D.C. United’s Academy Teams earned a combined record of 1-1-2 over the weekend, as the U-18 and U-16 sides faced FC Delco and PA Classics in USSDA matches.
United’s U-18’s showed their character on Saturday, May 12 to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw against FC Delco. After conceding two goals in the opening five minutes, United responded immediately with a long-distance goal from Patrick Foss (South Riding, Va.). Twenty minutes later, Brad Vorv (Bethesda, Md./Olney Rangers) scored the tying goal with a powerful header, sealing the final result to 2-2.
On Sunday, the U-18’s defeated PA Classics 2-1 after coming back from a 0-1 deficit. Patrick Foss tied the match once again with a 25-yard lob over the PA Classics’ goalkeeper, while Jannik Eckenrode (Springfield, Va./Annandale BGC) secured the victory in the 65th minute after heading in a cross from Jalen Robinson (Catonsville, Md.). With Sunday’s win, the U-18’s finished the weekend unbeaten.
“The guys showed great character to earn deserved points this weekend versus two top divisional teams,” said United U-18 Head Coach Nolan Sheldon. “After falling behind early in both matches, the team displayed composure and competitiveness to earn a point on Saturday and maximum points on Sunday. Aside from the opening minutes of each match, the team played at a very high level.”
The U-16’s secured a 1-1 draw against FC Delco on Saturday, thanks to a tying goal by Nigel Robinson (Woodbridge, Va./ Forest Park High School) in the final five minutes of the match. The Black-and-Red were unfortunate on Sunday, as they conceded an own goal in a 1-0 loss to PA Classics.
“Overall, we were very happy with how we kept the ball in both matches,” said United U-16 Head Coach Tom Torres. “The response to going down on Saturday was excellent in the draw. Sunday turned into an all out attack after the own goal, and we were simply unfortunate to not finish any of our chances. The defensive work and build up have been solid, so we will plan to focus much of our attention on combination play and finishing this week in training.”
