A record-setting season for the Real Salt Lake-Arizona U-18 Academy team came to a sudden end on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire U-18s in the USSDA National Championship, marking the third consecutive year that the team ended the year in the championship match and second consecutive season that ended in defeat.
For a team that set records across the board in the 2014-15 season, it was an unexpected close to an otherwise masterful season. The team went 32-3-4 in the regular season and 37-4-4 including playoffs. That on-field dominance was a result of a stunning 176 goals scored to just 38 goals allowed in regular season and playoffs.
“At the end of the year, only one team ends their season on a win. It’s a little bit disappointing for the group because they’ve had a great three years together and the way they’ve grown together as a group not only with their style of play, but their quality of play,” Real Salt Lake Technical Director Craig Waibel said. “There’s a little bit of frustration and disappointment involved there. But the accolades are countless.”
In USSDA’s annual awards, the RSL-AZ squad was rewarded quite handsomely.
Not only was the U-18 team awarded for Style of Play among the team awards, but the Academy as a whole was recognized for Best Training Facility and Best Regular Match Facility in the West Conference.
Among the players at the U-18 level, three were named to the West Conference Starting XI – defenders Danilo Acosta and Diego Silva and midfielder Jose Hernandez.
“First and foremost, I think there are a few more guys that deserve to be on that 11. I know there’s only 11 slots, but given the quality of play and the records we set, I think there are a few other guys we have that deserve to go there,” Waibel said. “That type of recognition is really the process of the culture we’ve set up, the quality of the coaching staff, the quality of the environment. But also the quality of the RSL badge. From the bottom to the top, it’s the type of football we like to play. We like to keep the ball on the ground. We like to build. And these boys have done nothing short of master that.”
With 25 goals on the season, Hernandez was named the U-18 Player of the Year for the West Conference. He was third on the team in scoring, behind national co-leaders Damian German and Brooks Lennon who had 34 goals apiece.
“It’s an awesome award for a player to win. I know Jose will be the first to say it’s on behalf of the team, but it takes a special player to win that award,” Waibel said.
Additionally, Martin Vasquez was named Coach of the Year at the U-18 level. At the U-16 level, defender McKay Eves was named to the Starting XI for the West Conference.
The season ended a run for the U-18s that included one national championship out of three title game appearances. The legacy goes beyond that, though, as the run from that team advanced what was already a solid organization that had produced several professionals in MLS and abroad.
“What they’ve done is continued and built upon the short legacy that we’re building down there as a club and as an Academy,” Waibel said. “What it proves to the soccer player around the United States and internationally, is that if you would like to develop and become an elite player – not just a good player, but an elite player – that we have the setup and the structure and we put in the resources to do that. It’s nothing short of the perfect path to become a great player.”
