The RSL-Arizona Academy Under-16 and Under-18 Teams performed impressively at the US Soccer Development Academy Playoffs, which took place across the last week at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Both squads earned the right to head to Pizza Hut Park to participate among the top 32 teams in their respective age divisions after completing the Development Academy’s regular season schedule, the U-16s as one of the SoCal Division’s two automatic qualifiers after a second-place finish (11-6-1), and the U-18s (9-6-3) as the second-seed of 12 “wild card” selections with the highest points-per-game total across the 10 divisions.

Both RSL-Arizona Academy teams would finish out their three games of group play in Frisco with a berth to theDevelopment Academy National Championships – aka “Finals Week” – on the line, but only the U-16s were able to qualify for the USSDA season’s ultimate tournament, set to take place at three locations across Milwaukee, Wis., from July 9-16.

The RSL-AZ Academy U-16s began pool play last Saturday with a 4-1 win over Baltimore Bays Chelsea before settling for a 2-2 draw with Charlotte Soccer Academy the following day, setting up a winner-take-all affair with FC Westchester on Tuesday. The drama would carry through to halftime with RSL-AZ bringing just a 1-0 lead into the break, but a second half explosion would see five players combine for six goals, punctuating their ticket to Finals Week with a 7-0 thrashing. Ben Spencer would tally in all three games en route to a team-high five goals in the tournament, with seven different players scoring at least once to help the squad advance to Milwaukee.

CLICK HERE FOR FOOTAGE OF THE RSL-AZ U-16s’ DECISIVE VICTORY v. FC WESTCHESTER

The RSL-AZ Academy U-18s got off to a bright start in their group, earning an impressive 3-0 victory over Chicago-based powerhouse Sockers FC on Friday and a 4-0 drubbing of Cal Odyssey (Fresno) on Saturday, setting up a battle of undefeateds against a fellow MLS academy opponent, the New York Red Bulls, on Monday morning. Unlike their U-16 brethren, the RSL-AZ U-18s would fall behind after 20 minutes and proved unable to catch up, as the Red Bulls would post a 3-0 victory, abruptly ending the RSL-AZ Academy U-18s’ successful inaugural season in the US Soccer Development Academy.

Amazing 6 game shutout streak going…

RSL-AZ U18’s currently in 2nd place in the Western Conference title race…

Both teams in playoff position which will be June 24-28 in Frisco, Texas…

Match against Arsenal FC this Saturday June 4th…10 and 12:30pm at Grande Sports World…

Keep up the great work boys!!

Rwanda will report to training camp from May 27-June14th and New Zealand will be reporting June 10-June 15th.

Both national team sides will be playing friendlies against local clubs as well as playing the Real Salt Lake-AZ U18 academy team.

Times for the friendly matches still to be determined…

The U18’s started the day with a very impressive first half as the group came out buzzing and determined to impose their style of play on the opponent. Only just a few minutes in Julio Alarcon played a beautiful diagonal ball over their back four…Ari Sanchez in full stride brought the ball down perfectly, beat the defender inside and blasted a shot into the upper left corner. It was the perfect start the RSL boys were looking for.

The second half started off slow for the RSL boys as they gave up an early penalty kick to make the score tied at 1-1.

However Maikon Orellana went on one of his trademark mazy dribbles, beat 3 defenders and slotted the ball coolly into the net for the game winner. It wasn’t one of the best second half performances we have seen from the group but none the less championship caliber teams must find ways to win even when they aren’t playing well.

The U16’s started the match very similar to the U18’s with an early goal from Jose CoCo Navarro. RSL-AZ clearly dominated the possession and created chance after chance…however they couldn’t find that second goal in the first half.

In the second half it was much of the same as the RSL boys looked to find that second goal and close the game out. The coaching staff brought on Dylan Kelly who on his second touch of the game put the match out of reach for the Odyssey. Amazingly its Dylan’s 18th goal in 17 matches. A fantastic goal scoring record.

Second half sub Romain Gall put the icing on the cake with a cool slotted finish to make the final score 3-0.

Both teams travel to LA on Friday where they will face Cosmos Academy on Saturday afternoon and Real So Cal on Sunday in two important conference match ups…

West Conference

Team of the week: Real Salt Lake AZ

The craziest game of the weekend hands down was RSL-AZ’s 5-4 win over San Diego Surf in the SoCal Division. In a game littered with top level talent, RSL jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two goals from Junior Gbapou in the first 21 minutes. However, #41 ranked player and UCLA commitment Reed McKenna single-handedly pulled San Diego back into the game scoring two goals in six minutes to tie things at 2-2. RSL would strike back almost immediately with two more goals of their own through Ricardo Velasco and Nicolo Muniz to take a 4-2 lead into halftime.

Junior Gbapou

In the second half, Oscar Gonzalez came up huge for San Diego scoring two second half goals to knot things at 4-4. A crazy game like this was always going to get a late winner, however, as Muniz scored a dramatic 89th minute winner to seal three points for RSL in a 5-4 decision.

On Saturday afternoon, Irvine Strikers earned an essential three points beating RSL-AZ 1-0 on a last second goal from Bobby Sekine. First-placed Arsenal FC maintained their spot defeating Nomads SC 2-1 on goals from Uly Mosqueda and top 10 player Raul Mendiola. Real So Cal pulled themselves back into the discussion for a wild card playoff spot beating Chivas USA 2-1 in a huge win with goals from David Turcios and Adrian Bueno.

thanks to our friends at TopDrawerSoccer.com

Read more: U18 Academy Recap for weekend of May 7-8 | Club Soccer News | Youth Soccer News ]]> http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/rsl-az-u18s-named-development-academy-team-of-the-week/feed/ 0 http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/four-rsl-az-players-get-called-up-to-rsl-first-team-reserve-league-match/ http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/four-rsl-az-players-get-called-up-to-rsl-first-team-reserve-league-match/#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 13:16:59 +0000 admin http://www.grandesports.com/blog/?p=473 RSL-AZ U18 stalwarts Maikon Orellana, Julio Alarcon, David Flores and Ricardo Velasco are getting called up to first team action this Saturday as they head out to Salt Lake City to help RSL’s reserves play the Houston Dynamo immediately following the first team game.

The boys will fly back early Sunday morning to be available for their academy match against Cal Odyssey Sunday at 1pm at Grande Sports World.

Good luck to all of the boys…

The U18’s lost 1-0 on literally the last play of the game of a direct goal set piece.

The U16’s lost 3-1

Immediately after the match the boys hopped on the team bus and headed back to Casa Grande, Az as they faced the San Diego Surf on Sunday at home at Grande Sports World.

The u18’s rebounded in a wild shootout as they edged Surf 5-4.

The U16’s followed suite by pummeling Surf 5-0 in a fantastic performance by the young boys.

This weekend is a little more relaxed as RSL-AZ face non-conference foe Cal Odyssey at home on Sunday at 1pm and 3:30pm at Grande Sports World.

Much like their U18 counterparts, the U16 Development Academy teams were in action from coast to coast last weekend as a number of important division games were played.

West Conference

Team of the week: Real Salt Lake AZ

Dylan Kelly

It was a good weekend for RSL-AZ as they pulled themselves back into the discussion in the SoCal Division of the West Conference. There was no shortage of attacking talent on display for RSL, defeating Pateadores on Saturday with two goals from Dylan Kelly and Ben Spencer adding the other tally. Then on Sunday, back home, they beat Cosmos Academy West 3-2 in another high scoring game. Martin Arrieta, one of the major talents of the 2013 class, scored both goals for Cosmos while Brian Bates and Dylan Kelly goals had the game knotted at 2 at halftime. Isaias Juarez would come up huge scoring the winner in the 71st minute for RSL to pull them within 7 points of leaders Real So Cal with four games in hand.
Read more: U16 Academy schedule shaping standings | Club Soccer News | Youth Soccer News ]]> http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/real-salt-lake-az-u16s-named-academy-team-of-the-week-by-topdrawersoccer-com/feed/ 0 http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/rsl-az-u16s-fall-in-heartbreaking-pk-shootouts-in-quarters-of-dallas-cup/ http://www.grandesports.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/rsl-az-u16s-fall-in-heartbreaking-pk-shootouts-in-quarters-of-dallas-cup/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:12:30 +0000 admin http://www.grandesports.com/blog/?p=461 RSL-AZ U16 falls in Penalty Kicks to PTSC Timber Wolves

The RSL-AZ U16s battled in a back-and-forth match today with PTSC Timber Wolves of Winnipeg, Canada. With the match finishing 2-2, but teams scored in the second of the two 10-minute overtime periods, sending the match to penalty kicks. The Timber Wolves keeper was able to save two, giving the Canadians a 4-3 shootout win.

With a howling wind in their faces, RSL-AZ gave up a goal just 9 minutes into the game on a counter-attack that was seemingly against the run of play. RSL-AZ continued to maintain possession for most of the half, although it took a series of corners at the 25-minute mark to really generate the first chances on goal. On the 4th successive corner, Dylan MacVane knocked in a second ball to level the game at 1-1.

After the break, RSL-AZ controlled the game with the wind at their backs. After a free kick was awarded just outside the Timber Wolves Box in the 70th minute, Joss Goss hit an excellent shot on goal that the keeper could only parry. Ben Spencer pounced on the loose ball and buried it in the net for a 2-1 RSL-AZ lead.

Just five minutes later, a PTSC forward capitalized on a ball that the RSL-AZ defense failed to clear and slotted home an equalizer to make it 2-2 with 20 minutes to play.

RSL-AZ had chances at in the last 15 minutes to win the game, but could find a way past the Timber Wolves keeper.
In the first of two 10-minute overtime periods, RSL-AZ had the wind but couldn’t find a way to create good scoring chances. With 2 minutes remaining in the first overtime, the Timber Wolves saw their squad reduced to one as their left midfielder deliberately stomped on Alan Rivera in retaliation for a foul. The referee didn’t hesitate to show the player red, and the Canadians were down to 10 for the remainder of the game.

In the second overtime, RSL-AZ gave up an early goal after allowing a long clearance to bounce and the Timber Wolves forward pounced on it and buried the ball for a 3-2 lead. RSL-AZ answer minutes later with their own goal off of a corner kick that Luis Chavez nodded in… sending RSL-AZ level at 3-3 with only a minute to play.

Things started ominously in penalty kicks as Alan Rivera’s spot-kick was saved. PTSC Timber Wolves didn’t miss and when Luis Chavez took the fifth kick for RSL-AZ and was saved, the match was over… with the Timber Wolves winning 4-3 in penalties.
Disappointed, RSL-AZ U16s are knocked out at the quarterfinal stage.

The long bus ride back to Arizona starts early Saturday morning, and the both teams return immediately to training and focus on next weekend US Soccer Development Academy matchups with Pateadores (away) and Cosmos Academy West (home).