Academy Snapshot: U16 and U18 Academy teams compete in California

Recent Results
U-18

• Sounders FC 4 vs. Juventus Sporting Club 1 (11/7/15)
• Sounders FC 0 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 0 (11/8/15)

U-16

• Sounders FC 1 vs. Juventus Sporting Club 0 (11/7/15)
• Sounders FC 3 vs. San Jose Earthquakes 2 (11/8/15)

Upcoming Matches
November 14^th

• Sounders FC U-15 vs. FC Alliance U-16 (11:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Sports)
• Sounders FC U-18 at Santa Cruz Breakers Academy U-18 (11:30 a.m. PT, Cabrillo College – Soccer Field)
• Sounders FC U-14 vs. FC Alliance U-15 (1:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports)
• Sounders FC U-16 at Santa Cruz Breakers Academy U-16 (2:00 p.m. PT, Cabrillo College – Stadium Field)

November 15^th

• Sounders FC U-18 at De Anza Force Academy U-18 (11:00 a.m. PT, DeAnza College – Soccer Field)
• Sounders FC U-16 at De Anza Force Academy U-16 (1:30 p.m. PT, DeAnza College – Soccer Field)

It was another impressive weekend for the Seattle Sounders FC Academy teams. The U-16 and U-18 teams each played a pair of games at Starfire Sports Complex against academy sides from California. The two Development Academy teams won three of the four contests, while the U-18’s drew against a very strong Earthquakes side.

In the first match of the weekend, the Sounders entered the interval in a scoreless draw with Juventus despite dominating the run of play. After the break, the group came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, and Johnny Reynolds quickly grabbed a pair of goals to put the game out of reach. Midfielder Harrison Kurtz put in another impressive performance for the U18 Academy side, contributing two assists and drawing the penalty for Reynolds’ second goal.

However, it was a different story the next day in the scoreless draw against San Jose. The Rave Green sustained a period of pressure in the opening 20 minutes, before making some in-game adjustments to get back into the rhythm of the match. Coach Dick McCormick switched up the tactics at half-time, but were denied a shot at three points by some heroics from the Earthquake’s goalkeeper.

The U-16’s once again showcased their mental toughness and ability to find new ways to win games. In a defensive stand-off against Juventus, the young Sounders edged out their opponents courtesy of an 80^th minute volley from central midfielder Kei Tomazawa. Against San Jose, the away side had the better chances in the first half. Their resilience paid off in the second-half, as the young Sounders carved out a number of chances en route to a 3-1 win.

Coach’s Take

“We [U-18’s] got good results for this weekend against some good teams. San Jose are always a strong team, and Juventus beat a good Portland side the day after we played them. The U-16’s continued their run of winning games, and finding different ways to get the result.” – Sounders FC U-18 Academy Head Coach Dick McCormick

Standout Performers

U-18 goalkeeper Tor Saunders put in a man of the match display in the scoreless draw against San Jose. The 6’4” keeper made a string of fine stops to preserve the shutout, including a fantastic reaction save when he fully extended to turn away a header from five yards out.

Looking Forward

The Development Academy teams return to California next weekend to take on De Anza and Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, the U-14’s an U-15’s return to Far West Regional League with a pair of games against FC Alliance.