s, they will begin training for the Youdan Trophy, which the Sounders won last summer, beginning next week.
