FCD Juniors Update: Winter Break
TEAM NOTES:
• The FCD Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams have played a combined 28 games and only lost twice.
• The U-16s are 9-0-2 (29 points) in the Texas Division and 11-0-3 overall. They have outscored their opponents 42-10 overall.
•The U-18 team is 5-2-4 (19 points) within the Division, and 6-2-6 overall. They have outscored their opponents 31-20 overall.
•With three games remaining in Division play, the U-16s have already qualified for the 32-Academy Playoffs next June, since they are guaranteed to finish in the top three of the Texas Division.
•In Division play, the U-16s have scored 14 more goals then the next best team, and the U-18s have scored nine more goals then any other team.
•During the 10-month season, each Juniors team will play 14 games within the Texas Division, and 14 games outside the Division (including the Winter and Spring Showcases).
•Juniors forward Ruben Luna is the leading scorer in the entire Development Academy with 20 goals in 13 games for the
•U-16 team. He's scored four goals twice, and added games of three and two goals respectively.
•Right-sided defender / midfielder London Woodberry leads the U-18s with 11 goals in 12 games.
•U-16s midfielder Jose Perez became the third FCD youth player called in to a U.S. Soccer Youth National Team when he joined the U.S. U-17 team for a camp in Florida from Dec. 12-15. Midfielder Alex Molano joined the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in
•September, and midfielder Josh Hernandez was called up to the U.S. U-20 team for a camp and games in Spain in November.
•Juniors U-18 forward Gabriel Funes and midfielder Ramiro Funes have not been available during the first half of the schedule. While in their native Argentina, the twin brothers have been training with River Plate's U-18 team, made possible through the relationship between FC Dallas and River Plate.
•The season continues for both Juniors teams in March with games against Academy teams from other Divisions, from cities in Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Colorado. Each Juniors team also has three Division games remaining.
•The Juniors teams will travel to Monterrey, Mexico on January 14 for friendly matches against Tigres UANL youth and other area teams.
•The next large Development Academy event will be the Spring Showcase on Memorial Day Weekend from May 22-26, 2009, at the Sarasota Polo Grounds in Clearwater, Fla.
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy consists of 74 clubs from around the country that are aligned into four conferences, and nine total Divisions; East Conference (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Divisions), South Conference (Atlantic and Southeast Divisions), West Conference (Northwest and SoCal Divisions) and Central Conference (Frontier, Great Lakes, and Texas Divisions).
Each clubs' season schedule consists of home and away matches versus each Division opponent, games against non-Division opponents, and matches in the Development Academy Winter and Spring Showcases.
At the end of the season, the top three teams in each of the nine Divisions (based solely on games against Division opponents), and top five fourth-place teams (based on points per game in overall record), will qualify for the 32-team Academy Playoffs at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. The top eight teams from each age group will then qualify to compete at the Academy Finals Week in July.
FC DALLAS JUNIORS RESULTS:
FCD Juniors U-16s
W 3-2 at Andromeda SC
W 4-0 at Classics Elite
W 1-0 at Lonestar SC
W 5-1 at Dallas Texans
W 2-1 at Solar SC
W 6-0 at Texas SC
W 5-0 at Texas Rush
T 1-1 vs. Dallas Texans
W 3-2 vs. Andromeda SC
*W 2-0 at Baltimore (Md.) Bays (Winter Showcase)
*W 4-0 at San Diego (Calif.) Nomads (Winter Showcase)
*T 1-1 at Santa Cruz County (Calif.) Breakers (Winter Showcase)
T 1-1 vs. Texas SC
W 4-1 vs. Texas Rush
FCD Juniors U-18s
L 0-2 at Andromeda SC
W 4-0 at Classics Elite
L 2-3 at Lonestar SC
T 2-2 at Dallas Texans
W 1-0 at Solar SC
T 2-2 at Texas SC
W 3-2 at Texas Rush
T 1-1 vs. Dallas Texans
T 2-2 vs. Andromeda SC
*T 1-1 at Baltimore Bays (Winter Showcase)
*T 3-3 at San Diego Nomads (Winter Showcase)
*W 2-1 at Santa Cruz County Breakers (Winter Showcase)
W 5-0 vs. Texas SC
W 3-1 vs. Texas Rush
* non-Division games.
REMAINING SCHEDULE:
March 2009:
*Sun. Mar. 22 vs Real Colorado (TBD, Pizza Hut Park)
*Mon. Mar. 23 vs Colorado Rapids (TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
April 2009:
*Sun. Apr. 19 at Sockers FC (TBD, in Chicago, Illinois)
*Mon. Apr. 20 at FC Milwaukee (TBD, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
*Sun. Apr. 26 at CASA (TBD, in Cleveland, Ohio)
*Mon. Apr. 27 at Internationals (TBD, in Cleveland, Ohio)
May 2009:
Sun. May. 3 vs Solar SC (TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
*Sun. May. 10 vs Empire United (from Rochester, NY; TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
*Sun. May. 10 vs Carmel United Soccer Club (from Carmel, Indiana, TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
Sat. May. 16 vs Classics Elite (TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
Mon. May. 18 vs Lonestar (TBD, at Pizza Hut Park)
*May 22-26 - Three games against non-Division opponents in the Spring Showcase at the Sarasota Polo Grounds in Clearwater, Fla.
June 2008:
June 26-29 - Academy Playoffs at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. - Top three teams from each of the nine divisions.
July 2008:
July 11-18 - Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. - The top eight teams from each age group will qualify to compete at the Academy Finals Week.
* non-Division games.
ABOUT THE FC DALLAS JUNIORS PROGRAM:
The FC Dallas Juniors program was established in May 2008 with the purpose to identify and develop the top 13 to 18-year-old local soccer players who will be eligible for promotion to the FC Dallas professional team, without entering the MLS SuperDraft. The Juniors program emphasizes high-level training in a professional environment, coached and managed by the FC Dallas coaching staff and sharing the Pizza Hut Park facility with the professional team. The U-16 and U-18 Juniors squads serve as the flagship teams for the FC Dallas Youth Development program and are financed exclusively by FC Dallas. Both Juniors teams are part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and play in the Central Conference, Texas Division.
