The Rapids Development Academy U-15s 2019 season will go down in history as they went unbeaten in both their regular season and playoff campaigns. The U-15s finished the regular season at the top of the Central Conference Frontier Division with an unbeaten record of 19-0-2, scoring 59 goals. Their record was the second best in the country awarding the team the No. 2 seed in the Development Academy Playoffs.
In the first year of Academy Playoffs for U-15 Boys, two group winners would advance to the Academy Championship. The Rapids Development Academy saw their unbeaten streak continue throughout the playoffs with draws against Chicago and Philadelphia and a win over LAFC, giving them an overall record of 1-0-2. However, despite the 2-1 win over LAFC, the California team's pair of victories secured their ticket to the Academy Championship, eliminating the Rapids along the way.
"The Academy is very proud to see the U-15 group finish the 2018/2019 campaign unbeaten," said U-15 Coach - Academy Director of Methodology & CRYSC Technical Advisor Chris Cartlidge. "It really is an incredible achievement by this group of players to perform so consistently at a high level throughout the campaign. The hard working Academy staff also deserve much credit for their work with these players. A large number of the current roster are products of the Academy that have been trained and supported by the staff through their developmental years."
There were five unbeaten teams entering the U-15 Playoffs which spoke to the quality of the eight teams involved. Though the Rapids did not reach the Championship, ending with five points, they were the only group to maintain an unbeaten record.
“Both the team and staff did an incredible job of staying focused on the process instead of the results," said Senior Director of Soccer Development & USL General Manager Brian Crookham. "Results came because of the attention they put towards improving every day in training. It is exciting to have such a talented and competitive player pool in the club.”
Scroll down to check out the U-15s playoff results
PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Goal Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
June 20 |
Chicago Fire Academy U-15 |
0-0 |
N/A |
June 21 |
Philadelphia Union U-15 |
1-1 |
80' - Thane Latzig |
June 23 |
Los Angeles Football Club U-15 |
2-1 |
12' - Darren Yapi; 63' - Brandon Casales |
