The Sounders Academy U-15 team returned to Seattle this week after a successful showing down at the USSDA end-of-season showcase in San Diego, Calif.
Squaring off against three sides that finished in the top three of their respective divisions -- North Carolina FC (Southeast), Colorado Rapids (Central) and New York City FC (Northeast) -- the young Sounders rattled off two wins and a draw.
“I was really happy, we finished off the season well with three quality performances against some good teams,” said U-15 Head Coach Sean Henderson. “We focused more on ourselves than our opponents, and I think that the kids did a pretty good job of setting goals for themselves and then reaching them.”
Despite carving out numerous high-quality chances, the Rave Green settled for a scoreless draw with the Rapids in the event’s opening match.
They quickly rebounded, though, as the young Sounders brushed aside North Carolina FC 2-0, with striker Austin Brummett and center back Eric Kinzner scoring the decisive goals.
In the last match, the Rave Green dismantled a dynamic, possession-oriented NYC FC behind a hat-trick from Pac NW alum Lomeri Torujo, winning the match 3-1.
“We had the youngest U-15 team in the country, no other team had close to the number of players playing up as we did,” added Henderson. “We had seven players on the roster who are eligible to play for the U-15s again next season, and they’ll join what is a really strong 2004 [Sounders Discovery Program] group. And our U-17s are the youngest team in the country for their age group, so we’ve really positioned the Academy for success in the next few years.”
It was a fitting end to what has been a stellar campaign for the U-15s in their inaugural DA season. The performances at the showcase were an accurate reflection of the overall season, as the Sounders, who scored 74 goals in just 30 regular season games, produced their typical brand of aesthetic, progressive soccer.
With 12 graduates of the Sounders Discovery Program on the roster, the U-15s’ successful 2017-18 season is symbolic of the club’s prominent player identification and development infrastructure.
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” said Henderson. “Where we are right now compared to where we were two years ago, it’s amazing the steps we’ve been able to take in terms of the quality of our players and also our playing style. The noticeable progress that we’ve made in a relatively short period of time has been pretty awesome.”
