Once again this year, the U15, U17, and U19 Impact Academy teams will kick of their season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, this Saturday, September 1, when they take on the teams from FC Westchester Armour, in New York State.
The U15 team will play at 11am, the U17s at 1pm, and the U19 team at 3:30pm.
These two clubs last faced off right before the end of the last season, in May, with all three Montreal teams managing decisive wins over the teams from New York.
The Bleu-blanc-noir is coming off an excellent season in the USSDA, all three teams finishing first in their respective groups. The U19 team qualified for the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, while this was the U17’s third qualification in a row.
The U15 team, on its end, will kick off only its second season in USSDA, still under head coach Serge Dinkota.
“We want to achieve what we achieved last year, and even more,” said Academy director and head coach of the U19 team, Phillipe Eullaffroy. “If we manage the same quality in our performances and our results for a second consecutive year, it means that we’ve truly cemented a winning mentality in the Academy.”
The U17 group, led by head coach Nicolas Gagnon, made it as far as the quarterfinals for the first time in the team’s history, where it beat Sacramento Republic FC 1-0 to qualify for the semifinals in Kansas City.
“We want to play more games like last year, said head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “They allow our players to play in high pressure situations, which prepare them for the pressure of being a pro. Our objective is to repeat what we did last year at least, and it will be very difficult. It’s an enormous challenge that we can accomplish, but it remains a challenge.”
The Impact is kicking off its seventh season in the USSDA, having first started during the 2012-13 season with teams at the U16 and U18 levels. Both teams qualified for the playoffs for the first time the following year, in their second season of play, with the U18 team making it all the way to the semifinals.
“We want to be USSDA champions this year,” added Gagnon. “It’s the next step. Whether it’s the U15 group, the U17s, or the U19s, that’s what we want, and we’ll work hard to get there.”
About FC Westchester Armour
The club was founded in 1984 by Al Pastore and plays its home games on the grounds of the New York State University.
Since it was established, many players who spent some of their youth years with FC Westchester went on to have professional careers, including Thomas McNamara, who plays with New York City FC in MLS.
The Director of Coaching, Stephen Carson, had a long-playing career in Europe before coming to FC Westchester, playing 400 games in Scotland and England.
