With less than two games remaining on the schedule before the season ends the U18 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 and coaches are hopeful that after next weekend’s game the U16’s will receive a similar letter. Click on picture to see the letter in a bigger size.
Real Salt Lake’s U18 Academy has now qualified for the playoffs in all three years of its existence. The previous two years have been as a wildcard. Based off the way things worked out last year for RSL they are hopeful they can finish strong to remain in the top 8 in the country. Details on this below
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-#32Teams 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 U18’s qualified as a wildcard and they were then put in a group with the top team in the country, FC Dallas U18 Academy. RSL won their first two games but lost to Dallas which meant they were eliminated from the playoffs. RSL currently is the 8th best team in the nation and to secure a top 8 position they will need to defeat Pateadores on May 18th and Arsenal FC on June 1st and hope teams below them in the standings will lose.
U18 playoff results 2012 – RSL Group 5
U18 playoff results 2011 – 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 has been at Grande Sports Academy had this to say, “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.”
Special recognition should go to seniors Isaias “Junior” Juarez, Luis Chavez, Danny Gavin, Jose “Coco” Navarro, Jon Zabasajja and Jose “Bean” Vasquez, Cesar Cobos, Jason Eng, Santi Carrillo, Eric Gonzalez who have been with us from the beginning.