The Development Academy Impact teams had a tough trip coming for them last weekend, as they were facing New York City FC.
Impact U15
The Impact U15 lost 1-0 against New York when they first visited Centre Nutrilait on October 28 and, unfortunately, Serge Dinkota’s players were not able to get their revenge on enemy territory, losing 3-1 this time.
The Bleu-blanc-noir quickly conceded the first goal of the game on a penalty, and couldn’t answer quickly, with New York scoring another one right after.
In the second half, the Impact had better control of the game, but the damage had been done. Both teams added a goal each, as Mahdi Djellab scored for the Impact.
“It was a tough game against a good NYCFC team that gave us some problems,” said Impact U15 head coach Serge Dinkota. “We made mistakes early in the game and New York took advantage of that. We created some chances but were not able to score and when the opponent is another MLS club, you don’t get that many opportunities. In the end, the game was a good learning experience for the group.”
The Impact U15 has an 8-4-0 record and is in second place of its group, behind the New England Revolution. The Development Academy Winter Showcase doesn’t include teams in the U15 category, so the team’s next game will be on March 18 at Gillette Stadium, against the New England Revolution.
Impact U17
The Impact U17 got a better result than it did in its first game against New York this year, drawing 3-3 after losing 3-1 the first time at Centre Nutrilait.
Sean Read was the first to score, in the 17th minute of the game, on a header following Calin Calaidjoglu’s corner kick. New York tied just before halftime, sending both teams to the locker room with a goal apiece.
In the second half, Nassim Fadi put the Impact ahead, but New York came back with two goals of its own to earn their first lead in the game.
In the last seconds of the game, Georges-Édouard Tissot, who came in as a substitute, scored on a header on another corner from Calin Calaidjoglu, to tie the game 3-3.
“We dominated the game for 60 minutes, with a lot of quality to unbalance on the sides and to defend while moving up to recover the ball higher on the pitch,” said Impact U17 head coach Nicolas Gagnon. “It was the opposite for 20 minutes in the first half and 10 in the second. If we do a better job of dealing with our weaker moments, we can win the game in a convincing way against a good opponent.”
With a 7-3-1 record, Nicolas Gagnon’s team is now second of its group, behind BW Gottschee. Their next game will be during the Development Academy Winter Showcase in Florida, at noon on Friday, December 1, against the Seattle Sounders FC.
Impact U19
The U19 team won its last game against NYCFC 2-0, at home, but knew that the task would be harder in New York. The team managed to get a point in a 2-2 draw.
Despite a good first half, the Impact had to wait for the second half to take the lead, on a goal from Vincent Lamy a few minutes after coming back from the locker room.
New York tied immediately after, but the Impact took the lead again on a superb shot from Daniel Kinumbe, 25 metres away from the net.
NYCFC finally equalized on a free kick in the last minutes of the game.
“It was a fierce game where both teams took turns controlling the game,” said Impact U19 head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “We regret not taking advantage of our chances on the counter attack in the second half. It was a high level game, just the way we like it.”
In its age category, the Impact U19 is one of the three unbeaten teams in the league this season, with a 9-0-2 record. They remain first of its group, in front of NYCFC. The team will play its next game in Florida, on Thursday, November 30, at 1pm, against the Sporting Kansas City.
