MONTREAL - The Impact U16 team won two of its three games of the United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) showcase tournament, held from June 23 to 27 in Dallas, as part of the USSDA playoffs.
A brace by captain Heikel Jarras lifted the U16s to victory in their first game, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes U16 by a 3-1 score on Monday afternoon. David Choinière also scored in the win.
In its second matchup, the Academy side fell to Potomac FC, a youth academy from the DC area, by a 3-0 score on Wednesday afternoon.
Then in the third and final game, the Impact top the San Diego Turf 2-1 on goals by Jarras and Samuel Duffek in the first half on Thursday morning.
“I’m really happy with the way the guys ended the season and approached this tournament,” said Impact U16 head coach Simon Gatti. “We fought through some very difficult playing conditions, with temperatures of over 100 degrees F and showed a lot of character. We scored some good goals throughout the tournament. It was a very good learning experience for us and gave the players a taste of what it takes to be in the playoffs. I think we’ll be hungrier to qualify for the other side of the bracket next year instead of the showcase.”
The Academy players now have a short break before returning to full training in August in preparation for its second season in USSDA, set to kick off in September.
