FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After a dramatic finish to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs, the New England Revolution Under-18 team is preparing for its first-ever trip to Finals Week to vie for the U18 national championship. Eight of the 80 teams from the elite youth league remain and will battle for the title in Houston, July 14-20.
Held at Houston Amateur Sports Park, Finals Week will include three group matches and a placement game for each team. Group matches will be played on July 14, 16 and 18, and placement games will then be played on July 20, with the title game taking place at BBVA Compass Stadium – home of the Houston Dynamo.
The U18s will play group games against Shattuck-Saint Mary’s (Minn.), De Anza Force (Calif.) and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri (Mo.).
The Under-18 team closed out the season with a 15-5-5 (40 pts.) overall record and 2.00 points per game average. Finishing third in the Northeast Division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference, the team qualified for its third Development Academy Playoffs in four seasons (2010, 2012, 2013).
UNDER-18 TRAVEL ROSTER
- Leandro Alves (Pawtucket, R.I.)
- Danny Apajee (Cranston, R.I.)
- Austin Aviza (Medway, Mass.)
- Freddie Ferre (Waltham, Mass.)
- Gabe Gissie (Worcester, Mass.)
- Willis Griffith (Amherst, N.H.)
- Zach Herivaux (Brookline, Mass.)
- Guy Kabala (Manchester, N.H.)
- Ryan Kingsley (North Attleboro, Mass.)
- Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.)
- Declan McCabe (Weston, Mass.)
- Matt Morana (Shrewsbury, Mass.)
- Matt Mozynski (Bellingham, Mass.)
- Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, N.H.)
- Adam Norman (Natick, Mass.)
- Matthew Nyeayea (Worcester, Mass.)
- Will Rasid (Wilbraham, Mass.)
- Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.)
- Quenton Swift (Enfield, Conn.)
- Will Szostkiewicz (Longmeadow, Mass.)
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
Complete game recaps will be available on revolutionsoccer.net following each match, while blogs and photos will be posted daily on the club’s blog The Post. Live in-game updates can be found on Twitter at @NERevolution.
YOUTH NOTES
First-Ever trip to finals
The Revolution’s Under-18 team’s berth in Finals Week is the first-ever championship spot for a Revs youth team … the Revolution youth development program, launched in 2008, is only five years old.
Revolution U18s make New England history
By qualifying for Finals Week, the Revolution Under-18s became the first team from New England to qualify for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals Week since 2009 and only the second team from New England overall … teams from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut compete in the prestigious Development Academy, but the Revs’ squad is the second New England-based team to advance to the finals … in 2009, the then FC Greater Boston advanced to the finals in the Under-17/18 bracket.
Young guns rise to the occasion
The Finals Week travel roster includes nine U16 players, making the Revolution the youngest squad participating … eight U16s played up an age group during the Playoffs, with three players making notable contributions:
- Danny Apajee (Cranston, R.I.) scored a goal against the Dallas Texans (June 24) and drew a penalty kick against the. LA Galaxy (June 27),
- Will Rasid (Wilbraham, Mass.) recorded an assist against the San Jose Earthquakes (June 25) and
- Gabe Gissie (Worcester, Mass.) earned two assists against the LA Galaxy (June 27).
Dominik Machado leads U18s as veteran
Midfielder Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.) is one of the longest-tenured U18 players on the Revolution squad, having been a member of the team for four seasons … an undisputed leader on and off the field, the midfielder serves as captain … Machado played a key role in the U18s’ advancement, scoring three goals and adding an assist during the third playoff games against the LA Galaxy (June 27), and was one of only three players to play every minute of every playoff game (270 min.) … Machado, a former member of the Revs’ Under-16 team, has advanced to four straight Development Academy Playoffs spanning his U16 and U18 playing days … Machado has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Providence College this fall, and will train with the Revolution first team at the conclusion of the U18s run, as he has done the last two seasons.
Minutemen of the U18s
Only three U18s played every minute of the three playoff games (270 mins): defender Willis Griffith (Amherst, N.H.), goalkeeper Matthew Mozynski (Bellingham, Mass.) and midfielder Dominik Machado … Machado is in his fourth season with the Revolution, while Griffith and Mozynski are in their third.
U18s Playoff summary
The Under-18 team claimed its first-ever spot in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals Week, finishing at the top its playoff group with a 1-0-2 (5 pts.) record … during the Playoffs, the U18s opened with a pair of draws: 1-1 against the Dallas Texans (June 24) and 1-1 against the San Jose Earthquakes (June 25), before topping the LA Galaxy, 4-2, in their third game (June 27).
ICYMI on Revolutionsoccer.net
Revolution Staff Writer & Online Host Jeff Lemieux looks at the U18s’ dramatic finish to the Development Academy Playoffs and their historic advancement to Finals Week HERE on revolutionsoccer.net … included: quotes from Director of Youth Development and Under-16 head coach Bryan Scales.
U18 Season Summary
The Under-18 team closed out the season with a 15-5-5 (40 pts.) overall record and 2.00 points per game average … finishing third in the Northeast Division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference, the team qualified for its third Development Academy Playoffs in four seasons (2010, 2012, 2013) … the U18s really hit their stride in December, putting together a 12-game unbeaten streak through early April.
