The RSL Academy suffered back-to-back defeats at LA Galaxy over the weekend, with the U15s dropping a heartbreaking 4-3 result and the U17s falling 5-0, mainly due to roster rotation.
Head Coach Andrew May had majority of his first-choice squad for the Los Angeles, CA trip, with the exception of defender Luis Rivera who was playing up with Real Monarchs in MLS NEXT Pro.
The team got off to a commanding lead with a goal from Anthony Ramirez and a brace from Zavier Gozo. It seemed as if Gozo may have his chance at a hat trick when the referee whistled for a penalty, but the forward’s shot was block. Moments later Gozo received a second yellow for diving in the box, leaving RSL with just 10 men to finish out the match. For there LA Galaxy were able to crawl back into the match, ultimately getting the game-winning goal after a penalty was called, leading to the 4-3 defeat of the Claret-and-Cobalt.
At the U17 level Head Coach Jordan Allen had a partially depleted roster as eight of his players were sent to train and play with the Monarchs. Despite best efforts, the RSL Academy were unable to overcome the polished and full strength LA Galaxy, falling 5-0. However, all eight of his players got minutes during the Monarchs' match against Tacoma Defiance.
The RSL Academy is back at Zions Bank Training Facility on April 2 after a three-week hiatus, hosting Portland Timbers Academy with the first match scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. MT.