The Seattle Sounders FC Academy U16 squad defeated FC Basel 1-0 in the Youdan Trophy tournament, clinching the championship of the prestigious tournament that showcases premiere youth clubs from around the globe. The Sounders are taking home addition top honors, with two players earning Player of the Tournamentand the Golden Boot Award.
After scoring 13 goals in four matches en route to the final, the Rave Green came up against a well-drilled and talented side in FC Basel. While an outpouring of offensive firepower brought them to the final, the young Sounders demonstrated their ability to grind out results in close matches by winning 1-0.
The Youdan Trophy is billed as a showcase for the ‘stars of the future’, and FC Basel is a club that certainly fits the profile. The Swiss champions have produced over 40 first-team soccer players around Europe in the last twenty years, including the likes of Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic and Leicester City’s Gokhan Inler.
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While Sounders Academy has only been around since 2011, it has already produced thirteen professionals in the United States and abroad.
In a closely contested final match, Youdan Trophy Golden Boot winner Azriel Gonzalez scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 affair. The match appeared to be in FC Basel’s favor when the referee awarded a first half penalty kick to the Swiss. The young Sounders saved the PK and Gonzalez raced down the field to round off a lethal counter-attack goal.
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Gonzalez has done exceedingly well for Sounders Academy on the international stage. In the Cayman Airways Invitation Youth Football Cup, Gonzalez scored eight goals and recorded four assists in just five matches. He then went on to score five goals in three wins at the USSDA U-14 showcase in June. Gonzalez finished the Youdan Trophy with five goals in five matches against the likes of Newcastle United and Charlton Athletic.
Attacking midfielder Danny Robles was named Player of the Tournament for his impressive performance. The crafty playmaker can play practically anywhere across Seattle’s midfield and forward lines, and his incisive passing was instrumental in the Sounders taking home the title.
