The boys were back in action this weekend after the mid-season winter break in the 2014-2015 USSDA season. They started off the new year with a trip down to LA and Arizona to take on FC Golden State followed by defending league champions RSL AZ. The 18s started off the campaign with a solid 6-1 win in LA with 5 goals coming from Stanford commit Amir Bashti and 1 goal coming from 15 year old phenom, Ivan Valencia. The U16s came away with a point as they drew with FC Golden State 2-2. The team then flew out to Phoenix as they took on RSL AZ the next day. On a back to back against the defending champions, the Quakes U18s were doomed right from the start after a quick red card to CM John Partida early in the game. Quakes lose 3-0. The U16s stood on their heads to win one of the toughest games of the season and shut-out RSL for the 1-0 win, thanks to New Mexican Center Back Francisco Macias. Also to note: USBNT U15 and Quakes U14 Center Midfielder Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus ("JJ") made his debut with the U16s. The U14 season doesn't continue until February 2nd, so this was a good chance for Stephen Wondolowski to bring in JJ (one of our top prospects) and see how he would fair with the older kids. And after making substitution appearances in both games, I'm confident Wondo and the staff will keep JJ with the 16s for the rest of the season. It's a great sign seeing the likes of Ivan Valencia and JJ playing with kids that are 2-3 years older then them in higher age groups and still maintaining their dominance on the field. This is a sign of great potential and means you should definitely keep an eye out for them.
Up next for the academy is a PNW trip at the end of the month as they take on first place Vancouver Whitecaps academy and Crossfire Premier academy in Seattle the following day.
