The Sporting Kansas City Academy kicked off their 2015-16 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season in emphatic fashion last weekend with a sweep of Solar Chelsea SC. The U-18s won their opening match 5-0 while the U-16s took home a 4-1 win.
Sunday’s U-18 match featured a pair of teams who earned wild card berths in last year’s Development Academy playoffs. Solar Chelsea have been one of the most consistent programs in the Development Academy with playoff berths in each of the past four years and five of the past six.
Four different players tallied for the Sporting KC Academy in Sunday’s victory. Will Little scored twice while Adam Collinsworth, Fernando Borges and Joe Corner each added a goal in the victory. Goalkeeper Steve Tekesky earned a shutout in the squad’s opening game of the year.
In the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Sporting KC U-16s scored early and often en route to a dominant win over Solar Chelsea. Abdu Kikhia put the visitors ahead 1-0 in the 15th minute before Max Rugova doubled the lead with a well-taken penalty kick in the 27th minute. Jacob Hall and Sheldon China each scored in the second half as the Sporting KC U-16s earned their first win over Solar Chelsea
The Sporting KC U-16s put in a dominant performance despite having one of the younger teams in the League. Eight players who started for last summer’s U-15 US Youth Soccer National Championship squad featured for the U-16s on Sunday.
Both teams will now head home this weekend for a pair of matches against the Colorado Rapids Academy. The U-16s will kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday followed by the U-18s at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday, the U-16s and U-14s will kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the U-18s at 12:30 p.m. All home matches are played at Swope Soccer Village and are free and open to the public. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for full updates.
