Academy Weekend Preview: April 13-14

Academy Weekend Preview: April 13-14
by Travis Clark
April 13, 2012

For the first time this season, Crew Soccer Academy’s U18 squad has hit a bit of a rough patch.

Winless in their last four games in Development Academy play, the Crew host division rivals Crew Academy Wolves and Vardar this coming weekend, aiming to get back to their winning ways.

“We started off strong earlier in the season, but we’ve dropped a couple games in the last couple outings,” U18 head coach Frank Speth told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “[We’re] looking to bounce back and get back on the winning track, and as a coach and team you always want to do that the next opportunity you have which happens to be this Saturday.”

boys club soccer player brett elderBrett Elder

After going unbeaten in their first games of the season, the Crew’s U18s hit a rough patch during a trip to Dallas in March, losing 5-0 to FC Dallas. Since then, they’ve failed to get back to their winning ways.

The talent is there, with players like center back Andrew Souders, midfielder Zach Mason and forward Brett Elder leading the charge this season. Speth is pleased with how the players looked in the lead up to this weekend.

“The training the last couple of weeks has been good,” he said. “I think the guys are eager, they’re hungry now that we’ve been off playing again this weekend. This is the first time to try and redeem yourself. The hunger and the passion has been there and I think they understand we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and get back to work and the rest will fall into place.”

Wolves and Vardar provide an interesting challenge, and a vital one at that, as two wins would thrust the Crew right back up the Great Lakes Division standings. Speth knows it’ll be a challenge.

“We’ve always had some intense matches with them [in the past], we look for this weekend for that to continue,” he said.


West Conference

An MLS Academy team’s success can sometimes have an impact on the team’s performance in the Dev. Academy. Seattle Sounders Academy in particular has seen a number of call ups to the reserve team, lineups to be shuffled and players to play up.

It’s led to a shift for Seattle ahead for the latter half of the year, including this weekend’s visit of San Jose Earthquakes and Cal Odyssey.

“We take a development standpoint for the second half of the season because we’ve had a lot of guys called up to our reserve team,” Seattle’s Academy Technical Director Darren Sawatzky told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “We had five guys suit up [Tuesday night] with Jordan Schweitzer playing in the reserve game. So we’ve had a lot of guys going off, it’s certainly affected our trips.”

Chivas USA’s U18s face a huge game on the weekend when they take on Pateadores. Currently holding on to the top spot in the SoCal Division, the Goats will look to continue to hold off LA Galaxy, who play a division game of their own against Strikers.

Real Salt Lake-AZ hosts San Diego Surf and Nomads SC this weekend, with both the U16 and U18 squads needing wins. RSL’s U16s are currently top of the SoCal division, while the U18s are trying to keep pace with both Chivas USA and LA Galaxy Academies.


Central Conference

It’s been a positive start to the division schedule for Colorado Rapids U18s.

The talented club take to the road this weekend, and get the chance to really see where they are after three straight wins to open their Frontier Division schedule. Minnesota Thunder and Shattuck-Saint Mary’s lie in wait.

“We’re going to face two opponents on the road who’ve done very well. It’ll really test us, find out where we actually are in the season,” Rapids U18 head coach Brian Crookham told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “They’re talented. It’ll challenge us in a lot of areas, both on the defensive side in trying to contain two teams that have some exciting players and on the attacking, where we’re trying to create a little bit more and manage two games back-to-back.”

boys club soccer player dillon sernaDillon Serna

Giving the Rapids a boost will be the return of U.S. U18 standout Dillon Serna, as well as Shane O’Neill as Colorado looks to gain a stranglehold on the division.

Meanwhile, Colorado Rush travel to St. Louis this weekend, where they’ll go up against the two Scott Gallagher Development Academy sides, Metro and Missouri.


South Conference

In the south, it’s a weekend of Florida facing off against North Carolina clubs. The Carolina teams are invading the panhandle, as Charlotte Soccer Academy, CASL Chelsea, North Carolina Fusion and North Meck SC all head south for out of conference games.

Kendall SC and Weston FC are set to host North Meck and Charlotte, respectively, while CASL Chelsea and the Fusion pay a visit to IMG Academies and the Clearwater Chargers this weekend.


East Conference

Most division play hasn’t really kicked off in earnest out east. But most clubs aren’t going far, playing against East Conference opposition. PDA makes the trip down I-95 to play Baltimore Bays, while D.C. United welcomes a pair of clubs in South Central Premier and Oakwood Soccer Club come to town.

A pair of Boston clubs travel to the Philadelphia area, as New England Revolution Academy and FC Greater Boston head down to play two games apiece against FC Delco and PA Classics respectively.

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