Academy update - U-16

D.C. United's U-16 Academy team ended their winning streak this past Saturday with a 2 all draw at FC Delco in Radnor, PA.

After going up early 2-0, D.C. United’s U-16 squad ended its match an even 2-2 against FC Delco’s U-16’s. In the 19th minute, Gerson Umana (Lorton, Va.) bended in a corner kick that Julian Cummings (Fredericksburg, Va.) put away. Another Umana corner kick saw Graydon Hester (Middleburg, Va.) finish 10 minutes later to make it 2-0 within the first 30 minutes of the match. FC Delco answered before the end of the first half, and later scored off of a counter-attack with 10 minutes left to play to tie it up at two apiece.

“We were happy that the boys were relentless with their offensive pressure, and were unfortunate to not finish some quality chances,” said U-16 Head Coach Tom Torres. “It was a little concerning how a couple of lapses occurred to concede goals, but it will give us plenty of coaching points for training this week before next week's trip to New Jersey.”

The U-16's will next take on the Players Development Academy U-16 team on Saturday, November 17 at 2:30 p.m. in Zarephath, NJ.

Several former Academy players at the collegiate Division I level recently received end-of-season conference accolades. Collin Martin (Wake Forest; Chevy Chase, Md.), Jalen Robinson (Wake Forest; Catonsville, Md.) and Marcus Salandy-Defour (Virginia; Kensington, Md.) were all named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. Sophomore Dario Redondo (Radford; Woodbridge, Va.) earned All-Big South Second Team honors while teammate Jannik Eckenrode (Radford; Springfield, Va.) was selected to the Big South All-Freshman Team. Additionally, sophomore Mikias Eticha (Maryland; Falls Church, Va.) made starts in both the conference semifinal and final to help guide the No. 2 Terrapins to the ACC title yesterday, a 2-1 win over No. 3 University of North Carolina at the Maryland SoccerPlex.