The Sporting Kansas City Academy enjoyed a successful trip to Texas United this weekend, collecting three wins and a draw on Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. The U-19s, U-17s and U-15s all emerged victorious as the 2021-22 MLS NEXT regular season rolled onward, while the U-14s claimed a draw to ensure that Sporting ended the afternoon unbeaten
U-19s prevail 2-1
In a competitive game that hung in the balance, the Sporting KC U-19s prevailed 2-1 with second-half goals from Braxton Arpachinda and Jayvin Van Deventer. Arpachinda opened the scoring on the hour mark, hammering home a blistering shot from the top of the box after receiving a pass from George Medill.
Texas United equalized five minutes later, but Sporting bagged the match-winner on 79 minutes when Medill tallied his second assist by playing to Van Deventer, whose 25-yard thunderbolt gave head coach Rumba Munthali’s side a deserved victory.
U-17s take 1-0 victory
Stingy defending was the name of the game for a Sporting KC U-17 outfit led by head coach and club legend Benny Feilhaber. The lone goal of the match came after 35 minutes when Luis Agustin Cruz-Ayala whipped in a corner kick that Ryan Wagner headed past the Texas United goalkeeper.
U-15s claim 3-1 win
Under the guidance of head coach Chris O’Neal, the U-15s continued their winning ways in comeback fashion. After conceding a 35th-minute goal and facing a 1-0 deficit at halftime, Sporting restored parity two minutes into the second half when Leo Christiano assisted a goal from Luis Ortiz. Christiano then went from provider to goal scorer, sending a fantastic free kick into the top corner to give Sporting a 2-1 advantage. On the brink of full time, the U-15s added an insurance goal as Angel Franco put the result out of reach.
U-14s earn 1-1 draw
Led by head coach Declan Jogi, the U-14s went ahead 1-0 with a Troy Lor penalty kick in the 51st minute. Texas United drew level with eight minutes remaining as the teams settled for a 1-1 stalemate.
Up Next: U-17s visit St. Louis City SC on Saturday
The Academy will return to action on Saturday as the U-17s travel to take on cross-state rivals St. Louis City SC. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT and fans can follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for in-game updates throughout the MLS NEXT season.
