After a series of home matches against Crossfire Premier, all three Seattle Sounders Academy sides return to USSDA action with a home slate against fellow MLS Academy side, the LA Galaxy. Facing a fellow professional youth side with a strong reputation for developing elite players, the young Sounders will face a valuable test against the Galaxy. On Sunday, the Rave Green will host Western Conference competitor FC Golden State, with the U-17s and U-19s looking to secure their spots in the upcoming USSDA playoffs.
Recent Results
U-19
- Sounders FC 0 at Crossfire Premier 3 | May 12
U-17
- Sounders FC 4 at Crossfire Premier 2 | May 12
U-15
- Sounders FC 0 at Crossfire Premier 1 | May 12
Since the club prioritizes developing professional players over winning league matches at the youth level, all three squads were missing players either through U.S. youth national team call-ups or playing up for S2. This meant that the youth teams were unable to field their strongest lineups for the matches against Crossfire.
The U-17s, however, managed to tally four goals in a massive win, despite missing Azriel Gonzalez, Marlon Vargas and Blake Malone for the match, as the trio played for S2 at the weekend.
S2 midfielder Ray Serrano struck first for the Rave Green, with the 16-year-old pouncing on a rebound in the fifth minute. Holding midfielder Peter Kingston added a second midway through the second half when Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez earned a free kick 20 yards from goal. Kingston whipped in an inch-perfect free kick, curling his shot over the wall and into the bottom corner. Left midfielder Ethan Dobbelaere put the game to rest just two minutes later, guiding his first-time shot past the Crossfire goalkeeper. With his second goal in three games, Ocampo-Chavez rounded out the scoring in the 89th minute.
The U-15s were also left shorthanded as they were without the services of striker Austin Brummett and attacking midfielder Juan Alvarez, both of whom are with the United States U-15 national team in Croatia.
The young Sounders now turn their sights toward home matches against LA Galaxy, a matchup that features two of the top clubs in MLS when it comes to promoting top youth talents into the USL ranks.
Upcoming Fixtures
May 19
- Sounders FC U-17 vs. LA Galaxy U-17 | 10:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 1
- Sounders FC U-15 vs. LA Galaxy U-15 | 12:30 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
- Sounders FC U-19 vs. LA Galaxy U-19 | 12:30 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 1
May 20
- Sounders FC U-15 vs. FC Golden State U-15 | 9:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
- Sounders FC U-17 vs. FC Golden State U-17 | 11:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
- Sounders FC U-19 vs. FC Golden State U-19 | 1:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Sports Field 11
The Pathway
On Friday, May 11, Sounders Academy U-17 prospect Marlon Vargas inked his first professional contract with Sounders FC 2, making him sixth youth-team player to sign directly with the USL side since the start of 2017. You can read all about his first start, which came against Timbers 2 just one day after signing, here.
For Club and Country
Sounders Academy views USYNT involvement as a critical component of developing elite professional players. In the past month, five players — Sam Fowler (U-19), Danny Leyva (U-16), Eric Kinzner (U-16), Austin Brummett (U-15) and Juan Alvarez (U-15) — have been called up to represent their various youth national teams for international trips. S2 center back Sam Rogers, who spent four years in the Academy, recently received his second call-up to the U.S. U-20s.
Coach’s Take
“We look forward to the matches against the Galaxy this weekend,” said Sounders FC Director of Player Development and Academy Director Marc Nicholls. “We always enjoy playing other MLS clubs as they provide quality competition. They have a good track record of developing quality players, so it’s an important challenge for our teams.”
