Three Sporting Kansas City Academy sides were in Houston over the weekend for a pair of matches in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy against Texas Rush and Texans SC Houston. The U-18s and U-16s continued their respective playoff pushes with mixed results, while the U-14s notched a pair of victories.
Istvan Urbanyi's side fell 1-0 to Texas Rush on Saturday before earning a 2-2 draw with Texans SC on Sunday. Absalom Solorio and John Leisman scored goals as the U-18s drew level late in the match despite playing with 10 men. Sporting KC (9-6-2, 29 points) now sits fourth in the Frontier Division of the USSDA's Central Conference, one spot out of automatic playoff qualification. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs commence in June.
The U-16s opened with a 2-1 loss to Texas Rush but bounced back the next day with a 3-2 triumph over Texans SC Houston. Collin Innes was on target in the defeat, while Jacob Hall, Karson Kendall and Abdu Kikhia scored in the win. Sunday's outcome lifted Jon Parry's team (8-7-2, 26 points) into playoff position and third place in the Frontier Division.
A pair of narrow victories saw the U-14s extend their winning streak to four games in the USSDA. Coached by former Sporting KC player Josh Gardner, the team beat Texas Rush 3-2 before topping Texans SC Houston 2-1. Aidan Bates bagged a brace and Josh Chong added a third in Saturday's back-and-forth affair. Bates was back at it again Sunday, scoring his third of the weekend to go with a strike from Alexander Glynn.
The U-16s and U-18s return to Swope Soccer Village this weekend as both sides will square off twice against the Houston Dynamo. The U-18s kick off at 10 a.m. CT and the U-16s kick off at 12:30 p.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday. All games are open to the public and free to attend.
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