All three Seattle Sounders Academy squads returned to USSDA league action after a few weeks off. Fresh off a division-winning run at the Generation adidas Cup, the U-17s maintained their massive lead atop the Western Conference with a hard-fought draw. The U-15s strung together a couple of solid performances at home, resulting in a pair of convincing wins. Though the U-19s fell to RSL on the road, their positive first-half display against a difficult opponent was encouraging.
Recent Results
U-19
- Sounders FC 0 at Real Salt Lake 3 | April 14
U-17
- Sounders FC 2 vs. Albion SC 2 | April 7
- Sounders FC 1 at Real Salt Lake 2 | April 14
U-15
- Sounders FC 4 vs. Albion SC 0 | April 7
- Sounders FC 3 vs. Los Angeles United Futbol Academy 2 | April 8
After three weeks off from league play the U-15s returned to the fold with a commanding 4-0 win over Albion SC, highlighted by some stellar individual and team goals.
Midfielder Danny Leyva, who featured regularly for the U-17s at the GA Cup, handed the Rave Green a 2-0 lead just 30 minutes into the match. His first strike came from an excellent team buildup, featuring Oscar Rincon, Sota Kitahara and Nico McMillan, while his second resulted from some nifty footwork in the final third to evade the Albion defender and finish. In the 60th minute, Thai Wichienwidhtaya made it 3-0, settling a great pass by Austin Brummett and chipping the goalkeeper. Edgar Serrano rounded out the scoring 10 minutes later, as he pounced on a partially cleared corner kick and hammered home a volley.
In their first match since the GA Cup, the U-17s managed a 2-2 draw against Albion. Striker Alec Diaz, who scored the match-winning goal against the New York Red Bulls in the title match, maintained his excellent form, opening the scoring in the 9th minute. Pac NW alum Kevin Soltys added a second just four minutes later. Soltys’ defensive pressure paid off as he capitalized on a heavy touch from the visiting goalkeeper, picking his pocket and finishing into an empty net.
While the U-17s and U-19s turned in some aesthetic sequences of soccer against RSL, each squad fell short in terms of results. Both squads, however, remain comfortably in the playoff spots, with the U-17s ranked third in the nation.
Sounders Academy U-15 player Nico McMillan | Quinn Width
Upcoming Matches
April 28
- Sounders FC U-17 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps U-17 | 1:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
- Sounders FC U-15 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps U-15 | 3:30 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 2
- Sounders FC U-19 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps U-19 | 3:30 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
For Club and Country
In the past two weeks, three standouts from the Sounders Academy have received U.S. youth national team call-ups for international trips. S2 midfielder Ray Serrano, who turned plenty of heads with his dynamic performances at the GA Cup, is in Spain with the U.S. U-17s for the Sportchain Cup, while midfielder Leyva and center back Eric Kinzner will represent the Stars and Stripes in Italy at the Torneo Delle Nazioni.
Vertical Integration
The club’s commitment to vertically integrating all four Academy teams with S2 and the First Team is clearly paying dividends. Kitahara and Leyva, who play consistently with the U-17s, showcased their rapid development with strong showings in their own age group against Albion SC. In S2’s two most recent matches, the likes of Cam Martin (U-19), Dylan Teves (U-19), Jake Morris (U-19), Sam Fowler (U-19) and Blake Malone (U-17) all earned significant pro minutes. Against Rio Grande Valley FC, 16-year-old Sounders Academy alum Azriel Gonzalez came off the bench and scored the game-winning goal, his first as a professional.
Ruthless Efficiency
Although the U-17s struggled to convert the chances they generated against RSL, the one goal they recorded was a beauty. Diaz received a pass 25-yards from goal, shifted the ball past his marker and unleashed a venomous shot past the opposing goalkeeper, tallying his 18th goal from just 1,237 minutes across all competitions.
