Recent Results
U-18
- Sounders FC 0 vs. De Anza Force Academy 0 (1/30/16)
- Sounders FC 14 vs. Santa Cruz Breakers Academy 0 (1/31/16)
U-16
- Sounders FC 2 vs. De Anza Force Academy 1 (1/30/16)
- Sounders FC 8 vs. Santa Cruz Breakers Academy 0 (1/31/16)
Upcoming Matches
February 12
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. San Jose Earthquakes U-16 (1:00 p.m. PT, StubHub Center Field 4)
February 13
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. Colorado Rapids U-16 (3:00 p.m. PT, StubHub Center Track)
February 15
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. Real Salt Lake U-16 (11:00 a.m. PT, StubHub Center Field 4)
Seattle Sounders FC Academy went undefeated last weekend across four U-16 and U-18 matches against northern California opposition. The young Sounders scored a combined 24 goals en route to collecting ten out of a possible twelve points from the games.
For the U-18s, the results against Santa Cruz and De Anza move them into second place in the USSDA Northwest Division with three games in hand over first place Vancouver. Furthermore, the U-16 squad hopes to take the momentum from an outstanding weekend into the second round of Generation Adidas Cup qualifying.
Despite an excellent demonstration of team defending and building attacks from the back, the oldest Sounders Academy squad was held to a scoreless draw against De Anza. While they dominated possession and dictated the tempo of the game with their composure in possession, the Rave Green were unable to translate their control of the match into clear cut chances.
It was a different story for the U-18s on Sunday, as they took on a Santa Cruz side that had defeated a strong Portland Timbers team the day before. Three early goals courtesy of Tobi Jnohope, Connor Noblat, and Maliq Cooper gave the Sounders a 3-0 lead in the 17th minute. Noblat, who recently committed to Seattle University, was particularly impressive on Sunday and completed his hat trick in the 73rd minute.
Much like their older counterparts, the U-16 Sounders FC Academy team was in fine form over the weekend. In the narrow 2-1 win over De Anza, attacking midfielder Shuma Katori pulled the strings for Seattle going forward. After building possession from the back, Katori received the ball out wide and squared a pass for Alex Bradbury to tap in. Just a couple of minutes later, Katori grabbed the game winner with an excellent finish.
After rotating the squad heavily for the second game – just six players returned as starters against Santa Cruz – the U-16s demonstrated their strength in depth with a resounding win. Box to box midfielder Kei Tomazawa vindicated his recent call-up to the United States U-18 National Team with a goal in the 12th minute. Striker Wilson Harris, who joined the Academy a month ago, put in a man of the match performance on Sunday. In addition to holding the ball-up well and combining with the attacking midfielders, the newest member of the Academy grabbed a hat trick in a thirteen-minute span.
Coach’s Take
“There were some good performances to go along with a few bizarre results this weekend. The U-18s could not score on Saturday but then scored a hatful on Sunday against a team that had beaten Portland the day before. The U-16s will be looking to take their performances into the MLS Generation Adidas Cup games next week.” – Sounders Academy Technical Director Marc Nicholls.
Standout Performers
Johnny Reynolds put in a pair of impressive back-to-back performances over the weekend against De Anza and Santa Cruz. A true box to box midfielder, Reynolds’ ability to alternate between defensive duties and surging runs forward helped the Sounders control the midfield in both matches. His consistent performances were capped off by a hat trick against Santa Cruz on Sunday.
Looking Forward
The U-16 Sounders Academy team will be travelling to Los Angeles, CA for the second round of qualifying for the Generation Adidas Cup. They will face San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, and Real Salt Lake over the course of four days.
