SANDY, Utah – The Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy Under-18 and Under-16 teams will begin their participation in the 2013-14 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs today. The tournament will be held from Monday, June 23 through Friday, June 27 at Grand Parks Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. Both the RSL-AZ U-18’s and U-16’s will play three group matches with the top finisher in the group hosting a quarterfinal matchup. The winner of the quarterfinal game will advance to Finals Week at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, July 17-19.
The RSL-AZ U-18’s will kick off its playoff run today, taking on the Indiana Fire at 10:15 a.m. MT. The U-18’s will then face Concorde Fire on Tuesday, June 24 at 10:15 a.m. MT and will close out the week with a match against Seattle Sounders FC U-18’s on Thursday, June 26 at 8:00 a.m. MT. The RSL-AZ U-18’s finished second in their age group in the Southwest Division with an 18-4-5 record and total of 59 points to qualify for the Academy Playoffs.
The RSL-AZ U-16’s will begin its playoff action tomorrow when it faces NJSA 04 at 2:30 p.m. MT. The U-16’s will then take on Georgia United on Wednesday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. MT and finish group play against St. Louis Gallagher Missouri on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. MT. The RSL-AZ U-16’s finished first in the Southwest Division with a 21-4-2 record for a total of 65 points to qualify for the Academy Playoffs. The RSL-AZ U-16’s are reigning U.S. Soccer Development Academy Champions, taking home the title in 2013.
Widely considered one of the top youth academies in the country, the Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy has a long history of accomplishment. Both the U-16 and U-18 Academy teams have qualified for the Academy playoffs every year of its existence, with the RSL U-16 team winning the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-16 national championship in 2013. In 2014, the RSL-AZ Academy U-16 team reached the 2014 Generation adidas Cup Championship. The RSL-AZ Academy also provides a steady flow of players to U.S. Soccer Youth National Teams, with no fewer than six players earning call-ups to the U.S. U-20, U-18 and U-16 National Teams in the last year.
RSL-AZ U-18 U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY PLAYOFFS ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS: Luis Barraza, Chase Bishov
DEFENDERS: Justen Glad, Erik Holt, Te Hudson-Wihongi, Grant Livingston, Dillon Nino, Moises Rodriguez
MIDFIELDERS: Corey Baird, Matthias Binder, Jack Gayton, Damian German, Jose Hernandez, Luis Lopez
FORWARDS: Eric Carbajal, San Gleadle, Gui Lemme, David Villegas
RSL-AZ U-16 U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY PLAYOFFS ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS: Christian Herrera, Conor Orton
DEFENDERS: Gavino Carranza, Aaron Herrera, Alex Knox, Nicholas LaMonica, Diego Silva, Miles Stray
MIDFIELDERS: Danilo Acosta, Tyler Feeley, Adolfo Ovalle, Tate Schmitt, Evan Waldrep
FORWARDS: Josh Doughty, Kristopher Fourcand, Terrell Lowe, Sebastian Saucedo, Leonard Fuchs
2013-14 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY PLAYOFFS & SHOWCASE SCHEDULE
(All matches played at the Grand Parks Sports Campus, Westfield, Indiana)
Monday, June 23
10:15 a.m. MT- U-18’s v. Indiana Fire
Tuesday, June 24
10:15 a.m. MT- U-18’s v. Concorde Fire
2:30 p.m. MT- U-16’s v. NJSA 04
Wednesday, June 25
2:00 p.m. MT- U-16’s v. Georgia United
Thursday, June 26
8:00 a.m. MT- U-18’s v. Seattle Sounders FC U-18’s
Friday, June 27
9:00 a.m. MT - U-16's v. St. Louis Gallagher Missouri
