Martin Vasquez let his players wander the field a bit more than normal after the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy U-18’s match against Nomads FC on Thursday at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Arizona. For many in the white Real Salt Lake kits, the referee’s final whistle on a 2-1 defeat signaled the end not just of a highly successful season, but of a long journey through the Academy that saw them leave families behind in pursuit of their soccer dreams in the remote campus that has produced a USSDA National Championship team and a few others that reached the national finals.
“I’m very proud of them. At the beginning of the year, we had guys coming from different places, guys that we’ve had over the years and they came together. They became a team and finished playing like a team,” said Vasquez – the Technical Director and Head Coach of the RSL-Arizona Academy. “The emotions – their work – at a time like this, you just have to be proud of them and what they’ve accomplished and not just focused on the result today. I thought our play was good. We didn’t get the result but we played like we did all year long.”
Nomads broke through early in the match when a deep free kick caused some chaos in front of the net and the rebound spilled to the wrong player and it found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead for the visitors from California.
RSL composed itself and turned the tables in the other direction, putting pressure on the Nomads net throughout the first half, but the goalkeeper kept RSL at bay and the home side lacked the final touch to equalize.
That continued throughout the second half, with corners and free kicks setting up opportunities only to come up empty as both teams fought for every inch on the field. Before RSL could get on the board, though, Nomads would add another on a misplayed ball the sprung the counterattack, pulling the goalkeeper off his line and leaving an open net for the Nomads forward to extend the lead to 2-0.
RSL would pull one back from the penalty spot on a goal from Kris Fourcand in stoppage time, but couldn’t get more than that, ending the season – and for many an Academy career – with a 2-1 defeat.
“It’s heartbreaking. The boys had a very successful season winning the division. They went to Dallas to the playoffs and we got the draw and it was a very tough group. That was huge and coming in tonight with everything going for us – I thought the fight, the attitude, the football was there – they scored the goals. They had two chances and they put them away,” Vasquez said. “You’ve got to win to advance and if you lose you’re out. That’s why it’s a heartbreaking situation for the boys.”
The U-18s finished the year with a 22-6-8 record and a 2-1-1 record in the playoffs, continuing RSL’s long tradition of success at the Academy level.
Similarly, the U-16s finished their season with a 3-1 defeat on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas, against the highly-touted FC Dallas Academy. That ended a surprising run for the U-16s after an up and down season. Although they posted a record of 18-13-5 to earn a wild card berth in the playoffs, they were able to climb their way to the quarterfinals with a 2-0-1 record before falling to Dallas on Wednesday.
“It was out of nowhere. Our season with the 16s was a little bit of a roller coaster but we got in the playoffs. You fight, you battle, you go through the whole season to get to the playoffs and when they got to the playoffs they earned going to the quarterfinal,” Vasquez said. “For them, it’s part of their development, part of their growth and I’m sure next year they’ll be more consistent during the season and I’m sure that will help us finish the season higher in the seeds. They surprised a lot of people and they did it playing very good football and winning the group.”
