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RSL U16 Academy Weekend Review
2013 hasn’t been as kind to RSL-AZ U16 who now find themselves in a battle with Real So Cal and Chivas USA for the top two spots in the Southwest Division. With two games in hand RSL needed a strong showing in both games to keep pace with the two opposing clubs.
Saturday, April 6th – RSL vs Crossfire Premier
Starting XI: Chase Bishov, Josh Doughty, Jason Eng, Jack Gayton, Damian German, Dillion Nino, Fito Odolfo, Moises Rodriguez, Bayley Scholz, Diego Silva, Evan Waldrep.
Summary: Going into the game RSL knew they were going to have their work cut out for them this weekend against the #2 and #3 placed teams in the Northwest Division.
RSL came out of the gates strong versus Crossfire Premier but were unlucky on the attacking end. Numerous chances for RSL were not capitalized on in the early stages. Crossfire took the pressure and were able to counter in the 31st minute when a ball was played over the top. A Crossfire Premier player picked up the ball and beat the RSL GK. Few chances for either team as the first half ended.
RSL kept the pressure in the second half but were still not converting their chances in the final third. Players also seemed to get distracted by what they thought were some favorable calls for Crossfire Premier. RSL kept pushing forward and as the clock was ticking down a Crossfire handball in the box was not called. RSL players screamed for a PK as the center ref had a clear look at the incident. The ref ignored it and let play resume. RSL tried to equalize but time expired resulting in a 1-0 Crossfire Premier victory.
Sunday, April 7th – RSL vs Seattle Sounders
Starting XI: Dillion Nino, Fito Odolfo, Bayley Scholz, Jason Eng, Jose Hernandez, Evan Ealdrep, Josh Doughty, Damian German, Jack Gayton, Bofo Saucedo, Luis Barraza
Summary: After suffering a 1-0 defeat the day before, RSL needed a strong showing to be able to return back to Grande Sports Academy with some points.
Just two minutes into the game Seattle had the first chance for either side when a screamer went just over the RSL crossbar. Seattle kept up the pressure and was able to take the lead in the 14th minute when an errant back pass by RSL was picked up by a Sounders FW who calmly finished.
Sounders kept the pressure up and pounded the RSL goal. If it wasn’t for the excellent play from GK Luis Barraza Seattle could have easily scored more. Seattle went into the half with the 1-0 lead.
Things didn’t get any better for RSL who had to battle a tough and physical Sounders team while playing with a heavy rainfall. Sounders doubled their lead in the 14 minutes into the second half. RSl tried to push forward but their efforts didn’t pay off as they lost 2-0.
RSL is now in third place in the Southwest Division.
RSL-AZ U16 Weekend Recap – Real So Cal & Arsenal FC
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RSL-AZ U16′s draw Real So Cal, 2-2.
The U16 Southwest Division title might come to the final game. The RSL players know that every game matters and when you have the current 1st place team, RSL, taking on the 2nd place team, Real So Cal, this game wasn’t going to be easy.
RSL looked outstanding early, passing the ball around well and creating numerous chances. They scored first in the 14th minute when Bofo Saucedo played the ball over the top to a running Brooks Lennon who touch a touch and buried the ball into the net.
RSL kept creating chances as the half went on but couldn’t find a way to grab a second goal before the half ended.
Real So Cal equalized in the 59th minute and then 4 minutes later a Damian German rocket hit the back of the net high right. RSL continued to pass the ball around well but an unfortunate turnover in the midfield in the 80th minute allowed So Cal to counter and score which tied the game up.
RSL tried to push forward but time ran out before they could grab the lead back.
Quotes from the game
Tony Bruce – What did you see from the U16’s? – “Same thing as the 18’s. We played beautiful soccer. everybody that watches us says that we play so well. We just have to finish out chances. If we don’t finish our chances that comes back to bite us.”
Damian German – What does the team need to work on? “We just need to work on not letting the rhythm of the game go.”
Brooks Lennon – What we saw out of Real So Cal. “They are really good. I think we need to improve on not giving up and taking our chances in the beginning of the game. Don’t give up until the last whistle blows. We’re still in first place. We need to keep our heads up keep working hard and we can get the win tomorrow.”
RSL-AZ U16’s defeat Arsenal FC, 3-0
Picture gallery from the game here
A draw against Real So Cal kept RSL in first place in the Southwest Division but the U16 players knew they need to walk away from the Arsenal FC game with a win.
In similar fashion to their previous game, RSL came out looking strong in the first half. Bofo Saucedo, Brooks Lennon, Diego Silva, Josh Doughty all had great shots on goal that were blocked. Evan Waldrep connected well with Bodo Saucedo in the attack but they couldn’t find the right combination as they got closer to the Arsenal GK.
Tons of chances but no goals for RSL kept Arsnela FC in the game going into the half.
However everything changed in the 50th minute when Diego Silva dribbled to the end line. His soft cross was picked up by the wind which resulted in the ball curving towards the net. The Arsenal GK was able to touch the ball high which resulted in the ball benign off the bar which came down and was deflected into the goal after it hit an Arsenal player.
Two minutes later RSL doubled their lead when Bofo Sauedo showed off his skill in the box dribbling through two defenders. He passed to Josh Doughty who took a touch and shot.
After this RSL’s chances came from everywhere. Saucedo, Damian German, Brooks Lennon and Doughty all had another chance. In the 66th minute RSL grabbed another goal when Lennon dribbled through 4 defenders on the right side of the box. He crossed to a unmarked Saucedo who easily kicked the ball into the net.
As the game progressed RSL’s subs Elias Rieland, Albert Molina and Ishan Atit all threatened the Arsenal goal in the final minutes.
None of them were able to score but it didn’t matter as RSL grabbed the 3-0 victory.
Quotes from the game
Luis Lopez – How does the shutout feel? “It feels good because we defended well and it feels good we didn’t get scored on. We were consistent and we played well the whole game.”
Evan Waldrep – What changed mentally on the field for you guys? “After the tie yesterday we were really hungry to come out with the win and we all played very well and connected well and we got the win.”
Academy Players Excel In The Classroom
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Not only do our players excel on the pitch, they also excel in the classroom.
Diego Silva and Jonathan Min have both been picked as Vista Grande High School – February Students Of The Month. At Vista Grande they define their “sStudents of the Month” as: The Spartan Students of the Month are chosen by the faculty and staff of Vista Grande High School for their achievements. These individuals represent the Spartan spirit. They exemplify what is expected of VGHS students in academics, activities, achievement and improvement.
Chase Bishov has been selected to participate in this summer’s “Brophy’s Annual El Salvador Immersion Experience and Church in the Modern World Senior Theology Elective.” Over 2/3 of Brophy’s junior class applied and students were selected to participate based upon character, faith, academic ability and leadership potential they have demonstrated over the last two and a half years at Brophy.
Congratulations players! Keep up the great work.
Picture Gallery & Game Recap – RSL-AZ U16 Defeat Strikers FC 4-0
Casa Grande, Arizona (Saturday, February 9th, 2013) – Real Salt Lake Under 16 used a strong second half, led by Bofo Saucedo’s brace, to defeat Strikers FC 4-0.
“The win was very important because we are playing against a team in our division and we’re at home,” said Head Coach Martin Vasquez. “Our U16 team continues to stay in first and be in the top 1 and 2 teams in our division.”
Throughout the early parts of the first half RSL-AZ and Strikers FC struggled to find a rhythm. The first real chance for either team came in the 12th minute when a Strikers FC player passed the ball into the box that was cleared by RSL-AZ’s Alex Knox.
Twelve minutes later RSL-AZ capitalized on their opportunity when Brooks Lennon pounced on a through ball and scored low right. RSL-AZ then went into the half with a 1-0 lead.
“At first it was tough getting into a rhythm”, said Fito Ovalle. “At halftime Martin talked to us and said we need to calm down and possess the ball.”
RSL-AZ started to pull away in the second half when Bofo Saucedo stepped up and hit a free kick from 19 yards out. Bofo kicked the ball to the left side of the net beating the Strikers FC GK high.
Three minutes later Bofo scored again when Brooks Lennon dribbled the ball into the box from the right-wing. His cross took a deflection off of a Strikers FC player and found the foot of Bofo who calmly took his time and scored a very smart goal.
With 5 minutes remaining in the game Diego Silva who was having a stellar performance playing left-back ran into the box receiving a pass. The ball got tangled up between him and two Strikers defenders. Diego who tripped, stood back up and swung around shooting the ball at the net and scoring RSL-AS’s fourth goal of the game.
“It felt good, I’m happy I scored,” said Silva. “It was really exciting because I was having a good time making runs. They (RSL) couldn’t find me and I had to yell at them. The last play before I came out I finally had a chance to score.”
Vasquez spoke about Diego’s and Bofo’s play in the second half saying, “It’s great to see somebody (Diego) work so hard and at the end get rewarded. Just like Sebastian his performance getting those two goals shows that it pays off for their had work. Especially Diego because he is a defender and his work rate was tremendous.”
The win for RSL-AZ maintains the 5 point difference between them and second place Chivas USA U16.
Next game for RSL-AZ U16 is on Saturday, February 16th when they host San Jose Earthquakes. Game time is 1:30pm.
NOTE: RSL-AZ over the past three games has outscored the opposition 15-1.
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RSL-AZ Multiple Chances Win at the 2012 USSDA Winter Showcase
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 35th 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