2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

RSL-AZ Academy Teams Play Inspired Soccer at the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

Grande Sports Academy – Casa Grande, AZ – The Real Salt Lake-AZ Academy teams traveled to Sarasota, Florida from November 30 – December 4 to compete in a major college showcase and one of the biggest soccer events in the country – the 2012 United States Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase. All 80 academies gathered at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch to play against teams from different divisions and conferences that they are not scheduled to play in the regular season.

This soccer packed, five day event had everything to offer: high quality games, hundreds of college coaches catching every minute of soccer action and evaluating the talent, two high quality Showcase Select games as well as the 2012 Nike International Friendlies Tournament. [Read more…] about RSL-AZ Academy Teams Play Inspired Soccer at the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

RSL-AZ Multiple Chances Win at the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

Soccer News

On Tuesday, December 4th, the Real Salt Lake – Arizona U16 soccer academy team wrapped up an exciting soccer-packed five days at the 2012 United States Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase. Their last game was against another Major League Soccer academy team, Sporting Kansas City. It was a fantastic performance from the Real Salt Lake – AZ U16 academy team and it resulted in a convincing 3-1 win.

The RSL-AZ players, in their sporting white uniforms, were able to set up their signature fast paced possession game from the opening kickoff and dominated every part of the field. They pressured the opposing team high-up in their attacking third, creating chance after chance, and the crosses were flying in from the left and right hand side of the field. A goal for RSL-AZ was literally “hanging in the air”.

In the 21st minute, Damian German made one of his many nice runs down the left flank to find an open Josh Doughty. Doughty’s shot from close range was saved by the goalkeeper allowing SKC to run with a fast counter attack that scored the game’s opening goal. The goal did not discourage the Real Salt Lake-AZ players who kept playing their style of soccer, pressuring the opponent in seeking the equalizer.

Only a few minutes after falling behind, Brooks Lennon and Diego Silva had a beautiful combination on the left side of the pitch to feed Sebastian Saucedo, who’s shot just sailed over the bar. Adolfo Ovalle, playing in his natural position as a holding midfielder for the first time in the tournament, brilliantly chipped the ball over the SKC back line and found Doughty who charged into the penalty box. Once again the shot was pushed a bit too high over the crossbar.

In striving to find the equalizer, Saucedo made a great run behind the SKC defenders to face the goalkeeper one on one. Saucedo was about to make his shot when he saw Lennon running on his left completely unmarked. Unselfishly, Saucedo passed the ball to his teammate who easily tapped the ball into the back of the net. The assistant referee who wasn’t able to have the best perspective, raised the flag up for offside. The equalizer continued to elude the RSL-AZ team after so many great opportunities.

The RSL-AZ players continued their total control of the midfield as their speedy wingers created more and more problems for the SKC defense. In the 35^th minute, speedy Silva ran down the left-wing once again to find Lennon. Lennon’s cross was just an inch too high for German and another lost opportunity plaque the team.

RSL-AZ was finally able to convert on a chance when Lennon dribbled passed SKC defender as he passed a strong ball on the ground to Saucedo. As RSL-AZ leading goal scorer, Saucedo routinely placed it into the back of the net to set the equalizer and to end what was a very exciting first half.

The second half started with a boom when Ovalle scored with a long fierce unstoppable shot for a 2-1 lead in favor of RSL-AZ. Play continued in the same spirit as RSL-AZ stayed with their style of game.

In the 57th minute, Saucedo reacted well to a pass from the left in the penalty box but his shot bounced off the crossbar. German captured the ball and sent the rebound slightly over the bar.

After a number of substitutions by both teams, the pace of the game began to slow as the subs were feeling their way into the play. Ten minutes before the end, subs Elias Rieland and Terrell Lowe finally raised the tenacity. Lowe, the youngest member of the RSL-AZ team, and the team still could not convert on chances to extend RSL-AZ’s lead.

As time was lapsing, three RSL-AZ players combined beautifully in the SKC penalty box, with Rieland finding Jason Eng who scored a phenomenal goal with his left foot into the top right hand corner of the helpless SKC goalkeeper. Seconds later, the referee blew the final whistle and it meant three new points for the Real Salt Lake-AZ U16s as they stand firmly at the top of the Southwest Division of the West Conference of the USSDA.

Starting lineup:
Bishov – Eng, Nino, Glad, Silva – German, Ovalle, Gayton, Lennon – Doughty, Saucedo

RSL-AZ U18 and U16 Teams Find Another Day of Success at the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

Soccer News

Day two of the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase in Lakewood Ranch, FL was tremendous for the RSL-AZ Soccer Academy U18 and U16 teams. Both teams started the first day of December with wins to remain undefeated in the tournament.

The first match of the day saw the RSL-AZ U18’s in their second game of the tournament against a well disciplined Crew Soccer Academy Wolves. The RSL-AZ coaches made changes to the starting eleven. Players like Brandon Marquez, Jose Vasquez and Kostas Kostelas received their first starts of the season.

The play was very lively and hard fought through-out the first half. Both teams pushed the ball mostly between the two penalty boxes and struggled to create any real scoring opportunities. The closest to scoring occurred when the Crew’s best player, Sam Brown, sent a shot that went inches wide of the left post in the 27th minute.

In the second half, RSL-AZ displayed more of their signature fast paced possession play. Connecting strings of passes in the attacking half of the field and pressured the opposing team much higher up their end of the field. As the game proceeded, it was a style of play that began to cause more and more problems for the Crew’s defense.

In the 56th minute Andrew Brody found himself in a good scoring opportunity but his shot was saved by the Crew goalkeeper. Trevor Hyman’s follow up shot off the goalkeeper’s save sailed wide of the goal for another missed chance.

In the 68th minute RSL-AZ broke the deadlock when Jose Hernandez, who has shined in the tournament so far, skillfully made another great run on the right side of the pitch and found Kostelas who was open for a chance. Without hesitation, Kostelas fired off a low shot and nicely placed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal for a RSL-AZ 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes later another chance was missed when RSL-AZ’s Trevor Hyman saw his cross go over the crossbar from Kostelas header. After this, the RSL-AZ’s coaching staff brought in some fresh legs with several substitutions in the last 10 minutes in hope of putting the match out of the Crew’s reach.

In the final seconds of the game, the referee awarded the Crew with a free kick just outside of RSL-AZ’s penalty box. The Crew’s number 10 sent a powerful and precise curved ball over the RSL-AZ wall, but Luis Barraza came flying across the goal for a terrific save and secured a 1-0 win for RSL-AZ U18 Soccer Academy.

Starting lineup:
Barraza – Juarez, Nemeth, Marquez, Burnett – Hyman, Hernandez, Vasquez, Brody – Sasivarevic, Kostelas.

Subs:
Cobos, Carillo, Goss, Tiraturyan, Rieland, Rodriguez

The RSL-AZ U16 Soccer Academy team’s afternoon game was against Montreal Impact Academy. RSL-AZ’s first game of the tournament provided an exciting 80 minutes of soccer.

The first 20 minutes of the game started off slow with RSL-AZ enjoying more of the possession, but neither team was able to create any clear cut scoring chances. After half an hour of play Montreal Impact scored a go-ahead goal off a fast break. The Montreal goal caught the attention of the RSL-AZ players which began to open up the game and it turned into a phenomenal goal-fest. Only six minutes after falling behind to Montreal, RSL-AZ’s Moises Rodriguez found the equalizer to set the half time score at 1-1.

The RSL-AZ team came out with their guns blazing in the second half. RSL-AZ scored two goals in the first four minutes of the half to take a commanding 3-1 lead over Montreal. The first goal was created when Rodriguez found Josh Doughty cutting inside the penalty box in the 42nd minute. Doughty blasted a shot from close range that sent the goal net on fire and provide RSL-AZ its first lead of the match. Two minutes later Doughty connected with Damin German on a a deep pass. German’s speed overtook the Montreal defenders and doubled RSL-AZ’s lead.

The Montreal players refused to give up and started playing better after falling behind RSL-AZ’s two goal cushion. Six minutes later they pulled back within one goal deficit after a strong run on the left hand side by Montreal’s David Choiniere as he scored his second goal of the game.

The next fifteen minutes of play saw a hard fought battle for every ball as RSL-AZ tried to restore the two goal lead and Montreal Impact was trying to find the equalizer. After exactly an hour of play Montreal found their equalizer through Pierre Lamothe and with twenty minutes left to play, the teams were once again all squared at 3-3.

RSL-AZ players stepped on the gas pedal and dominated the last quarter of the game. As time was winding down and it seemed like the game will end in a tie, RSL-AZ made a great combination in the middle of the field. Doughty found sub Terrel Lowe in the penalty box where a Montreal defender tripped him. The referee awarded RSL-AZ with a last minute penalty shot. Doughty stepped up and put his team up one, 4-3.

The referee added 3 minutes of stoppage time and that was all RSL-AZ needed to find their fifth and final goal of the game. After making a great run Lowe passed the ball to German who chipped the ball over the defenders foot and hit the left bottom corner of the goal. An amazing goal to wrap up a great second half performance. The RSL-AZ U16’s remained unbeaten this season despite missing three starters due to a Showcase All-star game: Justen Glad, Sebastian Saucedo and Brooks Lennon.

U16s starting lineup:
Bishov – Eng, Nino, Ovalle, Silva – Knox, German, Gayton, Lopez – Doughty, Rodriguez

Subs:
Deaton, Ferguson, Goodman, Herrera, Lowe, Rieland, Scholz

Besides the two very exciting games, four of RSL-AZ players played in the 2012 Winter Showcase Select matches. Tony Murillo played in the ’95 winning Blue Team who defeated the Red Team 1-0. In the ’97 Select game Brooks Lennon played in the Red Team who defeated Justen Glad and Sebastian Saucedo’s Blue Team 4-1 with Lennon recording an assist.

RSL-AZ U18’s First Win of the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase

Soccer News

Benji Lopez - RSL-AZ Soccer Academy — Benji Lopez – RSL-AZ U18

The Real Salt Lake – AZ U18 Soccer Academy boys started their 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase on a high note. After a wonderful second half performance by the team, the outcome was a well deserved 4-1 win against the Montreal Impact Academy.

A great number of college coaches from all across the country gathered around Field 20 at the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch in Lakewood Ranch, Florida to view the talent on both of these teams. The coaches witnessed a first half of soccer were two evenly matched teams play mostly between the penalty boxes.

RSL-AZ took the lead in the 21st minute through Benji Lopez after a lovely assist by Jose Hernandez. Despite RSL-AZ enjoying more of the possession in the first half, neither of the teams managed to create any clear cut chances and RSL-AZ went into the half-time break with a 1-0 lead.

Minutes into second half RSL-AZ brought on three fresh players and team started controlling the ball by constant pressure at the Montreal back line. In the 61st minute, Andrew Brody scrambled with a Montreal defender on the left hand side when Hernandez picked-up the loose ball and dribbled his way to the touchline. Hernandez sent a low cross which ricocheted off a few Montreal players and bounced towards Trevor Hyman. Without hesitation, Hyman volleyed the ball into the back of the net with conviction and a 2-0 RSL-AZ lead.

Shortly after the RSL-AZ goal, Montreal was able to pull back within one goal with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. As the goal excited the Montreal Impact players into a more aggressive style of play, RSL-AZ ‘s Hernandez showed a piece of magic as he scored an extraordinary goal in the 83rd minute. Hernandez received the ball on the right hand side of the pitch and displayed amazing ball control skills as he outfoxed three Montreal defenders to slam the ball past the helpless Montreal goalkeeper for a 3-1 RSL-AZ lead.

Two minutes later Lopez, RSL-AZ’s leading goal scorer, delivered his second goal of the game. Lopez never gave up on the long ball, shook-off a Montreal defender, and sent a nice low shot that went in off the post and into the back of the net. Lopez’s goal set the final score of 4-1 for an RSL-AZ win.

A great start to the biggest college soccer showcase for the RSL-AZ U18 Academy boys. Saturday’s action finds both RSL-AZ teams on the soccer pitch: the U18s have an early 9:45am kick off against Columbus Soccer Academy Wolves and at 3:00pm the U16s face the Montreal Impact in their first game of the tournament.