The U-16 and U-18 Academy teams traveled to Dallas this past weekend to take on Andromeda and Dallas Texans respectively, with Mitch Murray in charge of the U-18 side while the U-16s were coached by Jamie Smith.
Although they dominated possession and had the clearer chances, the U-18s conceded a late goal to Andromeda in their first game of the weekend. Captain Elias Helbig, Sam Raben and Will Herzl all put in solid showings but the Rapids couldn’t find an equalizer and lost 1-0.
The second game pitted them against a physical Dallas Texans team. This game was similar to their first in that they dominated the game and were the better side all around. Anthony Rosales scored a contender for goal of the season after a volley off a Kyle Ericson cross and John Taylor Grover finished off another Ericson assist, but the Rapids still couldn’t find a winning goal and ended up tying 2-2.
Rapids' U-16s fared a bit better, recording a 3-0 win against Andromeda, before suffering a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Dallas Texans. Just like the U-18s, the U-16 side dominated possession against Andromeda. Goals from Blake Moncur, Eric Morales and Enoch “Jr.” Mushagalusa were enough to see the Rapids coast to a comfortable victory.
Their final game, however, turned out to be a struggle against a physical Texans team. A 2-0 half-time deficit could not be overcome despite a Miguel Toledo goal ten minutes from time.
Both teams had solid showings last weekend and played a style that is on par with the Rapids philosophy. Free-flowing, fast paced soccer was the name of the game while both Dallas teams took on a more direct approach that utilized athleticism and physicality. Even though both Rapids teams were missing key players, they represented the club well and put in performances that can be built on for the future.
This weekend the U-14 and U-16 teams will be traveling to Kansas City for phase one of the adidas Generation Cup.
