Development Academy: ‘Tricky’ performances highlight weekend action
By Jimmy LaRoue
Strong individual performances ruled the weekend in Development Academy action, with at least six hat tricks coming over the weekend, including two from one player.
In D.C. United’s Development Academy Atlantic Division matchups with PA Classics, Joseph Julius tallied a hat trick for PA Classics’ U-18s in a 4-2 win, while D.C. United’s Gerson Umana put together one of the more dominant individual performances of the weekend, as he had a hand in all five goals for United’s U-16s in a 5-0 win.
Umana had three goals and two assists.
In a late rally, Chargers Soccer Club’s U-18s got two goals in the last three minutes of the match from Bakie Goodman to overtake Concorde Fire and win 4-3. Fire got two second half goals from Cameron Moseley to take a 3-2 lead, but Goodman’s goals in the 87th and 90th minute gave Fire the win in the Southeast Division matchup.
In another strong outing, FC DELCO U-16s got a trio of goals from Doyle Tuvesson in a 3-2 win over Match Fit Chelsea for its first win of the season.
In another three-goal performance, Montreal Impact U-16s Heikel Jarras picked up his hat trick in the first half of a 6-0 win over 10-man FC Westchester. It was the Impact’s second win of the season after an opening day loss and gave them a share of first place in the Northeast Division along with Seacoast United, Albertson SC and the New York Red Bulls–all 2-0-0–the latter two of which have yet to give up a goal.
Elsewhere in the East Conference, the most dominant team performance of the weekend came from McLean Youth Soccer’s U-18s, who had seven different goal scorers in a 7-0 shutout of Richmond Strikers.
In the Central Conference, the Chicago Fire’s Jeffrey Farina had two hat tricks in two games–in two days. His first came for the Fire’s U-18s in a 7-0 win over Internationals, in which Marcus Epps also scored twice. The match was scoreless until the 43rd minute, but then the Fire poured on four goals in a span of 16 minutes to propel them to the win. The following day, Farina picked up another three goals, opening the scoring in the sixth minute and tallying two more in the 21st and 76th minutes of the Fire’s 4-1 win over Crew Soccer Academy.
The Fire U-18s are 2-0-0, though in third in the Mid-America Division in the early going behind two other undefeated teams, the Chicago Magic and Sockers FC, both 3-0-0. Fire academy teams went 3-0-1 on the weekend, as the U-16s picked up a scoreless tie against Internationals, and a 2-0 win over Crew Soccer Academy. Goalkeeper Jorge Trujilo earned shutouts in both matches.
Three Fire academy players received minutes for the Fire Reserves as they defeated FC Dallas 2-1. Those three included Epps, Grant Lillard–who played all 90 minutes–and Ricardo Aldape.
Chicago Magic PSG U-16s got a pair of two goal performances from Nicolas Gaines and Elijah Rice in a 5-0 win over Internationals for Magic’s first win of the season. Crew Soccer Academy Wolves, though, sit atop the Mid-America Division after a pair of wins over the weekend against both St. Louis Scott Gallagher teams–Missouri and Metro. Magic PSG’s U-18s, meanwhile, have yet to give up a goal while scoring nine in their 3-0-0 start.
In the Frontier Division, Sporting Kansas City’s academy teams are a combined 6-0-0 after road wins over Classics Elite and Lonestar SC Academy over the weekend. In the U-16s two wins, Memo Carrasco, Dakota Karns and Tucker Stephenson each had goals in both wins. For SKC’s U-18s, Eduardo Moreno tallied three goals over the weekend, scoring twice against Classics and once against Lonestar SC. Moreno has a team-high four goals on the season.
Also in the Frontier Division, Jovanni Chavez picked up three goals in the Colorado Rapids U-16s in a 6-0 win over Classics Elite for the Rapids’ second win of the weekend in opening their season. Chavez scored in the 16th, 20th and 46th minutes.
Out west, Portland Timbers picked up its first-ever academy win, going on the road against rival Seattle Sounders, with the U-16s winning 2-1 behind a pair of goals from Jesse Garcia-Aguilar. The U-18 matchup between the two clubs was a 1-1 draw as Christian Desir scored the Timbers U-18s first-ever academy goal in earning the team’s first-ever point, as well.
Miguel Medina scored twice for Crossfire Premier in a 4-0 shutout of new academy side San Juan Soccer Club in U-18 action. San Juan has yet to pick up a win early on, though the club’s U-16s played Crossfire to a scoreless tie. The LA Galaxy U-18s got a 90th minute goal from John McBean–his second of the match–in a 3-2 win over Arsenal FC.
