D.C. United Academy U-18s and U-16s go 1-1 against PDA; U-14s beat SAC

Washington, D.C. — This past weekend, the Black-and-Red Academy teams went 2-1-0 as the U-18 and U-16 squads were in action against Players Developmental Academy (PDA), and the U-14s took on Soccer Association of Columbia (SAC). All three games were played in Washington, D.C.

The U-18s (3-2-1) started the weekend off with a tough 2-1 loss against top ranked PDA. Jorge Calix (Alexandria, Va.; Team America) began the scoring in the 10th minute after he broke away from his defender and scored a well-deserved goal, but header from PDA in the 17th minute knotted up the score at 1-1. Shortly after the second half kicked off, PDA went up 2-1, and the score stood until the final whistle.

“We started the match very well, with Jorge converting on a well-deserved goal,” said D.C. United U-18 Head Coach Nolan Sheldon. “We allowed our level to drop and became too distracted by the physical nature of the match and lost our attacking rhythm in the second half.”

The U-16s (2-1-3) captured a pivotal 1-0 win against an organized and physical PDA team. Owen Marshall (Bethesda, Md.; BC Stoddert) scored the lone goal in the 47th minute from a DJ Reeves (Ashton, Md.; Soccer Association of Columbia) cross. Goalkeeper Tyler Beaudoin (Montgomery Village, Md.; Bethesda) came up big in stoppage time, saving a point-blank PDA shot to preserve the win over a familiar rival for the Black-and-Red.

“The boys played a solid 80-minute match and earned the positive result with collective pressure and fast ball circulation,” said D.C. United U-16 Head Coach Tom Torres. “A lot of the players’ quality came out in the very competitive match. PDA is one of the top teams and clubs in the Academy and the boys stepped up to the challenge. The momentum from the Generations adidas Cup showed. We look to keep the work rate in training very high to prepare for the upcoming weekend.”

The U-14s (5-0-1) put in an impressive 6-0 performance against SAC on Sunday. Alexis Cerritos (Beltsville, Md.; Cerritos Academy) opened up the scoring from a Jacob Williams (Severn, Md.; Baltimore Bays) pass in the 9th minute. Soon after, Zvi Ferrari (Silver Spring, Md.; Cerritos Academy) slotted home a Cerritos cross. Williams added a third goal, assisted by Cerritos; and Julius Lanisiquot (Bowie, Md.; Fewster FC) contributed a fourth goal assisted by Andres Villanueva (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.) to put United up 4-0 going into halftime. Two additional goals were scored by the Black-and-Red in the second half. Andrew Nicholas (Nokesville, Va.; North Virginia Soccer Club) put in a strong individual effort and scored in the 59th minute. Luis Rodriguez-Luna (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.) scored the final goal from a John Eberle (Dumfries, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.) assist. Six different players scored goals with Cerritos putting in an impressive performance, scoring one goal and assisting on two others.

“The boys put in a solid performance on both sides of the ball,” said D.C. United U-14 Head Coach Jonathan Frias. “They scored on their chances and kept a clean sheet. After two weeks off from league play, it was good to come away with the match without injuries and a confidence boost heading into next weekend’s match against the Union.”

All three D.C. United teams (U-14, U-16 and U-18) will continue their USSDA seasons on Oct. 26 against MLS club rival the Philadelphia Union at YSC in Wayne, Pa. The U-18s are set to kickoff at 10 a.m. while the U-16s and U-14s are slated at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.

U.S. Soccer Training Selections
U.S. Soccer has invited 21 D.C. United Academy players to the U.S. Soccer Training Center to be held in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 29, 2013.

D.C. United Academy players selected for the 1996-99 Camp:
Tyler Beaudoin (Montgomery Village, Md.; Bethesda)
Trey Vinson (Manassas, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Steven Gandy (Gainesville, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Jacob Williams (Severn, Md.; Baltimore Bays)
Kyle Brathwaite (Gaston, Nc.; North Meck Academy)
Milton Juarez (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Jorge Calix (Alexandria, Va.; Team America)
Jose Carranza (Manassas, Va.; North Virginia Soccer Club)
Christophe Koffi (Potomac Md.; Team America)
Luis Rodriguez-Luna (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Gerson Umana (Lorton, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Miles Robinson (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Andres Villanueva (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)

D.C. United Academy players selected for the 1999-2001 Camp:
Jasper Pearson (Washington, D.C.; Washington Soccer Club)
Derrin Kokuuslu (Falls Church, Va.; Annandale Boys and Girls Club)
Chandler Vaughn (Woodbridge, Va.; Prince William Soccer Inc.)
Steven Zeballos (Fairfax, Va.; Southwestern Youth Association)
Chris Durkin (Glenn Allen, Va.; Richmond Kickers)
Najji Price (Upper Marlboro, Md.; Barca Futbol Club)
Andrew Nicholas (Nokesville, Va.; North Virginia Soccer Club)
Alexis Cerritos (Beltsville, Md.; Cerritos Academy)