The Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy U-16 team is gearing up for the start of the 2015-2016 season next week in Casa Grande, Arizona, and after a 17-14-11 season last season that had it just out of the playoffs, it is poised to follow in the footsteps of the U-18 team from a year ago that reached the national championship match after a record-breaking season.
Last year’s U-16s had an attack that spread the goals out among several players and also had one of the top defenses in the division. And while it wasn’t enough to get into the postseason, that experience leaves the team hungry for better things in the new season.
At the heart of that team is McKay Eves, a center back with U.S. Youth National Team experience that serves as one of the leaders of the club as it readies to face Pateadores in the season opener at Grande Sports World on September 12.
“Last year it was a good learning experience for everyone. We struggled a lot at some times, but there were definitely some highs to learn from,” Eves said. “We have a bunch of guys that are the core group for this U-16 team and we’re hoping all these guys can lead and teach the new players the ropes. It’s always hard to live up to where our 18s were last year – they broke a lot of records that I’m sure won’t be broken for a long time. They set a high standard for us to live up to and we’re trying to get there.”
Eves is well-traveled, having lived in Maryland, Texas, Alaska, Nevada and California before making his home in Casa Grande, for the RSL-Arizona residency program. He’s used those experiences to help him improve as a player, but it has also helped him in adjusting to new environments, particularly when he is away on international duty.
He has been a regular with the U.S. U-16 National Team and has even served as captain on several occasions.
“It’s good to get different perspectives everywhere I’ve lived,” Eves said from Casa Grande, where he is getting ready to start his second season with the Academy. “You just try to learn something new everywhere you go.”
Now in his second season with RSL-AZ, he has his eyes on the path blazed by players before him that have come from the Academy to Real Salt Lake. With players like Justen Glad, Sebastian Saucedo and more signing out of the Academy, he sees the system in Arizona sets players up to succeed at the professional and international levels.
“It’s definitely good to see. That’s everyone’s goal down here to get to the first team eventually,” Eves said. “Justen Glad, Sebastian Saucedo, Fito Ovalle – they all set the standard for us and we’re all trying to work our way up to where they’re at right now.”
Check back next week as we preview the U-18 season with Alec Felix.
