Philadelphia Union Academy found themselves taking only one point out of a possible six as the U17 and U15 squads took on New York City FC’s Academy on the road this weekend.
The 17s settled for a 1-1 draw after a first half that did not feature threatening offensive chances from either side. However the U17s were able to convert first in the contest, with a smashed header giving the Baby Snakes the lead. However a defensive mistake at the back gave the hosts the opportunity they needed and turned the mishap into an equalizer to split the result.
Meanwhile, the U15s were unable to find the back of the net in a 2-0 loss against New York City FC. After a scoreless draw in the first half, NYCFC completed a series of beautiful passes to start the second half, causing them to ultimately find the bottom right corner to take the lead in front of the home crowd. It went from bad to worse for the Baby Snakes as they conceded towards the latter stages of the match thanks to a beautiful chip pass, which ultimately found the head of an attacking player to seal the victory. In a match where they had large spells of control and created a lot of chances, they ultimately wasted their opportunities to capitalize.
As both squads look to rebound from their results when they return the Union Training Grounds in Chester for a MLS NEXT contest against Atlanta United FC on Saturday, March 25. Both sides then will hit the road once again for a doubleheader against PDA that’ll take place on Sunday, March 26.
Paul Nash’s U12s played up an age group against Skyline’s U13s and came away with a 4-1 win. Two stellar set pieces and two strong team goals created by quick, coordinated movements up front provided the firepower, and the squad used the whole field well as they switched play before attacking at pace. Evan Roberts’ brace was supplemented by Cody Sands and Daniel Auguste’s finishing in a strong performance against an older opponent.
The Union U14s had less success against a strong Red Bulls side that controlled the match for a 5-0 victory. The 14s natural talent is impressive but they couldn’t control transitions and fell to Red Bulls’ dynamic, direct attacks. They will use this result as motivation with Red Bulls scheduled to come to Philly for a showdown on April 22.
