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RSL U18 Academy Weekend Review
Real Salt Lake U18 Academy had a big weekend coming up vs Crossfire Premier and Seattle Sounders FC in Washington. Below are the recaps from each game.
Saturday, April 6th – RSL vs Crossfire Premier
RSL Starting XI: Andrew Brody, Ive Burnett, Santi Carrillo, Cesar Cobos, Jose Hernandez, Kostas Kotselas, Tony Murillo, Corey Nemeth, Jonathan Stadler, Tigran Tiraturyan, Jon Zabasajja.
Summary: Going into the first of two big road games, RSL knew they were going to need a good start immediately. However due to weather conditions and a smaller field it took RSL about 20 minutes to find a rhythm in the game. And once they found it the game was essentially over.
Kostas Kotselas, thrust into the starting lineup for the missing Coco Navarro, scored once in the 27th minute and again in the 37th minute. Crossfire Premier kept the game tight with aggressive play and hard work which kept the game close until the 84th minute when Amer Sasivarevic scored his first foal of the season. Crossfire Premier were able to grab a goal back in the 90th minute off of a free kick ending the game with a 3-1 RSL victory.
Even with the victory RSL knew they could play better because a big matchup was looming vs Seattle Sounders the next day.
Sunday, April 7th – RSL vs Seattle Sounders
RSL Starting XI: Andrew Brody, Ive Burnett, Santi Carrillo, Cesar Cobos, Trevor Hyman, Kostas Kotselas, Tony Murillo, Corey Nemeth, Jonathan Stadler, Tigran Tiraturyan, Jon Zabasajja.
Summary: RSL found themselves under pressure early on in the game. The Sounders were a far more aggressive, technical and hard-working team versus RSL opponent on Saturday. Minutes into the match Sounders had their first chance when a player was taken down in the box. The resulting PK was denied by the post, keeping the game scoreless. Around the 22nd minute Seattle found the back of the net and then 15 minutes later they doubled their lead when a cross came in and a Sounders player fired a low shot.
RSL players went into the half with their heads down and upset over some poor calls they thought the ref made. Coaches however told the players to keep their heads up and to get ready for another 45 minutes.
RSL dodged a bullet in the 56th minute when two shots by Sounders on a corner hit the crossbar. Minutes later RSL scored when Tigran Tiraturyan took a shot. RSL then equalized minutes later when second half substitute Amer Sasivarevic scored his second goal of the weekend.
The inclusion of Amer Sasivareic and Coco Navarro at the start of the second half was huge for RSL. Navarro, recovering from playing in the RSL reserve game on Saturday, provided the assist on both goals.
Both teams had a few more chances after this but nothing too threatening. RSL tied Sounders, 2-2 giving them 4 points on the weekend.
With the 4 points RSL is now in first place with Real So Cal. RSL leads the tiebreaker with a +26 goal differential versus Real So Cal’s +20 goal differential.
Dallas Cup Rewind
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – A quick look at the four matches the Grande Sports Academy played at Dallas Cup.
Group Game 1 – RSL defeats Brooklyn Italians, 2-0. Full recap here
Starting XI: Eric Gonzalez, Santi Carrillo, Brandon Marquez, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aidan Tucker,and Luis Barraza.
Quick Summary – Both goals for RSL were scored in the second half. Corey Nemeth deflected a ball into the back of the net from a free kick, while Coco Navarro scored inside the 18. Forward Aidan Tucker – “What is your initial reaction to the week?” – “It was pretty successful and we played really well. We got a lot of goals so I thought it was successful but we should have gotten farther.”
Group Game 2 – RSL draw Dallas Texas, 1-1. Full recap here
Starting XI: Elijah Evans, Santi Carrillo, Brandon Marquez, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aidan Tucker and Luis Barraza.
Quick Summary – Aidan Tucker scored in the first half and a dominate second half performance by RSL wasn’t enough as a shot by Dallas caught the wind and floated into the back of the net for the equalizer.
Goalkeeper Luis Barraza – “Thoughts on RSL’s performance?” – “The whole team performed well. It was a good experience for our players and for our academy. We all gave it our best and got the result going to the quarterfinals. It was a great experience for me and the boys and I hope next year we come back and do better.”
Group Game 3 – RSL defeats Lewisham College, 6-2. Full recap here
Starting XI: Eric Gonzalez, Santi Carrillo, Bayley Scholz, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro, Aiden Tucker, Luis Barraza.
Quick Summary – RSL needed goals to secure advancement out of group play. Three goals in the first half by Aidan Tucker, Tigran Tiraturyan and Jose Hernandez and three more in the second half by Ishan Atit, Coco Navarro and Aidan Tucker helped RSL cruise to an easy victory. Lewisham did score 2 late goals but the +6 goal differential helped them win the group and advance to the quarterfinals.
Assistant Coach Tim Seketa – “What do the coaches take from Dallas Cup?” – “Dallas cup was a positive experience. It’s the premier youth tournament in U.S. Soccer right now. To get out of the group stage is a huge accomplish. We are proud of the boys and everything they did. They put themselves is a good position. It’s unfortunate we lost in the quarterfinals but he coaching staff is happy with the performance and the effort given by the players.”
Quarterfinals – RSL lose to IMG Academy, 3-0. Full recap here
Starting XI: Luis Barraza, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Eric Gonzalez, Brandon Marquez, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Adam Ferguson, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro and Aidan Tucker.
Quick Summary – Tough loss for RSL as IMG scored within the opening minutes. RSL looked sharp after the goal but wasn’t able to find an equalizer. IMG picked up another goal on a counter late in the first half. RSL struggled through out the second half and a third goal by IMG sealed the victory.
RSL Goals Scored:
3 – Aidan Tucker
2 – Coco Navarro
1 – Jose Hernandez
1 – Tigran Tiraturyan
1 – Ishan Atit
1 – Corey Nemeth
Dallas Cup Day 6, 7 & 8 Recap – Off-Day, Quarterfinals & Drive Home
To keep everyone up to date with all the happenings going on here in Dallas we will be proving wall-to-wall coverage every single day with pictures, video and a blog entry.
Day 1 recap, pictures and video here
Day 2 recap, pictures and video here
Day 3 recap, pictures here
Day 4 & 5 recap and pictures here
Day 6 – Thursday, March 28th
After defeating Lewisham College, 6-2, the day before RSL won their group and earned a much-needed day off before a big quarterfinals match against IMG Academy. In group play RSL had two victories and 1 draw scoring 9 goals and conceding 3. Goals in group play were scored by: (3) Aidan Tucker, (2) Coco Navarro, Jose Hernandez, Corey Nemeth, Ishan Atit, Tigran Tiraturyan.
The players went through a quick and easy morning training session before heading over to a local church for an outstanding lunch provided by the staff and volunteers. After lunch the players were given the opportunity to either stay at the hotel and rest/work on homework or head over to the 6th Floor Museum, the location when Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy.
Before bed we all went over to Olive Garden for a big dinner.
Day 7 – Friday, March 29th
Going into the quarterfinals, Real Salt Lake and IMG knew the importance of the match.
The starting XI for RSL: Luis Barraza, Corey Nemeth, Jon Zabasajja, Eric Gonzalez, Brandon Marquez, Tigran Tiraturyan, Andrew Brody, Adam Ferguson, Jose Hernandez, Coco Navarro and Aidan Tucker.
Note: CB Santi Carrillo was suspended for the match due to back-to-back yellow cards in the previous two games.
As it has been the case for RSL in every match in Dallas a strong wind blew throughout the entire game. RSL attacking into the wind found themselves down a goal within minutes after a IMG counter attack. GK Luis Barazza blocked two shots in quick succession but the rebound from the last shot found the head of a IMG player who put it into the back of the net.
RSL behind for the first time this tournament struggled to find a rhythm after the goal. Passing wasn’t as crisp, free kicks missed their mark and turnovers in the midfield held RSL back for the majority of the match. However, RSL continued to fight and had their first chance in the 30th minute when Jose Hernandez played a ball up top to Coco Navarro. He collected the ball just outside of the 18 and took two touches that were both a little too strong as the IMG GK ran out and collected the ball.
Minutes RSL missed out on a big opportunity to equalize when Andrew Brody crossed a ball into the box. A IMG defender had his arm extended which blocked the ball in front of the linesman. RSL screamed for a handball in the box but their efforts were not rewarded as the ref let play go on.
RSL found themselves down another goal right before halftime when IMG countered again. Barazza came out to challenge the attacking player. The player dribbled around a diving Barazza and took a shot that hit off the back post and into the goal.
With heads hanging low RSL went into the half down 2-0. RSL came out the whistle a little stronger than IMG but failed to connect in the final third. This remained a constant theme for RSL in the second half. They found themselves down another goal in the 60th minute when IMG scored again. RSL had a few more opportunities but were held back by a strong IMG defense that kept numbers behind the ball. When the final whistle blew IMG had defeated RSL, 3-0.
Though it wasn’t the finish the team wanted the players were pleased with the overall success they had in the tournament.
After the game the players went back to the hotel and rested before the drive back home.
Day 8 – Saturday, March 30th
The bus departed around 10am for the near 20 hour drive back to Casa Grande. We stopped along the way for some food and watched some movies but were mostly entertained by the Mafia game Assistant Coach Mike Kraus coordinated. We arrived at the Grande Sports Academy around 3am and all went to bed seconds later.
Thank you everyone for the support this past week!
Weekend Soccer Preview – Dallas Cup & Far West Regional
Grande Sports Academy is going to be empty this weekend as RSL-AZ will be sending teams to Texas for Dallas Cup and to California for Far West Regional Play.
The group that will be heading to Dallas are the older boys who will be competing in the prestigious Dallas Cup. This is the 33rd year for the Cup that has seen some of the greatest clubs in the world win their tournament: Real Madrid, Liverpool, São Paulo, Tigres and many others. Over 100 colleges will be in attendance for this 9 day tournament from all over the United States as well as some based in Europe.
In simple terms for RSL to advance out of group play they must win every game. A loss isn’t an instant elimination, but a team would need a look of help to overcome that. If RSL advances they move onto the to Quarterfinals where they play the winner of another group. There are no WILDCARDS. The only way to advance is to win the group. If RSL wins in the QF’s they moves onto the semifinals followed by the final that will be played in the Cotton Bowl on Sunday.
This will also be the first time for RSL at the Dallas Cup. Defender Corey Nemeth spoke enthusiastically saying, “I’m excited to go to Dallas Cup there will be a lot of coaches watching. We will have good competition and hopefully we can perform well and get the results.”
RSL will be playing in a U19 age bracket. See that here. Because this tournament attracts teams from all over the world coaches are excited that they and the team will see something different.
“It’s always good to go to an International Tournament. We’re lucky enough to play a team from England. Different style of play were not used to see. It helps us if we hopefully go to the playoffs we can see teams that can show us something different,” said assistant coach Freddy Jaurez.
RSL-AZ will also be sending a U16 team to California to play in the Far West Regionals. The U18’s played their games last week and unfortunately were eliminated in their group.
The U16’s will be playing 3 games this weekend, 6 games in total group play, against some of the top teams in the area.
Midfielder Duncan Storey knows the importance of starting off group play with a win saying, “We’re playing the #1 team in the country. They are going to be good and we need to come out strong and battle.”
There are 7 teams in RSL’s group. Complete standings here.
It’s going to be a busy weekend with games but the players and coaches are ready. We hope to see everyone at the games!
Dallas Cup Schedule (All times Dallas time)
Sunday, March 24th – Group Stage
RSL-AZ vs Brooklyn Italians (New York)- 9:30am at Richland College Field #1
Monday, March 25th – Group Stage
RSL-AZ vs Dallas Texans (Texas) – 4:00pm at University of Texas at Dallas Field #7
Wednesday, March 27th – Group Stage
RSL-AZ vs Lewishan College (England) – 12:00pm at University of Texas at Dallas Field #1
All games below based of results in group stage
Friday, March 29th – Quarterfinals
Group D #1 vs Group E #1 – 1:30pm at Richland College Field #7
Saturday, March 30th – Semifinals
Quarterfinals winner vs quarterfinals winner – 10:00am at Richland College Field #10
Sunday, March 31st – Finals
Semifinals winner vs semifinals winner – 3:00pm at Cotton Bowl
Far West Regional (All times Pacific time)
Saturday, March 23rd
RSL-AZ U16 Elite vs Chiva Jr. USA SC – 11:00am at Ayala Park Field #15RSL-AZ U16 vs OJSC OCPremier – 5:00pm at Ayala Park Field #15
Sunday, March 24th
RSL-AZ vs Fullerton Rangers – 10:00am at Ayala Park Field #9