Three Sounders FC Academy squads — the U-14s, U-16s and U-18s — have travelled to Westfield, Ind., to compete in the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs. The U-14s will compete in the end-of-season USSDA showcase, while the older squads qualified for the postseason tournament for the second consecutive season.
Tournaments such as the USSDA playoffs serve as an excellent developmental opportunity for the young Sounders. Since only the top teams from each conference qualify, the Rave Green will face some of the best young soccer players in the country. And with such a high concentration of talent at this event, there will be plenty of U.S. Youth National Team scouts to impress.
All three squads enter the event in outstanding form. The U-14s recently took third place in the Manchester City Cup with marquee wins over Man City and Tottenham Hotspur. This bodes well for the U-16s in the playoffs, as several of the key contributors to the Man City Cup, namely striker Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and midfielders Josh Atencio and Danny Robles, are regular starters for the U-16s. For the U-18s, the playoffs present an opportunity to maintain their blistering form from the end of the season, during why they rattled off a 10-match unbeaten run to finish second in the Northwest conference.
With all three teams in fine form, the Academy staff is understandably enthusiastic about the opportunity to evaluate the young Sounders against some of the country’s best.
“We’re very excited about the USSDA playoffs and showcase as both events should provide stern test for the boys,” said Academy Technical Director Marc Nicholls. “We’ve got a full complement of players and we’re bringing three very strong teams.”
One of the core tenants of the Academy’s philosophy is to move players up and down in age groups in order to provide unique developmental experiences. And after a year of strategically shuttling players among various age groups, this methodology should pay off handsomely at these USSDA events.
Two starters for the U-14s in the showcase, holding midfielder Sota Kitahara and center back Elias Katsaros, have consistently played one-to-two years up for a majority of the season. Both prospects have benefitted greatly from prolonged exposure to higher levels of play and can bring their experiences and leadership to the U-14s.
Several key contributors for the U-16s will be well prepared for the event. Ocampo-Chavez (14), Marlon Vargas (15) and Roger Pulido (16) all trained with the first team last week, while striker Azriel Gonzalez has been a consistent presence off the bench for Sounders FC 2 this season, recording his first assist in a win over LA Galaxy II.
The U-18s will enjoy some key reinforcements for the playoffs as well. Several members of the U-16s have spent the last couple months playing up on the U-18s but have rejoined their own age group for the playoffs. As a result, two members of the U-18s who signed with S2 during the season, winger Shandon Hopeau and center back Sam Rogers, have linked up with their old teammates to bolster the squad. They’ll been joined by three more S2 players in Rodrigue Ele, Denso Ulysse and Felix Chenkam.
A number of matches throughout the playoffs will be streamed by the USSDA on Facebook Live.
June 22
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. BW Gottschee Academy U-16 (2:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #25 - Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
- Sounders FC U-18 vs. New York Red Bulls U-18 (5:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #29 - Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
June 24
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. Sockers FC U-16 (2:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #10, Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
- Sounders FC U-18 vs. FC Dallas U-18 (5:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #1 - Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
June 26
- Sounders FC U-16 vs. New York Red Bulls U-16 (2:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #28, Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
- Sounders FC U-18 vs. Beachside Soccer Club U-18 (5:30 p.m. PT, Grand Park Field #23 - Westfield, IN) | USSDA Playoffs
