CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – All four teams at the Grande Sports Academy are on the road this weekend, as the Real Salt Lake – Arizona U-15/16 & U-17/18 Academy teams will travel to Northern California for United States Soccer Development Academy league matches against Santa Cruz Breakers Academy on Saturday and San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. The RSL-AZ U-16 & U-18 Elite teams are set to participate in the 2014 Players College Showcase, which is being held in Las Vegas from Friday to Sunday.
Academy
The RSL U-17/18 Academy team, ranked #2 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer, is leading the pack in the Southwest Division with an 11-1-3 record. They have conceded a U-17/18 league best 10 goals and are averaging 3 goals scored per match for a total of 45 goals scored in fifteen league matches. Through seven matches on the road, RSL U-17/18’s have posted a 4-1-2 record and have scored 14 goals while conceding 7. Eric Carbajal has been white-hot in the 2014 calendar year, scoring 7 goals in his past four matches, and is the team leader in goals scored with 11. He is followed by Sam Gleadle who has notched 7 goals. Jose Hernandez and Corey Baird have tallied 5 goals each. Carbajal, Gleadle and Hernandez are all tied for the team lead in assists with 5 aside.
In the U-17/18s most recent match, they defeated Chivas USA 4-0 at the Grande Sports World on Saturday, March 8th. Carbajal added a first half brace with Te Wihongi scoring moments after the halftime break. Adam Ferguson scored the final goal for the Claret-and-Cobalt, which was his first career academy goal. This is the first and only time the RSL U-17/18 Academy team will face Santa Cruz Breakers Academy and San Jose Earthquakes in USSDA league play. Santa Cruz is winless in seventeen league matches and has conceded 52 goals. San Jose is holding fourth place in the Northwest Division with a 9-5-4 record.
The RSL U-15/16 Academy team, ranked #3 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer, is setting the pace in the Southwest Division with a 12-1-2 record. They have conceded 6 goals, tied for second best in the U-15/16 age group, and have scored 46 goals through fifteen league matches. Through seven matches of the road, RSL U-15/16’s have posted a 4-1-2 record and have scored 14 goals while conceding seven. They are currently on a five match unbeaten road streak, which dates back to December 12th. Sebastian Saucedo leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and is followed by Josh Doughty who has notched 6. Diego “Diablo” Silva and Tate Schmitt have scored 5 each.
In the U-15/16s most recent match, they defeated Chivas USA 3-0 at the Grande Sports World on Saturday, March 8th. Silva and Doughty scored first half goals for the Claret-and-Cobalt. D.J. Villegas scored a late goal for RSL, which was his first career academy goal. This is the first and only time the RSL U-15/16 Academy team will face Santa Cruz Breakers Academy and San Jose Earthquakes in USSDA league play. Santa Cruz is holding seventh place in the Northwest Division with a 2-9-6 record in seventeen league matches. San Jose has fared better with an 11-4-3 record, good for third in the division.
Elite
The RSL-AZ U-16 & U-18 Elite teams traveled to Las Vegas on Thursday night in preparation for the 2014 Players College Showcase, which has over 500 teams participating in their year’s edition with over 400 college coaches and scouts on hand to evaluate talent.
The RS-AZ U-16 & U-18 Elite teams have been slotted into Bracket A of the Boys U-16 Bellagio and Mens U-19 Showcase groups, respectively. Each team has been put into a group that totals four teams. Each team will play each other once in a round-robin format. The winner on the group for the U-16 & U-18 age groups will advance to the semifinal round. The U-16 semifinal round will be played on Sunday morning, which will then be followed by the championship match hours later. The U-18 semifinal round will be played on Saturday night with the championship match on Sunday afternoon. If a team does not win their group they will advance to a one-match consolation game, which will be held on Sunday for the U-16 & U-18 age groups.
Matches on Saturday for both age groups will be two 40-minute halves. Sunday matches with shorter with two 35-minute halves. Three points will be awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.
| Date | Time | Team | Team | Location | |
| Friday, March 14th | 12:30 PM | RSL U-16 Elite | vs | San Diego FA SDFA B97/98A | Heritage Park #9 |
| Friday, March 14th | 2:00 PM | RSL U-18 Elite | vs | LVSA 96 Boys White | Heritage Park #13 |
| Friday, March 14th | 6:30 PM | RSL U-16 Elite | vs | West Coast FC – Kirsch | Heritage Park #6 |
| Friday, March 14th | 8:00 PM | RSL U-18 Elite | vs | Crossfire Oregon B95 Green | Heritage Park #8 |
| Saturday, March 15th | 12:30 PM | Real Salt Lake U-18 | vs | Santa Cruz Breakers Academy | Cabrillo College |
| Saturday, March 15th | 2:00 PM | RSL U-18 Elite | vs | San Diego Football Academy SDFA B95 | Heritage Park #7 |
| Saturday, March 15th | 3:00 PM | Real Salt Lake U-16 | vs | Santa Cruz Breakers Academy | Cabrillo College |
| Saturday, March 15th | 3:30 PM | RSL U-16 Elite | vs | International SC St. Tomas | Heritage Park #8 |
| Sunday, March 17th | 11:00 AM | Real Salt Lake U-18 | vs | San Jose Earthquakes | Mustang Soccer Complex |
| Sunday, March 17th | 1:30 PM | Real Salt Lake U-16 | vs | San Jose Earthquakes | Mustang Soccer Complex |