D.C. United Academy Results:
D.C. United's Academy teams were away in Connecticut this past weekend for matches against Oakwood on Saturday, June 14 and South Central Premier on Sunday, June 15. The Under-16 team came away with a win and a draw while the Under-18 team won one and saw the other postponed due to the weather.
"After coming home from Spain and having a good two weeks of training, we were able to put together two good performances with both our U16's and U18's," said Director of Youth Development John Maessner. "We played some of our best soccer of the year, as we were able to establish a great rhythm with of play by connecting and keeping the ball for the majority of the game. Our players are growing and developing into well-balanced players who understand the game better and better with each game."
On Saturday, the U16 team was able to play their match and get a resounding 5-0 win over Oakwood. Michael Burgos, Byron Gudiel and Myles McGinley all tallied for the Black-and-Red. Later, however, the U18s were forced to postpone their game when the weather worsened.
Both teams were able to complete their matches on Sunday, with the U16s getting a draw with South Central Premier, thanks to a goal by Paul Torres. The U18 squad played their only game of the weekend and saw Matt Oduaran, Chris Hegngi and Ryan Gracia all scoring for a 3-1 victory.
"We look forward to finishing this inaugural Academy season strong and to defending our MLS U17 Cup Championship July 3-9 in Denver," Maessner added. "This will be another great experience that we will be able to provide to our players that will help them to grow as players."
National Team interest: Several D.C. United Academy players have been garnering National Team attention, including two of the youngest players in the US Soccer Developmental Academy. Yaw Amankwa, born in 1994, and Kennedy O'Shea, born in 1995, both have attracted attention from Manfred Schellschiedt, the US Under-14 National team coach and will look to be invited into the next National team training camp to be held in July.
Youth Camps this summer: D.C. United Youth Camps have started and will run throughout the summer in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. Academy staff and current and past academy team players will lead the camps, with appearances by D.C. United players. In order to promote the upcoming June 30-July 3 Summer Camp at Washington & Lee High School in Arlington, D.C. United will host a free soccer clinic at the school with United legend Marco Etcheverry. To register for the clinic or for more information, please call 202-587-5468 or visit www.dcunited.com.
