Cascadia youth weekend wrap: Rivalry clashes wrap up USSDA season schedule
By Liviu Bird
Only the Seattle Sounders Academy won both of its matches last weekend, traveling to face the Portland Timbers Academy in Oregon. Meanwhile, Crossfire Premier and the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency split two matches north of the border.
United States Soccer Development Academy leading scorer and Duke University incoming freshman Brody Huitema put away what proved to be the winning goal for the Whitecaps Under-18s against Crossfire. His 54th-minute goal put the home side up 2-0, and although Garret Jackson pulled one back in the 81st, it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.
The Whitecaps U-18s cruised to the Northwest Division title, finishing above the Sounders by nine points.
Crossfire exacted a little revenge in the later game, as the U-16s defeated Vancouver 4-0.
In Oregon, the visiting Sounders shut out the Timbers by a combined 5-0 score in the two matches. First, the U-18s won 3-0, behind three first-half goals, and the U-16s followed up with a 2-0 win.
Seattle and Crossfire trail the De Anza Force at the top of the U-16 Northwest Division standings, but both are in the playoffs. Portland is in fourth place, behind both Seattle-area teams, but too far behind to earn a wildcard spot.
In the MLS Reserve League, six Cascadia players were selected for their MLS teams’ matches. Henry Wingo played the final 28 minutes of Sounders FC’s 2-1 reserve loss at Chivas USA on Sunday, while Cody Crook watched from the bench. In Florida, Christian Desir and Anthony Macchionne came off the bench in the Timbers Reserves’ 4-4 tie with VSI Tampa Bay on Saturday. U-16 players Joe Wheelwright and Nico De Vera were unused substitutes.
The Sounders U-18s’ top scorer, Jordan Morris, is in France with the United States U-20 team, playing in the Toulon Tournament. After coming off the bench in the U.S.’ 4-1 tournament-opening loss to France, Morris started both the 2-1 loss to Colombia and the 1-0 win over Congo DR. The U.S. U-20s face Korea Republic on Wednesday, kicking off at 8 a.m. PT on beIN Sport.
The final USSDA Northwest Division matchups of the 2012/13 season will be Seattle derbies this weekend. Crossfire Premier hosts the Sounders Academy at 60 Acres Soccer Complex in Redmond on Sunday, with the U-18s playing at 11 a.m. and the U-16s following at 1:30 p.m.
