The U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoff positioning is coming down to the final games. Real Salt Lake U18′s and U16′s have two games remaining and a lot can change pending the results of these games. This weekend they will be taking hosting Pateadores who are also hoping for a big weekend to improve their playoff chances.

U18′s

RSL U18′s are currently in second place in the Southwest Division, three points behind Division leaders LA Galaxy. For RSL to win the Division they need to win out and hope LA Galaxy pick up less than two points in their remaining two games. RSL also needs a strong showing so they can finish top 8 in the nation. 32 teams will make the playoffs and they will be broken down into 4 pots. If RSL can finish top 8 they can guarantee that they will be the top team in their group come playoff time.

U16′s

RSL U16′s have a little more work to do. They can not win the Southwest Division as Chivas USA has already won it. RSL need’s to focus on improving their playoff chances. Right now they are the #14 team in the nation. They had an outside chance to finish top 8 which would require them to win out and receive some help. They are currently in second place in the Division and 1 point ahead of Real So Cal.

For more in-depth coverage of the Academy team standings U18/U16 click here.

Saturday, May 18th, 2013
RSL U18 vs Pateadores – 11:00am at Grande Sports Academy
RSL U16 vs Pateadores – 1:30pm at Grande Sports Academy

Grande Sports Academy

Real Salt Lake Academy forward Coco Navarro has received his 6th call up by RSL to play in a reserve league match on Monday against Chivas USA Reserves. The game will be played at Home Depot Center and will kickoff at 11:00am Arizona time.

Navarro’s last call up was on April 14th when he was brought into the game in the 78th minute along with fellow Academy player Andrew Brody. Navarro has played in 4 reserve games and scored an important goal against Colorado Rapids Reserves that preserved the victory.

RSL’s Reserve team is currently in third place in the Western Conference.

RSL Academy Player’s To Receive Call Up:
6– Coco Navarro
1 – Andrew Brody
1 – Ive Burnett
1 – Bofo Saucedo

Coco Navarro Call Ups:
vs San Jose – Click here for details
vs Colorado Rapids – Click here for details and to see the goal
vs BYU – Click here for details
vs Colorado Rapids – Click here for details vs Vancouver Whitecaps – Click for details

Grande Sports Academy

Real Salt Lake Academy forward Benji Lopez has been called up to the U18 MNT for a 10-day trip to Portugal to compete in the 19th Annual International Juniors Tournament.

The U.S. will face Czech Republic on Tuesday May 21, Portugal on Thursday May 23 and Hungary on Saturday May 25.

Lopez has been a fixture for the U18 MNT earning his first call up in September of last year and has regularly been called up throughout the year.

Former Academy player Jordan Allen was called up as well.

Full press release from U.S. Soccer here.

Grande Sports Academy

Every Friday morning the coaches & staff play a “friendly” soccer game against some of the Academy players who have school off.

Assistant Coach Tony Bruce wrote the recap below. Enjoy!

Wapo’s Vs Tronkinho’s

Another Champion’s League thriller that ended in another Tronkinho’s defeat. With the return of Haeden(pick up Et…. ! To late he scored another) Turner and new recruit Andres(I want to go sit under my tree and meditate) Irigoyen the Tronkinho’s thought they had a chance but the dynamic duo of Martin (power, strength and finesse) Vasquez and Tony (Get Ton…. too late he laid it off to Eti again) Bruce recorded around 10 goals in the game bringing their combined total in champions league to around 150 goals as the Wapo’s undefeated streak increased to 300 games.

Te (I keep shooting but Nacho keeps saving them) Wihongi and Jason (Close down Marti… too late another goal, I think that’s number 14) Eng tried to raise their game but Mike ( TRACK STAR, ROCK STAR the fans know) Kraus and Freddy (scoring goals is fun, I don’t even need to defend) Juarez dominated in the midfield.  Tronkinho’s goalkeeper, well that’s what they told us!! Jon (What do you mean dive I’m a central defender not Greg Louganis) Stadler was tortured by his own back one as they crumbled under the Wapo’s onslaught. Regular goalie Eric (Vampiro) Gonzalez was a no show as it was too bright for an appearance.

Left all alone the one Mousekateer Octavio (I could have got an earlier flight home) De La Torre was missing Pato (Queretaro here I come) Cevallos and Renzo (I saw some of the goals from the plane) De Olave as he struggled to score against Nacho (Te can’t score) Hernandez. New coaching recruit, Eti (Wow!! These Wapo’s are good!!!) Tavares could not believe the level as he moved from Academy to College to Champions League.

Try as they might the Tronkinho’s just could not get over the hump as they now have to play some qualifying games against Casa Grande Elementary and the Sister of Mercy’s co-ed under six teams in the coming weeks. Qualifying will be tough but we have confidence they will find a way.

Grande Sports Academy

Once per week we will take a look at the current standings for our Real Salt Lake U18 and U16 Academy teams in the Southwest Division.

RSL U18 Academy Overview – U18′s have done well in 2013, going W8-D1-L3. Last week they received a letter from U.S. Soccer notifying coaches that the U18 team has already qualified for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs.

Last Game – No games this past weekend. Last games 2 weeks ago. On 5/4/13 against Chivas USA, RSL lost, 3-2. Goals were scored by: Benji Lopez and Jose Hernandez. The following day RSL lost to LA Galaxy, 1-0. Full recaps and pictures from those games here.

Right Now – RSL is W17-L5-D4 on the season and in second place in the Southwest Division. They are also #10 in the country in general standings and need to finish top 8 so they can be in the first group when the playoff groups are announced. LA Galaxy is currently in first place in the Division, only 3 points ahead.

Up Next – U18′s are staying home this weekend and taking on Pateadores. Last time these two teams met RSL defeated them, 2-1, in Costa Mesa, CA.

For full standings click here.

RSL U16 Academy Overview  – U16′s have done well in 2013 going W8-D1-L3. Coaches just received a letter from U.S. Soccer notifying them that the U16′s have qualified for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs.

Last Game – No games this past weekend. Last games 2 weeks ago. On 5/4/13 against Chivas USA, RSL lost, 4-2. Goals were scored by Brooks Lennon and Alex Knox (PK). The following day RSL defeated LA Galaxy, 2-1. Both goals scored by Brooks Lennon. Full recaps the pictures from those games here.

Right Now – RSL is now W16-L6-D4 and in second place in the Southwest Division. RSL U16′s need to win their next two games to have a chance to finish top 8. They CAN NOT win the group as Chivas USA has already won it.

Up Next – U16′s are staying home this weekend and taking on Pateadores. Last time these two teams met RSL defeated them, 2-1, in Costa Mesa, CA.

For full standings click here. 

Grande Sports Academy

With only two games remaining on the schedule before the season ends, the U16 Real Salt Lake Academy team has already qualified for U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs.

The picture to the right is the letter the coaches received over the weekend from U.S. Soccer. For the U18 letter from U.S. Soccer click here. Click on picture to see the letter in a bigger size.

Real Salt Lake’s U16 Academy has now qualified for the playoffs in all three years of their existence. Over the past two years they finished second in the Southwest Division and can do the same this year depending on the outcome of their next two games against Arsenal FC and Pateadores. They CAN NOT win the Division. Details below on the playoff system rules from U.S. Soccer. Same rules apply for U18′s.

About U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs – From ussoccer.com

The top two or three teams from each division (Three from Northeast, Atlantic, Southeast, Frontier, and Mid-American and two from Northwest and Southwest) will automatically advance to the 2013 Playoffs based on overall points per game. The next 13 teams with the overall most points per game not based on division will qualify for the 2013 Playoffs.

Once a team has qualified for the Playoffs, teams will be seeded into 4 pots based on overall points per game throughout the Academy season.

Pot #1: Teams seeded #1-#8
Pot #2: Teams seeded #9-#16
Pot #3: Teams seeded $17-#24
Pot #4: Teams seeded #25-#32

Teams will be drawn from each pot and placed into a Playoff Group of four teams. Teams will be placed back in their respective pot if drawn into a Playoff Group with a division opponent.  Each of the 8 Playoff Groups will contain 4 teams each. The same procedure applies to both age groups.

Complete standings 2012-2013 here.

Last year, RSL U16′s were eliminated in group play. In 2011, first year, they won their group and advanced to finals week where they were unfortunately eliminated in group play.

U16 playoff results 2012 – RSL Group 4
U16 playoff results 2011 – RSL Group 6 – U16 Finals Week results – RSL Group 2

If RSL is able to advance out of group play they will play in the Development Academy Finals Week in Houston, Texas on July 14-20.

This achievement shows all the hard work and sacrifices out players have made to achieve their dreams. Isaias “Junior” Juarez who is a member of the U18 team and who has been at Grande Sports Academy since 2011 had this to say about qualifying for the playoffs, “It is not something that is easy, which is why it feels so good. There is a lot of hard work that goes on to get there and once we get there we gotta work to get to Nationals. It is never-ending work but always worth it.”

Grande Sports Academy

During the summer break hundreds of collegiate players from all over the United States enter the ranks of the USL Premier Development League (USLPDL). It allows college players to play high level competitive soccer without losing their college eligibility. Hundreds of players, who are now professional, played in the PDL and numerous USMNT regulars like Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi, Brad Evans, Herculez Gomez played a few seasons for teams all over the U.S.

As players leave the Grande Sports Academy and head to college a few have joined up with a PDL team for the summer and we will be providing weekly updates on their performances. As of right now there are three former players in the PDL and here is how the did this past week.

Cole Nagy, M, UCLA, OC Blues Strikers FC – Did not play this weekend in the Strikers 4-3 victory over Southern California Seahorses.
Season: 2 games, 2 starts

Augustine Rey, GK, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, El Paso Patriots – Started, played 90 minutes and made 2 saves in the Patriots 2-2 draw with West Texas in the season opener for both teams. Season: 1 game, 1 start, 2 saves, 2 goals allowed.

Ricardo Velasco, M, Louisville, FC Tucson – Started, played 90 minutes in FC Tucson’s 2-1 upset over Phoenix FC. More on that below.
Season: 2 games, 2 starts

As mentioned above, FC Tucson upset USLPRO side Phoenix FC in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup. FC Tucson qualified for the Cup due to their finish in the standings last year. FC Tucson played an excellent game and were able to score two goals late. The equalizer in the 82nd minute and the game winner in the 92nd. Velasco had an outstanding game almost scored in the first half but his header that went to the far post was cleared off the line. Grande Sports Academy had a chance to catch up with Velasco after the game.

Grande - How special is to for you to play in AZ?
Velasco - “It’s fantastic that I get to play in front of my family and friends in my hometown. I’m actually from Tucson as well and I lived here for a couple of years so it’s more special for me because of my friends and family.”

Grande - Anything you are going to work on this summer?|
Velasco - “Just getting better day by day. Working on my fitness and getting to that next level. Work on the strength because in the higher level it gets very physical and very fast. I want to improve every day whether I’m in school or not.”

Grande - Do you see the PDL as a way to improve?
Velasco - “It’s a very big stepping stone. You are going to see more people from the academy starting in it because it’s a higher level. You have no idea who is watching, a pro team or even a Division I school.”

Grande - Are you going to take a trip to GSA?
Velasco - “I’m going to try to take a couple of trips. I’m still not done with school and I try to come down for games but my whole childhood was the grande so I have to go back.

Grande Sports Academy

Once per month Grande Sports Academy players participate in a local community service project. In February, players cleaned up a local park. In March, players visited the Boys & Girls Club and in the following month they invited the Boys & Girls Club to the Academy. When our players participate in these projects it is usually just a small group, however this month was a little different.

Forty-three of our players visited three Elementary Schools on Friday morning. Our players became coaches for the day and led the participants through drills, shooting exercises and games. As with every community service project our players enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to share the game they love so much. The schools players visited were: Mesquite Elementary School, Cactus Middle School and Desert Willow Elementary School.

Player who participated: Patricio Cevallos, Christian Herrera, Luis Barraza, Jaime Payamps, Bayley Scholz, Elias Rieland, Terreel Lowe, Miles Stray, Fito Ovalle, Jason Eng, Brandon Johnston, Amer Sasivarevic, Luis Chavez, Moises Rodriguez, Andrew Brody, Eric Gonzalez, Javi Avelar, Jack Gayton, Trevor Hyman, Aaron Herrera, Diego Silva, Nicholas LaMonica, Elijah Evans, Kostas Kotselas, Jose Hernandez, Te Wihongi, Brandon Marquez, Cesar Cobos, Tevin Lowe, Trent Lowe, Corey Nemeth, Octavio Ocampo, Renzo Perez, Brandon Sands, Chandler Maynes, Jonathan Min, Radu Marcu, Alex Knox, Haedan Turner, Andres Irigoyen, Josh Coan, Nick Reyes, Tigran Tiraturyan, Coco Navarro.

Special thanks go to RA’s Lauren Crum and Chris Braybooks who set up the event.

Grande Sports Academy

Over 50 players from all over Arizona attended a training session at Grande Sports Academy on Friday night for a potential chance to enter the ranks of the Real Salt Lake Arizona Academy.

Academy coaches led players through a few drills before playing games. Below are some pictures from the training session. Click on one picture and a slider gallery will form.

If you are in interested in trying out for RSL-AZ Academy, coaches will be holding tryouts in Utah on May 24-25. Details here. We will have another tryout at Grande Sports Academy on June 7-9. Register here.

Grande Sports Academy

Real Salt Lake will give the Beehive State’s best young talent the chance to showcase their skills – and potentially enter the ranks of the RSL youth development program – on May 24-25, when it will host tryouts for its RSL-Arizona Academy U-16 and U-18 teams. The tryouts will be held at Jordan High School in Sandy, located at 95 E. Beetdigger Blvd.

The full RSL-Arizona Academy staff will be joined by RSL Head Scout Andy Williams and RSL Director of Youth Camps Rob Karas to evaluate the talent on-hand during the tryouts. RSL invites players born from 1995-1998 to participate in the tryouts.

All participants will be required to pre-register for the tryouts, with no walk-up registration permitted. Registration includes payment of the $50 registration fee and the process must include completion of the following items:

Registration form (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD)

Release of liability/consent form (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD)

Copy of birth certificate

Registration can be submitted using any of the following methods

Via email (including electronically scanned versions of completed documents) to Teresa Nelson at tnelson@RealSaltLake.com

    Via fax to 801-727-1459 (ATTN: RSL Youth Academy Tryouts)

    Via U.S. Mail to Real Salt Lake, ATTN: RSL Youth Academy Tryouts; 9256 State St.; Sandy, Utah 84070

    In person at the Real Salt Lake front office at Rio Tinto Stadium

The Real Salt Lake youth development tryouts will consist of several game practices and exercises designed to show the coaching staff the player’s range of ability, skills, speed and athleticism. It is an informal session, aimed at giving players the opportunity to display their talent and to obtain an assessment of their potential from a Real Salt Lake Academy Staff Coach.

After being determined a top player by the RSL Academy staff by performing well over the weekend, players may be invited back to participate in RSL’s youth development program, possibly including an invitation to join the RSL-Arizona residential academy.

The crown jewel of Real Salt Lake’s youth development program is the RSL-Arizona Academy, the United States’ first soccer residency program affiliated with a Major League Soccer club. Based out of the state-of-the-art Grande Sports World training facility in Casa Grande, Ariz., the goal of the RSL-Arizona Academy is straightforward – to teach the next generation of potential Real Salt Lake players how to train and play “the RSL way” while providing them with a quality education both on and off the field. Headed by one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the country, the RSL-Arizona Academy is currently in its third season of play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the country’s highest tier of youth soccer featuring 80 clubs fielding teams in both the U-15/16 and U-17/18 age groups.

Following is the full schedule for the Real Salt Lake youth development tryouts. Players must attend all applicable tryouts to be considered for selection to the RSL-AZ Academy.

Friday, May 24 – 5:00-7:00 p.m. MT – Players born in 1995-1996

Friday, May 24 – 7:00-9:00 p.m. MT – Players born in 1997-1998

Saturday, May 25 – 8:00-9:30 a.m. MT – Players born in 1995-1996

Saturday, May 25 – 9:30-11:00 a.m. MT – Players born in 1997-1998

Saturday, May 25 – 1:00-2:30 p.m. MT – Players born in 1995-1996

Saturday, May 25 – 2:30-4:00 p.m. MT – Players born in 1997-1998

Grande Sports Academy