The Sporting Kansas City Academy returned to snowy Swope Soccer Village on Saturday for its first U.S. Soccer Development Academy matches at the state-of-the-art venue since last October.
The U-18s (11-7-0, 33 points) kept hold of third place in the Frontier Division after falling 2-0 to Texans SC Houston. Sporting KC created no shortage of opportunities — as Sebastian Cruz, Leroy Enzugusi, Mario Mangana and Stanley Innocent all came close to breaking the deadlock — but late goals from Fabian Becerra and Mitchell Cashion gave the visitors all three points.
The second game of Saturday’s frigid doubleheader saw the U-16s claim a 4-2 victory over Texans SC. The result gave Sporting KC (14-3-1, 43 points) an even tighter grip on second place in the Frontier Division, 13 points ahead of third-place Colorado Rapids and just three points behind leaders FC Dallas. Only three Academy clubs across the nation have scored more goals during the 2016-17 campaign than Sporting KC’s 56.
The U-16s dominated early and were rewarded in the 22nd minute when Jonathan Munoz’s long-range effort skipped across the wet turf and into the back of the net. Jonathan Cervantes equalized on the half-hour mark, but Massimo McGuire restored Sporting KC’s lead six minutes later after finishing off an attack involving Colin Innes and Abdu Kikhia.
Three minutes into the second half, Innes bagged a sensational goal of his own with a 30-yard belter that extended Sporting KC’s advantage. Ryan Fessler made it 4-1 with an excellent solo run and close-range finish before Cervantes gave Texans SC a consolation strike just before the final whistle.
Next Up
The U-18s and U-16s remain home next Saturday for a doubleheader against Lonestar SC at Swope Soccer Village. The U-18s take the field at 10 a.m. CT and the U-16s kick off at 12:30 p.m, with both games free and open to the public. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates throughout the season.
