MLS D.C. United

D.C. United Academy Update

Published on November 12, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
D.C. United News Release


Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2012) -D.C. United's U-18 and U-16 Academy teams ended their winning streaks this past Saturday with a 1-0 loss to, and a 2-2 draw with, FC Delco's U-18's and U-16's, respectively, in Radnor, Pa.

A missed penalty kick by the U-18's in the opening minute of the match and a converted FC Delco penalty kick in the 72nd minute proved to be the difference between the squads. A handball inside the box in the first minute of the match gave Patrick Foss (South Riding, Va.) an opportunity to put United up 1-0, but the FC Delco goalkeeper saved the ball to keep the scoreline even.

A flurry of chances early in the match put FC Delco on its heels, but the failure to convert them sealed United's fate. A markedly physical match with several fouls and free kicks kept the game close, but ultimately FC Delco prevailed with its penalty kick goal within the last 20 minutes.

"We started the match very strong, but missed on three good opportunities," said U-18 Head Coach Nolan Sheldon. "Credit to FC Delco - they were disciplined on defense and worked very hard throughout the match. We needed to do a better job of breaking Delco's press, but lacked the ability to keep the ball and possess. It was a disappointing loss, but we need to regroup for PDA next weekend."

After going up early 2-0, D.C. United's U-16 squad ended its match an even 2-2 against FC Delco's U-16's. In the 19th minute, Gerson Umana (Lorton, Va.) bended in a corner kick that Julian Cummings (Fredericksburg, Va.) put away. Another Umana corner kick saw Graydon Hester (Middleburg, Va.) finish 10 minutes later to make it 2-0 within the first 30 minutes of the match. FC Delco answered before the end of the first half, and later scored off of a counter-attack with 10 minutes left to play to tie it up at two apiece.

"We were happy that the boys were relentless with their offensive pressure, and were unfortunate to not finish some quality chances," said U-16 Head Coach Tom Torres. "It was a little concerning how a couple of lapses occurred to concede goals, but it will give us plenty of coaching points for training this week before next week's trip to New Jersey."

The U-18's and U-16's will next take on the Players Development Academy U-18 and U-16 teams on Saturday, November 17 at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, at PDA Facility Field 3 in Zarephath, NJ.

Several former Academy players at the collegiate Division I level recently received end-of-season conference accolades. Collin Martin (Wake Forest; Chevy Chase, Md.), Jalen Robinson (Wake Forest; Catonsville, Md.) and Marcus Salandy-Defour (Virginia; Kensington, Md.) were all named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. Sophomore Dario Redondo (Radford; Woodbridge, Va.) earned All-Big South Second Team honors while teammate Jannik Eckenrode (Radford; Springfield, Va.) was selected to the Big South All-Freshman Team. Additionally, sophomore Mikias Eticha (Maryland; Falls Church, Va.) made starts in both the conference semifinal and final to help guide the No. 2 Terrapins to the ACC title yesterday, a 2-1 win over No. 3 University of North Carolina at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

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