For the second straight weekend, the Sporting Kansas City Academy combined to go unbeaten in a U.S. Soccer Development Academy tripleheader at Swope Soccer Village.
Seven days after sweeping Solar Soccer Club, the Sporting KC U-15s, U-17s and U-19s hosted Houston Dynamo Youth on a goal-filled Saturday afternoon. Two of the three matches ended in draws while the Sporting KC U-17s claimed an impressive shutout victory to keep hold of third place in the Central Conference's Frontier Division.
U-19s: Sporting KC 4-4 Dynamo Youth
The U-19s (10-5-2, 32 points) played to a breathless 4-4 draw with their Houston counterparts in a wild, back-and-forth encounter that saw both sides trade punches throughout. Sporting KC raced out to a flying start as Abdu Kikhia and Camilo Benitez scored within the first 12 minutes. The scoreline would remain 2-0 until Houston roared back after the break, taking a 3-2 lead by the 67th minute as Adrian Franco Salaverria, Manoel Silva and Roel Pena each found the back of the net.
Head coach Jon Parry's men mounted a late rally as the match hit a thrilling climax, with Wilson Harris and Roman Knox scoring in the 85th and 86th minutes to restore Sporting KC's supremacy. There was one last twist in the tale, however, as Houston equalized on 87 minutes through Salaverria's second goal of the day. The draw leaves Sporting KC occupying third place in the U-19 Frontier Division, narrowly ahead of Real Colorado for the final automatic qualifying spot for the Development Academy Playoffs in June.
U-17s: Sporting KC 4-0 Dynamo Youth
The U-17s (10-6-1, 31 points) cruised to their third consecutive league victory behind a wire-to-wire performance that featured two goals in either half. Jonathan Munoz opened the scoring in the 31st minute and Ryan Fessler added a second just before halftime. Gabe Findley made it 3-0 near the hour mark and Michael Scavuzzo struck in the 84th minute to cement the win.
Head coach Rumbani Munthali's side is also third in the U-17 Frontier Division standings, level on points with Real Colorado but holding the points per game tiebreaker with two matches in hand.
U-15s: Sporting KC 2-2 Dynamo Youth
The U-15s (4-8-2, 14 points) almost secured a third straight win and ultimately settled for a point on Saturday. Coby Jones gave Sporting KC its first lead in the 27th minute, but Houston's Tade Omoniwa equalized in the opening moments of the second half. Osvaldo Cisneros restored his team's cushion shortly thereafter, only for Cezar Onut to pull the Dynamo level yet again with 10 minutes remaining.
Up Next: Double-dip in Colorado
All three teams will travel west this weekend as the 2017-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season rolls onward. The U-15s, U-17s and U-19s will face the Colorado Rush on Saturday at Aurora Sports Park before meeting Real Colorado on Sunday at Real Colorado Soccer Complex. Follow the Academy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (skcacademy) for live updates this weekend and throughout the year.
