When Real Salt Lake travels to Frisco, Texas, on Friday in advance of the club’s match against FC Dallas on Saturday, RSL will already have representation in Frisco, as the U-18 and U-16 academy teams are in the USSDA National Playoffs this week.
With both teams now in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, RSL’s Arizona-based Academy, led by Technical Director and Head Coach Martin Vasquez, is a story of consistency in a world when things can ebb and flow with the changing landscape of the academy system and the quality of different classes from year-to-year.
“It says a lot about the sustained success of the Academy. Youth soccer can go up and down so quickly if you’re focused on one position or one player carries your team, it decreases the ability to transition,” Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel said. “The success that we’ve had over the course of six years at both levels is a testament to the staff that has been there and that is currently there, but Martin is the consistent factor. To be able to consistently produce players that are making the transition into high-level college soccer, USL soccer and some of them MLS soccer is pretty incredible and this is just a continuation of that.”
The U-18s topped the Southwest Division with a 22-6-8 record with a plus-43 goal differential while the U-16s finished the season 18-13-5 with a plus-18 goal difference to earn a wild card berth in the playoffs. The two teams have used much different approaches, but have reached the same results.
Featuring the forward tandem of Elijah Rice and David Ramos, the U-18s were a potent scoring bunch, ranking seventh in the USSDA with 77 goals on the season. Rice finished the year with 26 goals to share the national lead in scoring while Ramos had 13 goals himself.
Rice has been a revelation this year and projects as a future pro, continuing the pipeline from Arizona that has produced the likes of current RSL regulars Justen Glad and Jordan Allen, among others.
“He’s really done a very good job for himself, scoring goals consistently. We’re impressed with what he’s brought. We know that he’s set to go to University of Washington, which makes me very proud,” said Waibel, himself a product of UW in Seattle. “But at the same time we’re keeping our eye on him and when the timing is right he’ll become a part of our professional family.”
At the U-16 level, Aristotle Zarris led the group with 11 goals and six different players tallied five goals or more. Without a single player to depend on to break a game open with goals in bunches, the U-16s relied on a pack mentality that led to a top-three defense in the competitive Southwest Division.
“I think we have a little bit of both going on right now. ‘By committee’ is another interesting dynamic because it requires a group mentality on both sides of the ball. When it’s by committee and you have tight games, it creates that camaraderie and there’s a different feel in the locker room where every player has to do their job on the day knowing that if they don’t succeed in doing their job, there isn’t that unique 20-goal scorer to cover up for your mistake.”
The playoffs kicked off on Wednesday, with the U-18s getting goals from Rice and midfielder Marco Gonzalez to top the North Carolina Fusion 2-0 while Zarris scored to earn a 1-1 draw for the U-16s against the Philadelphia Union. The U-16s meet Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday before closing off the Group Stage on Sunday against Miami-based Kendall SC. The U-18s meet Seattle Sounders FC on Friday and will finish group play against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday.
Winners from each group will advance to the next stage of the tournament July 6-7, followed by the Academy Championships in Carson, California, July 14-16.
