A LOOK BACK:
U20s:
Did not play.
U18s: The U18 Red Bulls posted a 0-1-1 week in US Soccer Development Academy action.
On Saturday April 18th, the U18s dropped a 2-1 decision to BW Gottschee. The Red Bulls created quality chances in the early going, but could not find the back of the net, as Nick Gendron just missed a goal at the back post when he made a diving effort for a tap in but narrowly missed. Zachary Gomez also came close and Peter Touros had a goal disallowed for off sides. Right before the half, BW Gottschee scored to bring a 1-0 lead into halftime.
"When you don't put away your chances it is bound to catch up to you," stated U18 head coach Paul O'Donnell.
The U18s deficit was doubled early in the 2nd half on a 20-yard blistering shot by Leonardo Fernandes. In the 60th minute, Giorgi Chirgadze entered the game after a three month lay-off due to injury. He made an immediate impact on the game as he was brought down for penalty kick in the 64th minute and scored to make the score 2-1. Despite pressure for the rest of the game the Red Bulls could not equalize.
Sunday April 19th saw the U18s battle Northeast Division leaders Albertson to a 2-2 draw on two late goals. The Red Bulls started the game a little tentative and struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. That off balanced play caught up to them as Albertson scored from a free kick in the 25th minute.
In the second half, the Red Bulls started attacking with more purpose and began to put more pressure on Albertson. Just as it looked like the Red Bulls would equalize, Albertson scored again to make it 2-0. However, the U18s, as they have done many times this season, never gave up and continued to push forward. In the 79th minute, Gendron scored from a Dylan Mencia pass. Then in the 82nd minute, Chirgadze scored from a tight angle for the equalizer. In the closing minutes, the Red Bulls came close to scoring the winner but had to settle for a point.
"Giorgi Chirgadze was outstanding today. We had only planned on using him for about 30 minutes in each game this weekend. However, right before kick-off he told me he was ready to start. Not only that, he gave us a full match and was brilliant. Giorgi brings more quality and leadership to our team," stated O'Donnell.
U16s: The Red Bull U16s split a pair of matches last week in US Soccer Development Academy action, ending the side's undefeated streak at 16 (13-0-3).
On Saturday, April 18 the U16s dropped their first game of the season to BW Gottschee, 4-1. After falling behind, 2-0, early in the first half, the Red Bulls started to get back into the game. The second half started well until a red card was given to the U16s early in the half. Down a man, the Red Bulls played well and Sam Adjei cut the lead in half in the 49th minute. The U16s kept pushing forward and hit the post two more times but were unable to find the equalizer. In the final 15 minutes of the game BW Gottschee was able to finish the game off scoring two more goals.
On Sunday, April 19, the U16 Red Bulls got back on track with a 2-1 win away to Albertson. Victor Manosalvas scored both goals to lead the Red Bulls to victory. Jon Gonzalez assisted Manosalvas on the first goal and Oscar Gonzalez assisted on the second goal.
"We did not compete well in the first half of the game on Saturday and dug ourselves a hole that we could not climb out of," said U16 head coach Rob Elliott. "On Sunday we competed much better and were able to earn a hard fought win on the road against a good Albertson team."
The U16s record now stands at 14-1-3 on the season.
NOTE: John Agudelo, who is member of the Red Bull Academy on the U16 side, has been selected by U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera as one of the 20 players who will represent the United States at the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship from April 21-May 2 in Tijuana, Mexico. The four semifinalists at the tournament will qualify for the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which is slated for Nigeria from Oct. 24-Nov. 15. Agudelo is currently in the U17 Men's National Team Residency Program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.
The Red Bull U15s went 0-2-0 over the weekend. The U15s lost, 2-1, to FC Greater Boston on Saturday, April 18 and dropped a 2-1 decision to BW Gottschee on Sunday, April 19. Both games were US Club Northeast Pre Academy League matches.
U14s: The U14 Red Bulls went 1-1-0 over the weekend in US Club Northeast Pre Academy League action, dropping a 3-0 decision to FC Greater Boston before rebounding with a 2-0 win over BW Gottschee.
On Saturday, April 19th, the Red Bulls played a strong first half against FC Greater Boston, but could not find the final pass to get onto the scoreboard. FC Greater Boston carried play for much of the second half as the U14s struggled to generate quality chances. ''Overall we did not compete well enough on the day'' said U14 head coach Cris da Silva.
Against FC Gottschee on Sunday April 20th, the U14s competed very well, controlled most of the game and created many opportunities to score. Both of the Red Bull goals were scored from set pieces. Matt Miazga scored the first goal from a well driven cross by Arun Basuljevic, and Christian Alexief scored from a cross by Diego Ceron to round out the scoring. Goalkeeper Santiago Casatano went the distance to post the clean sheet.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Saturday April 25th
U16 Academy @ Met Oval 12:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)
U18 Academy @ Met Oval 2:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)
Sunday April 26th
U16 Academy @ FC Westchester 1:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)
U18 Academy @ FC Westchester 3:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)
