FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution Under-18 team kicks off its last week of training on Tuesday night, before departing for Houston on Saturday for its first-ever trip to U.S. Soccer Development Academy 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 at Houston Amateur Sports Park, July 14-20. The Revs will play group games against Shattuck-Saint Mary’s (Minn.), De Anza Force (Calif.) and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri (Mo.). 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 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 FINALS WEEK 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.)

TRAVELING REVOLUTION ACADEMY STAFF
Director of Youth Development – Bryan Scales (Nashua, N.H.)
Under-18 head coach – John Frederick (Hopkinton, Mass.)
Under-18 assistant coach – Deven Apajee (Cranston, R.I.)
Under-18 assistant coach – Khano Smith (Quincy, Mass.)
Goalkeepers coach – Karl Spratt (Providence, R.I.)

TRAINING SCHEDULE

Tuesday, July 9
5 p.m. – Training open to media (Lower Practice Field, Gillette Stadium)
6:30 p.m. – Media availability expected to begin.

Wednesday, July 10
5 p.m. – Training open to media (Lower Practice Field, Gillette Stadium)
6:30 p.m. – Media availability expected to begin.

Thursday, July 11
5 p.m. – Training open to media (Lower Practice Field, Gillette Stadium)
6:30 p.m. – Media availability expected to begin.

Youth Teams Media Availability
As the U18s prepare for Finals Week, training sessions are open to media … if you are interested in attending a session and/or interviewing a player or coach, please contact Missy Wade directly to coordinate and confirm the team’s training schedule.

2013 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY FINALS WEEK SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 13
Travel to Houston

Sunday, July 14
9 p.m. ET – U18s vs. Shattuck-Saint Mary’s (Houston Amateur Sports Park #5)

Monday, July 15
OFF

Tuesday, July 16
6:30 ET – U18s vs. De Anza Force (Houston Amateur Sports Park #2)

Wednesday, July 17
OFF

Thursday, July 18
9 p.m. ET – U18s vs. St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri (Houston Amateur Sports Park #3)

Friday, July 19
OFF

Saturday, July 20
TBA – Placement games (11 a.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Sunday, July 21
Travel back to Boston

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 the last four seasons … an undisputed leader on and off the field, the midfielder serves as team 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 all three playoff games (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.

Machado and Sady reach milestone in fourth season
Both in their fourth season as members of the Revolution Academy’s youth teams, Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.) and Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.) are the longest-tenured members of the U18 squad … as former members of the Revs’ Under-16 team, Machado and Sady have advanced to four straight Development Academy Playoffs spanning their U16 and U18 playing days, but this marks their first trip to Finals Week.

Youth players get experience with senior squad
Eight players from the Revolution Academy youth teams have benefited from experience with the first team in the last three seasons, either training with the senior squad or earning call-ups to the reserve team during the MLS Reserve Division’s return in 2011 and 2012:

• Austin Aviza (Medway, Mass.) – Earned one call-up to the reserve team in 2012 and continues to train regularly with the Revolution first team during the summer
• Gabe Gissie (Worcester, Mass.) – Made one appearance with the reserve team in 2012
• Willis Griffith (Amherst, N.H.) – Made two appearances with the reserve team in 2012
• Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.) – Has made 10 overall appearances with the reserve team: five appearances (two starts) in 2012 and five appearances (two starts) in 2011 … scored a goal and added an assist in 2011 … continues to train regularly with the Revolution first team during the summer
• Matthew Mozynski (Bellingham, Mass.) – Earned four call-ups to the reserve team in 2012, but did not make an appearance
• Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, N.H.) – Made two appearances with the reserve team in 2011, recording one assist
• Ramiro Osorio (Hooksett, N.H.) – Made four appearances with the reserve team in 2012
• Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.) – Made one appearance with the reserve team in 2012.
  

Updated college commitments
Eleven members of the Revolution Academy youth team have announced their commitments to college soccer programs … the 11 players who have already announced their commitments are:
High school class of 2013:
Willis Griffith (Amherst, N.H.) – Villanova University
Ryan Kingsley (North Attleboro, Mass.) – College of the Holy Cross
Coupar Lipp (Shrewsbury, Mass.) – Saint Joseph’s University
Dominik Machado (Attleboro, Mass.) – Providence College
Matt Mozynski (Bellingham, Mass.) – Campbell University
Ryan Rose (Acton, Mass.) – St. Anselm College
Quenton Swift (Enfield, Conn.) – University of Hartford
Will Szostkiewicz (Longmeadow, Mass.) – University of New Hampshire
High school class of 2014:
Danny Apajee (Cranston, R.I.) – Syracuse University
Declan McCabe (Weston, Mass.) – Georgetown University
Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.) – Harvard University

Director of Youth Development Bryan Scales
Bryan Scales (Nashua, N.H.) is in his fourth season with the Revolution Academy … the 2012-13 season is his third year as Director of Youth Development after being promoted to that position in November 2010 … in addition to the club’s youth development program, Scales also serves as the head coach of the Under-16 squad, which has advanced to the playoffs of the prestigious U.S. Soccer Development Academy three of the last four seasons (2011, 2012, 2013) … Scales oversees the entire youth development program, including day-to-day management of the Revolution's Under-18, Under-16 and Under-14 teams … he also works directly with the Revolution's technical staff to create and implement the youth teams' coaching curriculum, and coordinates with first-team head coach Jay Heaps and his staff with which Academy players are called up to train with the first team or play with the reserve squad.

Under-18 head coach John Frederick
John Frederick (Hopkinton, Mass.) is in his fifth season on the Revolution Academy’s youth teams coaching staff, and in his third year as the head coach of the Under-18 team … his U18 teams have advanced to the playoffs of the prestigious U.S. Soccer Development Academy three times (2010, 2012, 2013) under his direction … before heading up the U18 program, Frederick was the assistant coach for the U16s, and helped lead the Revs to the top of the Northeast Division and into the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs in 2009-10 – the team’s first-ever playoff appearance … one year later, he was promoted to head coach of the Under-18s.

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.

THEY SAID IT

New England Revolution General Manager Michael Burns:
“We are excited and wish the Under-18 team the best of luck and hope that they’re crowned national champions at the end. It will be a great experience for both the staff and the players.”

“I think it’s a testament to Bryan (Scales), his entire staff and certainly to the players and the hard work that they have put in. I think it just shows the progress that our Academy teams have made over the last few years. We’ve tried to go about doing everything the right way since the inception of our Academy program. And at the end of the day, while the results aren’t the most important thing in the developmental league, everyone likes to win.”

“The fact that everyone has worked hard means our program has gotten better and we’ve attracted the best players to the Revs. So we believe we are doing it the right way. And for them to get rewarded in this way – to earn a trip to Finals Week – I think is great for the kids; it’s great for the program.”

Revolution Director of Youth Development Bryan Scales:
“We are all very proud of the players and the staff. To successfully deal with the challenges of a 10-month season requires a real professional mentality and our group has been excellent representatives of the club throughout. Our Academy continues to grow every year and this opportunity to compete for a championship in Houston is a product of the hard work everyone associated with the Revolution Academy puts in every week.”