The 2016-17 USSDA season kicks off in earnest this weekend as all four Sounders FC Academy squads play their first competitive fixtures of the new campaign.
For some players, especially the new U-14 team, the upcoming games will be their first time pulling on the Rave Green jersey as a member of the Seattle Sounders youth system. The U-15 squad, meanwhile, will look for continued development after winning the Youdan Trophy in Sheffield, England this summer (video above), with a few individuals pushing for playing time on the U-16 team.
Both of the younger Academy squads will play two years up in the Far West Regional League, and will face off against the top club teams from Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho.
A combination of quality new signings and talented players who have come up through Seattle’s Academy system will line up for the U-16 and U-18 squads against in-state rivals Crossfire on Saturday. The young Sounders in these groups will enter the new season in fine form, with as many as half of the players in the pool having spent the summer training or playing for S2.
“It’s always a difficult game against Crossfire as they never give anything away for free,” said Academy Director Marc Nicholls. “We’ve got a really deep and competitive pool of players so we anticipate a good game against them.”
The U-18 team will be bolstered by the return of midfielders Habib Barry and Jake Morris from USMNT U-19 duty. Both Barry and Morris, who have spent time significant time training with S2, earned their first starts for coach Brad Friedel’s squad at the Stevan Vilotic Tournament in Serbia.
The U-16 team, however, will be without Youdan Trophy Golden Boot winner Azriel Gonzalez, as he was recently called into the U-16 USYNT.
The full list of fixtures for the opening weekend is provided below.
Sept. 10
- Sounders FC U-14 vs. Alaska ODP U-16 (10:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Sports)
- Sounders FC U-18 at Crossfire Premier U-18 (3:00 p.m. PT, 60 Acres Soccer Complex – South Side Field #22)
- Sounders FC U-16 at Crossfire Premier U-16 (5:15 p.m. PT, 60 Acres Soccer Complex – South Side Field #22)
Sept. 11
- Sounders FC U-14 vs. Seattle United U-16 (3:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports)
- Sounders FC U-15 vs. Washington Premier FC U-17 (5:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports)
