The U-16 and U-18 Sounders teams recently returned from the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs, with both sides narrowly missing out on the quarterfinals. With the tournament format featuring eight groups of four teams, only the first place finisher in each group advances straight to the next round of competition.
Both teams announced themselves as serious contenders on the national stage by toppling their respective top-seeded team in the first round of group play. On the second day of the tournament, both the U-16s and the U-18s struggled offensively and suffered a pair of losses. The U-18s loss to RSL proved particularly costly, as an 83rd minute goal by the Salt Lake City side denied Seattle a share of the points, which ultimately would have been enough to finish top of the group and advance. Both teams bounced back in the third game of the week, as the U-16s toppled BW Gotschee 4-1 and the U18s put five past NC Fusion.
Overall, it was a very solid week for the club as they went 4-2 with a goal differential of +6. This year’s showing was a massive improvement upon last year, when neither team won a match. With two teams progressing in the playoffs, it shows the advancement of the youth academy system in a short amount of time.
In the first match of the event, the U16 Sounders took on Sockers FC of Chicago. The Rave Green scored the opening goal against the Mid-America Division winners in the 76th minute courtesy of midfielder Cam Martin. Seattle doubled their lead when 65th minute substitute Alex Bradbury grabbed an 80th minute goal and effectively killed off the match. With the 2-0 victory, Seattle handed Sockers FC just their second loss of the 2015-16 season.
Not to be outdone, the eldest members of the Sounders Academy toppled Houston Dynamo, who entered the playoffs as the fifth-ranked team in the nation. Seattle jumped out to an early lead as two players who have spent time with S2 in the USL—Academy midfielder John Magnus and first team striker Victor Mansaray—combined for an excellent goal in the third minute. After a slick passes by Seattle’s midfielders in Houston’s defensive-third, Magnus teed up Mansaray who duly fired back across the Houston goalkeeper and into the bottom-left corner. With Houston playing a 5-3-2 and a high defensive line, S2 midfielder Mark O’Ojong was able to grab a brace by bursting into space at full pace and drive through on goal. O’Ojong’s direct running and efficient finishing paid off with goals in the 30th minute as well as another in the 50th, this time assisted by Mansaray.
After a pair of losses on the second match day, both Sounders Academy sides entered the final group stage map needing three points and a bit of help from the other fixtures. As a testament to their development over the past year, both sides stepped up in must-win scenarios while managing to pad their goal difference – truly doing everything in their power to advance.
The younger Sounders scored four goals in a pretty convincing victory over BW Gotschee. Alex Bradbury added to his tally against Sockers by scoring a brace in the first fifteen minutes of the match. Midfielder Lukas Meek made it three-nil going into the interval with a goal in the 40th minute. Oscar Zepeda came off the bench and rounded out the scoring with a goal in the 72nd.
Knowing that a narrow victory may not be enough to advance to the quarterfinals, the U18s found the back of the net five times against NC Fusion. Mansaray once again got his name on the score-sheet with a first-half goal assisted by left-back Nick Hinds. Despite dominating for long stretches of the match, Seattle did not score again until the 81st minute when substitute striker, Maliq Cooper, doubled their lead just one minute after entering the fray. However, NC Fusion halved the deficit with a goal of their own in the 83rd minute. Once again, O’Ojong produced a pair of crucial goals in the 84th and 88th minute to put the game to bed. Another substitute, John Dale, completed the flurry of late goals by finding the back of the net in the 90th minute.
Despite both teams going out in the group stage, Seattle can be proud of their performance on the national stage. From going winless in six matches one year ago to toppling top-ranked sides en route to four wins, the improvement has been marked. Hopefully, the Sounders Academy players who will return for the 2016-17 campaign can build upon these performances and advance to the quarterfinals.
