RSL Academy U-17 & U-15 Teams Secure Points on the Road at Sacramento United

RSL Academy vs. Sacramento United

January 22, 2023; Sacramento, California

RSL Academy 2022/2023 Season Records: U-15 Team 11W-4L-1D, U-17 Team 8W-2L-6D

RSL Academy U-15 and U-17 teams traveled to Sacramento to face Sacramento United to kick off the spring season of their 2022/2023 Competition year. Both teams secured points in the standings, with the U-15 team playing to a 0-0 draw, and the U-17 team earning a 2-0 win. The teams encountered rough elements, cold weather and tough to the ball opponents in Sacramento United but overcame it all to secure critical road points in their respective standing.

Man of the Match:

U-15: Defenseman Javier Ruelas was the leader of the backline as the Club held Sacramento United scoreless throughout the contest.

U-17: Captain Izzy Amparo showed his leadership in the midfield, winning his defensive duels and covering massive amounts of ground throughout the contest. Offensively, Amparo helped to create opportunities on goal and led the battle to control the pace of the match.

What You Missed:

U-15: The Team worked into their rhythm in their first match of the spring, giving themselves a good foundation to begin the season and identifying areas of opportunity for growth as the season progresses. Defenseman Camron Estala made his debut with the Club after joining the RSL Academy in January.

U-17: Offensively, RSL Academy dominated the match after the first 15’ of play. In the first 15’, Sacramento Republic was able to generate two solid scoring opportunities as a result of two RSL turnovers. Goalkeeper Blake Kelly was strong between the pipes, denying both scoring chances and providing a needed wake-up for his Team. In the 21’ forward Brice Miller was played a through ball to spring him deep into the offensive zone but was taken down by the Sacramento Republic goalkeeper and awarded a penalty kick. Zavier Gozo stepped up to the spot and buried it in the back of the net, his 11th goal of this Academy season and second from the penalty spot this season. Early in the second half of the match, Defenseman Carlos Castrejon picked up a loose second ball and weaved through the Sacramento United defense and buried a shot into the net from 20-yards out. Up 2-0, RSL Academy was determined to get the clean sheet while getting meaningful minutes for the Academy players.

What’s Next: RSL Academy will host the MLS Next version of the Rocky Mountain Tournament on Friday January 27 with games beginning at 6:00 pm & 8:00 pm MST, Saturday January 28 with games beginning at 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm MST, and Sunday January 29 with games beginning at 9:00 am & 11:00 am MST, within the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah. RSL Academy will be playing host to Real Colorado, Colorado Rapids, and Sporting KC.

Each game will last 70 minutes, with two 35-minute halves of running time. The tentative schedule is as follows: