The Sporting Kansas City Academy U-19s and U-15s earned impressive victories over perennial powerhouse FC Dallas on Saturday morning as the MLS NEXT spring season continued at Swope Soccer Village.
The U-19s posted their second consecutive league win with a comprehensive 3-0 result, while the U-15s emerged triumphant in a 3-2 thriller. The U-17s and U-14s also delivered competitive performances against FC Dallas but fell short in narrow defeats.
U-19s ride to 3-0 win
Led by head coach Rumba Munthali, the Sporting KC U-19s (2-4-1) enjoyed one of their best performances of the season at the expense of an FC Dallas side that failed to beat goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki. Alex Umama fired the hosts ahead in the 14th minute off a Coby Jones corner kick and Michael Lenis doubled the lead with a deflected strike just before halftime.
Sporting put the finishing touches on their wire-to-wire display in the 49th minute when another Jones corner kick caused problems for the Dallas defense. The ball pinged around the penalty area to Draven Barnett, who slammed home to make the score 3-0. Krenecki’s best save en route to the clean sheet came in the 63rd minute when he dove at full extension to turn aside a Dallas shot.
U-15s prevail in 3-2 thriller
Head coach Chris O’Neal presided over a five-goal barnburner that saw the U-15s improve to 6-2-1 on the season. Sporting wasted no time landing the first punch as Ryan Reid scored within 10 seconds of kickoff, embarking on a solo run through the central channel and picking out the low left corner. After Dallas equalized in the seventh minute, Reid was involved again by creating a turnover and playing to Thomas Mancuso, whose neat finish restored Sporting’s advantage.
Dallas drew level once more in the 26th minute, but it didn’t stop Sporting from claiming all three points. With 74 minutes on the clock, Macielo Tschantret floated a ball into the box for Reid, who beat a defender and cannoned a shot past the Dallas goalkeeper to cement the late 3-2 win.
U-17s and U-14s take hard-fought losses
The four-game set ended with a pair of hard-fought games involving the U-17s and U-14s. In a tightly contested U-17 matchup, Sporting (1-6-1) fell behind early but restored parity in the 33rd minute when Mataeo Bunbury drew a foul in the box and Nico Pendleton buried the ensuing penalty kick. Dallas would surge back ahead in the 52nd minute, however, and saw out the 2-1 result. The U-14s (4-3-1) were seconds away from securing a 0-0 draw, but Dallas struck the game’s lone goal in the final moments.
Next up: Solar Soccer Club at Swope
Five Sporting KC Academy teams will resume their MLS NEXT campaigns next Saturday at Swope Soccer Village when Texas-based club Solar SC visits for matches involving the U-19s, U-17s, U-15s, U-14s and U-13s. Games will be free and open to the public, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for updates next weekend and throughout the year.
