With the United States Soccer Development Academy’s winter showcase in the books, both the Impact U18 and U16 teams return to Montreal on break from regular season play, returning in March 2015.
Impact Media sat down with the head coaches of both teams to discuss their assessment on the teams’ performances in Florida.
IMPACT U18
Results
Saturday, November 29: Impact 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps - > Heikel Jarras (8')
Sunday, November 30: Impact 3-0 Portland Timbers -> Samuel Duffek (19'), Alexandar Kulic (36'), Louis-Philippe Paquin (47')
Tuesday, December 2: Impact 1-3 Shattuck-Saint Mary's -> Heikel Jarras (22')
Q&A with Impact U18 head coach Jason Di Tullio
Are you satisfied with your team’s matches in Florida?
Yes, I am satisfied because we had the chance to play three games at a high level, in three different contexts. Against Vancouver (MLS Academy), we controlled the first half. It was an emotional game with high intensity as a number of players know each other through national selections and it is the first ever matchup between our respective Academies.Vancouver had much of the control in the second half, but the difference is that we scored a goal and we were solid afterwards. It was a high-level match, but lacked quality because of the high intensity. It took “La Grinta” to win this game.
We were able to re-discover our form and identity against the Portland Timbers (MLS Academy). This time we were able to fully express ourselves with intensity. We were never in danger and had control throughout the game.
Against Shattucks (private Academy), I felt from the start that they wanted to put pressure on us and cause us problems. At the start of match, we had control and found a goal, but after, they continued with their intense play and we did not match their level. Fatigue is not an excuse as it was the same for both teams.
Are you confident for the 2nd half of the USSDA season, resuming in early March, 2015?
These three games and the first part of our season are evidence that we are headed in the right direction. But the match against Shattucks showed that we are not unbeatable and that we still have much work to do, and that at the top level nobody is unbeatable. Therefore, we have to work 10 times harder. It is important to live these tough moments, to see the reaction of the group and the individual players in complicated and difficult situations.
The Academy is now in its third season in USSDA. Do you feel that the Impact is looked upon differently since its debut?
We really feel respected by other clubs because of our approach, how we play, and our respect towards them. Also, our players have had opportunities to meet and get acquainted with others, so they know us better. Feedback from observers is always the same: we play a nice style of football with intensity and quality. Our style is a little different from others when comparing what we do on the pitch because we have players who have the talent individually, but also a collective mentality.
Now, with respect comes pressure and being the team to beat?
Players change over years but our approach remains the same, for our U13s through to the U23s. Now I want us to be able to express ourselves in every game we play.
IMPACT U16
Results
Sunday, November 30: Impact 1-1 Chivas USA -> Esleyder Luarca (75')
Monday, December 1: Impact 0-1 Crew Soccer Academy Wolves
Wednesday December 3: Impact 3-3 Vancouver Whitecaps -> Gabriel Balbinotti (27') Mouhamed Touré (72'), Don Junior Bobe (77')
GK: Charles DESROCHERS Mathieu PINHEIRO BORGES
D: Marques ANTOINE, Protais MUTAMBALA, Raphaël GARCIA, Steven ALBERICI, Mouhamed TOURÉ
M: Moulay Hamza KANZI BELGHITI, Luca RICCI, Tristano FASULO, Mathieu CHOINIÈRE, Kévin TRAN, Alexis STEVENS, Esleyder LUARCA
F: Marco Pinna CAVALLINI, Luca PICCIOLI, Don Junior BOBE, Gabriel BALBINOTTI
Q&A with Impact U16 head coach Wilfried Nancy
Are you satisfied with your team’s performance in Florida?
The downside was the results. I am satisfied with other things we accomplished, as improvement in our game and individual attitude as we went along. We lost games because of naivety and youthful indiscretion.
In our first match, we committed an error in recovery and then they scored a penalty late in the game. In the second match, we played well in the first half with five or six good opportunities, but we made mistakes in front of goal with inaccuracies or poor passing. Thus, the first two games were frustrating, but we had opportunities to win them in the light of our opportunities.
The third game saw us have trouble for the first 20 minutes defensively as we were distressed when they were attacking. However, this match could have finished 5-4 for us with four solid opportunities in the last 10 minutes. I was pleased that we were able to create so many chances, but unfortunately we could not capitalize. Against Vancouver, we were unable to instill our defensive principles. They played well and could have scored more, but the three they did get came from our breakdowns in our positional play. The team went through two emotions after this game: pleased to come back after being down, but disappointed that they could not find the win despite a crazy final 10 minutes. This was a game played at a very high level, with a lot of emotion and quality. It was nice to see for Canadian soccer.
What did you think of the level of play proposed by other teams at this showcase?
What I like is that the level in North American soccer is rising. All the teams are difficult to play, which is excellent for us because it becomes a super tool for development. We are required to be intense and concentrated all the time. I congratulated the players for their behavior and their attitude. All the teams are trying to play well, but with different features. Chivas has a Latin style, while Columbus is very physical.
We are in our third season in USSDA. How do other teams view the Impact?
In three years, we have seen the difference in quality and with our performances in Florida. There were some congratulations from many people and now everybody knows we play good soccer. The Impact is recognized as a club that plays well with the ball, pleasant to watch, intense, aggressive and with character. Teams really take us seriously.
How do you see the second part of the season for your team?
We aren’t too upset after Florida because the content of our play was really good. We played well with the ball. We are frustrated because we lacked finishing and did not get the victories that come with that. For the last five games, we have found some more consistency, so we are confident that we can find a way to win games. We will individualize the work for the next two months. The schedule will be tough, but interesting (new teams, back-to-back games). At this age, young players are progressing very quickly on all aspects: mental, aggressiveness, self, desire, but also physical, tactical and technical. We need to continue to put in more work and more precise on different aspects of our game.
