Last Saturday was a complete day for the Academy as all teams were in action on the synthetic turf at Stade Saputo. The U16 and U18, as well as FC Montreal, all played in their respective championships.
The U18 opened the day with a 4-1 win against Seacoast United in USSDA.
“Collectively it was a good game. Not excellent, but good,” explained the U18 head coach Jason DiTullio. “There is more pressure because we are nearing the end of the year and the older players want to do well to be selected to play in the USL with FC Montreal.”
DiTullio’s group is still 1st in the USSDA, level with the U18s from Real Salt Lake, having lost only two games.
“The priority is to win while playing well,” explained DiTullio. “The players know what to do to be successful. It’s the proof that we work well after we had a difficult first year in the USSDA. Now, we will learn a lot about our players during the playoffs. The level will be higher. We will see if they can express themselves on the field during tough moments.”
Following the U18 game, head coach Wilfried Nancy and the Bleu-blanc-noir U16s played Seacoast United, earning a positive result with a 3-0 win.
FC Montreal ended the day with a difficult game against the Rochester Rhinos, first in the USL standings. Philippe Eullaffroy’s men lost 2-1, but created many scoring chances. In the lost, Alessandro Riggi scored the first ever home goal for FC Montreal in USL.
