Development Academy: McLean’s U-18s dominate in win, Umana dominates for United
By Jimmy LaRoue
In the most dominant performance of the weekend, McLean Youth Soccer’s U-18s Development Academy side got goals from seven different players in a 7-0 shutout of Richmond Strikers on Saturday.
Joel Teston opened the scoring for McLean in the 10th minute, with Anthony Flores added the team’s second just three minutes later. Matthew Ledder scored McLean’s third in the 28th minute, and Gregory Boehme tacked on a fourth a couple of minutes before the end of the first half.
McLean got three more goals from its bench, as Kelvin Centeno picked up a goal in the 73rd minute, Francesco Amorosino got one in the 85th minute and Conor Nogueira rounded out the scoring in the 90th minute.
In the U-16 academy match between the two clubs, the Strikers got second half goals from Jesus Duran-Reyes and Keenan O’Shea to defeat McLean 2-0.
In other local academy action, the Richmond Kickers U-18s got first half goals from Tyler Slayton and Finnlay Wyatt, but they didn’t hold up as Rush rallied for two goals early in the second half from James Ellis Jr. and Brian Anderson to pull out a 2-2 tie.
In the U-16 matchup, Rush edged the Kickers 2-1.
D.C. United split a pair with PA Classics, with the U-18s falling 4-2 and the U-16s winning 5-0.
PA Classics’ U-18s were buoyed by a hat-trick from Joseph Julius and a single goal from Brennan Goldsmith. Julius opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and Julius scored a minute later. Julius added another goal just before halftime, and another in the 59th minute.
United U-18s pulled back two goals in the last 10 minutes from Chike Nwaezeapu and Denis Najar, but it wasn’t enough as they lost their first of the season.
“It is a disappointing result,” United’s U-18 coach Nolan Sheldon told the club’s website. “We looked naïve in the opening minutes of the match against a team that we know quite well and respect. PA Classics are a very well-organized team, with some very dangerous players. To their credit, they started the match with the right intensity, we didn’t.”
In the most dominant individual performance of the weekend, United’s Gerson Umana had a hand in all five goals of a 5-0 win over PA Classics, bringing United’s U-16s to a 3-0-0 mark. Umana picked up a hat trick and two assists, while Julian Cummings and Graydon Hestor added goals, and Noah Pilato assisted on Umana’s second.
“It was a solid effort from every position,” United U-16 coach Tom Torres told United’s website. “The score did not reflect the quality both clubs showed for the first 20 minutes. We had some great individual performances, which led to a really strong group effort. We finished a high percentage of our changes, which is all we could ask the boys to do.”
Umana got his first goal after combining with Christophe Koffi, taking a through ball from him and finishing it.
“Gerson had a great match and really showed his quality,” Torres said. “Being on the younger side of the 15/16s, he’s showing maturity well beyond his age. If he keeps his work rate high and stays humble, it will be fun to watch his progression.”
On Sunday, Potomac lost a pair of games to NJSA 04–the U-18s falling 3-0 and the U-18s losing 3-2 after rallying from an early two-goal deficit behind goals from Colin Brezniak and Matthew Gillis.
