Texas-sized showdown in Development Academy play
By Jimmy LaRoue
Playoff implications are in the balance this weekend as Dallas Texans and FC Dallas square off in Development Academy play.
The Texans’ Under-16s sit atop the Texas Division with a 14-1-4 record, while FC Dallas is in fourth, but are just two points behind second place Solar Chelsea SC.
As for the U-18s, first place FC Dallas (17-2-1) has already qualified for the postseason, led by Danny Garcia and his 18 goals. However, he’s far from the only one scoring for FC Dallas, as it has scored an academy-high 77 goals in 26 matches. Read an interview ussoccer.com conducted with Garcia, in which he discusses the team’s stellar play and the loss of former teammate Jose Perez, who died in a car accident.
PDA, meanwhile, should open Liberty Division play with confidence, with the U-16s 14-1-1 and the U-18s 10-3-3. However, the New York Red Bulls clubs they’ll be facing can nearly match them, record-wise, with the Red Bulls’ U-16s 12-3-1 and the U-18s 9-3-4.
Action opens up today in the Liberty Division as the U-16 and U-18 Met Oval and Albertson SC squads face off, as do FC Westchester and NY Cosmos Academy.
Ninety games are on the weekend docket, including a second matchup for Met Oval and FC Westchester, as the two clubs face each other Sunday. The NY Cosmos Academy and Albertson SC squads also play Sunday.
Note: Colorado Rapids’ U-18 forward Dillon Serna was named U.S. Soccer’s peak performer of the week after scoring four goals in a 6-2 win over Colorado Rush last Friday. Serna recently saw action with the U.S. U-18 national team and has committed to play at the University of Akron.
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