Three Sporting Kansas City Academy teams continued their 2019-20 U.S. Soccer Development Academy regular season campaigns on Saturday at Swope Soccer Village.
The Sporting KC U-15s and U-17s experienced dissimilar results against the Dallas Texans, while the U-19s came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Minnesota-based Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
U-15s take 4-2 loss
The Sporting KC U-15s (0-2-0, 0 points), who were first to take the field in Saturday’s tripleheader at Children’s Mercy Victory Field, wasted no time landing the first punch. Forward Braxton Arpachinda slotted home after just four minutes for second goal of the year, having opened his scoring account in a season-opening win over Michigan Wolves last month.
The Texans equalized in the 20th minute, only for Kelly Kipruto to restore Sporting’s one-goal lead in the early stages of the second half. A strong finish from the visitors produced three unanswered goals, however, and Dallas emerged with a 4-2 triumph.
U-17s strike late in 3-1 win
The Sporting KC U-17s (2-0-0, 6 points) recorded their second straight win to open the regular season, but not before facing a 1-0 halftime deficit on a second-minute goal from the Texans. Sporting remained unphased and gained a gradual foothold in the second period, finally breaking through in the 58th minute to level terms. U.S. youth international Osvaldo Cisneros served a teasing free kick into a crowded penalty area where Alex Umana applied a cool finish for his third goal of the season.
With momentum on their side, the U-17s surged ahead in the 68th minute when Umana bagged his brace, chipping the keeper from a tight angle to make the score 2-1. U.S. youth international Rokus Pukstas sealed the victory two minutes later, slamming past the Dallas goalkeeper with expert precision.
U-19s level it late in 1-1 draw
Facing Shattuck-St. Mary’s in the final game of the afternoon, the Sporting KC U-19s (1-0-1, 4 points) were also faced with an early deficit when the visitors struck in the fifth minute. Jake Davis and Tucker Lepley—both of whom featured for the Swope Park Rangers throughout the 2019 USL Championship campaign—carved out chances in the first half, but neither resulted in an equalizer.
The hosts gathered steam in the second period, with Clarence Weah and Josh Chong creating danger in the attacking third. Sporting’s resilience paid off with 80 minutes on the clock, as Lepley ran onto a bouncing ball inside the box and placed a header into the back of the net. Weah and Jahon Rad both saw speculative efforts narrowly miss the target in the dying embers as Sporting and Shattuck-St. Mary’s ultimately shared the spoils.
Up Next: Saturday doubleheader vs. RGV Toros
The U-19s have next weekend off, but the U-15s and U-17s will continue their regular season ledger next Saturday, Oct. 26, against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros at Swope Soccer Village. The U-15s will kick off at 10 a.m. CT and the U-17s will take the field at noon CT. Both games will be free and open to the public, and fans can follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter for live updates.
