The San Jose Earthquakes U-17 Academy Team will participate in the SUM Cup for the first time over the next week in Houston. All 16 MLS teams are represented in this year’s tournament, giving the Quakes a chance to measure themselves in the first official match since forming the academy in April.
Group A:
D.C. United (2009 Champions)
Chicago Fire
Colorado Rapids
San Jose Earthquakes
Group A Schedule:
Centennial Park, 2200 South Friendswood Drive, Friendswood TX
July 23, 6:30 p.m. D.C. United vs. Chicago Fire -- 1-1 (5-3)
July 23, 8:00 p.m. Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes -- 3-2
July 24, 6:30 p.m. D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids
July 24, 8:00 p.m. Chicago Fire vs. San Jose Earthquakes
July 26, 6:30 p.m. Chicago Fire vs. Colorado Rapids
July 26, 8:00 p.m. San Jose Earthquakes vs. D.C. United
Day 3 Recap
D.C. United 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0
Likely needing a win to edge Chicago for the top spot in Group A, D.C. United earned its spot in the semifinals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over San Jose. United, Colorado, and Chicago all had a chance to advance to the semifinals heading into the final day of group play, but a goal from Collin Martin sealed the win and a semifinal spot for D.C.
Martin's goal, scored in the second half, was created off a passing sequence out of the back, which involved Julian Griggs and led to a break down the left wing from Marco Hurtado. After racing by a defender, Hurtado sent a left-footed cross into the center that found Martin's feet. Martin settled nicely and quickly blasted a low, right-footed shot past goalkeeper Jesus Guzman. Led by Nathaniel Eggleston at center back, the D.C. defense held strong to preserve the shutout.
Scoring Summary: DC -- Collin Martin 1 (Marco Hurtado 1) 56
San Jose Earthquakes -- Jesus Guzman, Brian Visser, Travis Pillon, Hunter LeBlanc, Jorge Soto, Sam Engs, Juan Guerrero, Israel Ayala, Johnny Monterroso, Everardo Aguiar, Nicholas Lima. Substitutes: Jose Gutierrez, Jose Lopez, Jesus Morales, Jose Navarro, Tyler Sylvia, William Velasco.
D.C. United -- Tyler Back (Dakota Niedermeier 36), Rafael Gafundo, Nathaniel Eggleston, Mahamamamoudou Kaba, Martin Lopez (Marco Hurtado 36), Collin Martin, Romain Gall (Cody Albrecht 36), Kainoa Bailey (Julian Griggs 24), Suliman Dainkeh, Patrick Foss (Dario Redondo 46), Kennedy O'Shea (Yaw Amankwa 36, Tyler Rudy 59).
Matches played with 35-minute halves.
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Day 2 Recap
Chicago Fire 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0
It was a defensive battle in Friendswood between the Chicago Fire and the San Jose Earthquakes. Both goalkeepers made tremendous saves, including a sprawling save by Earthquakes goalkeeper Jesus Guzman in the 47th minute, to keep their squads in the match. Luck was not on San Jose's side though, as a handball was called in the box in the 50th minute, giving Chicago a penalty kick. Kellen Gully stepped up and fired the shot past Guzman, giving Chicago the lead, the win, and a much-needed three points. Chicago must defeat Colorado on Monday night and have D.C. either lose or tie for the Fire to claim first place in the group.
Scoring Summary:
CHI - Kellen Gully 1 (penalty kick) 51
Chicago Fire -- Zak Allen, Keaton Albert, David Caban, Andrew Conner, Peter Beasley, Victor Zamora (Kellen Gully 31), Brandon de la Torre (Luis Medina 28), Joseph Laboy (Jesus Medina 31), Michael Winhoffer (AJ Jeffries 26), Neal Usry (Jabri Danzy 31), Daniel Lojeck.
San Jose Earthquakes -- Jesus Guzman, Everardo Aguiar, Sam Engs (Chris Cruz 56), Juan Guerrero, Hunter LeBlanc, Nicholas Lima, Jesus Morales (Israel Ayala 38), Travis Pillon, Jorge Soto (Fardeen Shaiwany 50), Brian Visser (Jose Navarro 53), Jeremy Williams.
Matches played with 30-minute halves.
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Day 1 Recap
Colordo Rapids 3, Quakes 2
It was the James Rogers show for Colorado tonight, as the Rapids defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2.
After scoring seven goals for Real Salt Lake in the 2008 SUM U-17 Cup, Rogers scored two in the first half tonight for Colorado. His first came in the fifth minute, when Santiago Velez found a wide-open Rogers for an easy goal. San Jose came back minutes later when Israel Ayala stole the ball from a Colorado defender and fired a shot past the Rapids goalkeeper from 25 yards. The score was tied for only three minutes, as Rogers found another opening behind the defense and netted his second of the game.
In the 29th minute, Velez earned a penalty kick for Colorado after he was taken down by Cesar Mendoza in the box. Velez stepped up and buried the penalty kick to extend the lead to 3-1 before the half. With Rogers sidelined with a leg injury for most of the second half, the Earthquakes were able to gain some momentum. In the 51st minute, Jose Lopez gave a looping ball to Sam Engs, who headed the ball past Alex Chapin at the back post. The goal was not enough for San Jose, though, as Colorado managed to keep the ball away from the net for the final 10 minutes and hold on for a 3-2 win.
Scoring Summary:
COL -- James Rogers 1 (Santiago Velez 1) 5
SJ -- Israel Ayala 1 (unassisted) 16
COL -- James Rogers 2 (Dillon Serna 1) 20
COL -- Santiago Velez 1 (penalty kick) 29
SJ -- Sam Engs 1 (Jose Lopez 1) 51
Colorado Rapids -- Alex Chapin, Avery Ball, Santiago Velez, Christopher Gurule, Karsten Hanlin (Austin Seifert 60), Ricardo Perez (Rojesh Shreshta 56), Matthew Polster (Dillon Serna 16), Juan Carlos Regalado, Andrew Rodriguez, James Rogers (David Pardo 42), Matthew Taphorn.
San Jose Earthquakes -- Sergio De La Mora, Israel Ayala, Cristian Cruz (Sam Engs 31), Jose Gutierrez (Travis Pillon 31), Jose Lopez, Cesar Mendoza, Johnny Monterroso, Jose Navarro (Everardo Aguilar 49), Fardeen Shaiwany (Nick Lima 31), Tyler Sylvia (Jeremy Williams 31), William Velasco (Juan Guerrero 31).
Matches played with 30-minute halves.
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Quakes Academy Prospectus
Director Fred Wilson says: “The U-17 SUM Cup provides a fantastic opportunity for 22 of our players to gain a clear and quick understanding of the Academy program. This is a great opportunity for our players to compete at the highest level while seeing what is taking place in other MLS academies around the country. It is our expectation that this tournament provides a great learning experience for these 22 players while providing a competitive environment that can be enjoyed by all players participating. This tournament is an excellent starting point for our academy teams to understand the level at which they are expected to play while setting a bar for them to reach as we develop over the course of the upcoming season.”
Players to watch:
Travis Pillon - Currently a part of the 1994 National team Roster. Travis played right back for the U-18 level last year as a 15-year-old and will continue playing with his older teammates as he develops into a top level player for the academy.
Jorge Soto - Jorge participated in a game with San Jose’s First Team in a friendly against the U-20 National Team. He was impressive enough to earn an invitation to continue training with the U-20 National Team.
Fardeen Shaiwany - Recently played in the Red Bulls Academy. He is a younger player being brought along because of his technical skill and vision in the game.
Roster for the SUM Cup
Everardo Aguilar, No. 10 - Livermore, CA
Israel Ayala, No. 9 - Richmond, CA
Christian Cruz, No. 16 - San Pablo, CA
Sergio De La Mora, No. 0 - Antioch, CA
Sam Engs, No. 18 - Lafayette, CA
Juan Guerrero, No. 8 - Danville, CA
Jose Gutierrez, 13 - Antioch, CA
Jesus Guzman, No. 1 - San Jose, CA
Hunter LeBlanc, No. 5 - Castro Valley, CA
Nicholas Lima, No. 19 - Castro Valley, CA
Jose Lopez, No. 15 - Hayward, CA
Caesar Mendoza, No. 14 - El Sobrante, CA
Johnny Monterroso, No. 7 - San Jose, CA
Jesus Morales, No. 11 - Livermore, CA
Jose Navarro, No. 20 - Concord, CA
Travis Pillon, No. 3 - Oakland, CA
Fardeen Shaiwany, No. 17 - San Ramon, CA
Jorge Soto, No. 6 - San Jose, CA
Tyler Sylvia, No. 12 - Martinez, CA
William Velasco, No. 21 - San Francisco, CA
Brian Visser, No. 4 - American Canyon, CA
Jeremy Williams, No. 2 - Clayton, CA
