Sounders FC Academy kicks off 2015-16 year

Upcoming Matches
September 5^th

• Sounders FC U-15 vs. Portland Timbers FC U-15 (10:00 a.m. PT)
• Sounders FC U-14 vs. Portland Timbers FC U-14 (12:00 p.m. PT)

September 6^th

• Sounders FC U-18 at Portland Timbers FC U-18 (2:00 p.m. PT, Portland Timbers Training Facility)
• Sounders FC U-16 at Portland Timbers FC U-16 (4:30 p.m. PT, Portland Timbers Training Facility)

September 7^th

• Sounders FC U-15 vs. Seattle United U-17 (10:00 a.m. PT, Starfire Stadium)
• Sounders FC U-14 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps U-14 (12:00 p.m. PT, Starfire Stadium)

This weekend kicks off the 2015-16 season for the various Sounders Academy teams. All four squads will be in action for their first competitive games of the year, with the U-16 and U-18 sides playing their inaugural matches of the Development Academy season.

The U-14 team will get their first taste of the fervent Cascadia Cup rivalry with matches against both Portland Timbers FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. With two games in quick succession, the newest members of Sounders FC will learn quickly what it means to pull on the Rave Green jersey.

After a short trip down Interstate 5, the U-16s and U-18s will attempt to jump out to an early lead in the Northwest Conference by defeating the Timbers.

Moving on Up

The U-18s will be without attacking midfielder Pablo Paleaz and leftback Nicholas Hinds, who have joined up with the U.S. U-20 National Team for the Stevan Vilotic Tournament in Serbia. Furthermore, U-18 squad will be without midfielder Lorenzo Ramos, who has been called up to S2 in order to aid the fight for a USL Playoff spot.

Coach’s Take
“The coaches and players have worked really hard this preseason. We are now looking forward to the competitive matches and look forward to the weekend with great anticipation.”

-Academy Technical Director Marc Nicholls

Ones to Watch

U-16 standouts Joe Hafferty, Johnny Reynolds, and Oscar Zepeda will look to take the lessons learned from the ESP showcase during All-Star Weekend. All three players represented the MLS Academy West All Star team that faced the Bayern Munich U-16s.