SAN JOSE, Calif. -
The Earthquakes U18 Academy is off to Los Angeles.
The Northwest Division Academy champions punched their ticket to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Semifinals at the StubHub Center after topping defending champions Players Development Academy (PDA) 3-0 Tuesday night at San Jose State.
“I thought from the opening whistle that we had a great chance of winning the game,” Academy Director Chris Leitch said. “We were really organized, guys were talking. It’s typical of this team. They’ve handled their business in a professional manner all season long and that’s been very impressive to me.”
The Quakes were led behind goals from Amir Bashti, Yousef Diyab and Rory Birse.
“Rory did well to convert on the penalty kick,” Leitch said. “The second goal was just class from Amir and it was great to see him back out there on the pitch. The third one was ignited by a great unselfish play and it found Yousef for the goal.”
The U18s enjoyed balanced scoring throughout the match, but it was their effort on the defensive end that helped secure a win against the defending champions.
“All three of those goals came from a good defensive play behind the ball,” Leitch said. “We turned our commitment on the defensive end into scoring opportunities and we did well to capitalize on our chances.
“It’s easy to look at the three goals and say we won because of our effort in front of goal, but it wouldn’t have been possible without our presence defensively and I am commend the guys for that.”
The Quakes were led in their defensive half by Georgetown commit and longtime Academy product James Marcinkowski, who recorded another clean sheet in a win that extended his career with the academy.
“He’s just a big time player,” Leitch said. “He made three of four crucial saves, but it was more than that. His distribution was top class and that takes pressure off of us. His demeanor with the group makes him the leader of this team and everyone follows his lead.”
Leitch was quick to highlight stand out performances from Jonathan Partida and Marcus Simmons, but all in all, it was a team effort.
“It wasn’t just the individual performances - it was a great team effort led by these kids who just keep fighting,” Leitch said. “They played together as a team and I’m happy to see these guys realize their potential at the end of their academy years.”
San Jose will continue their U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoff run this weekend at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The time of the match and the opponent has yet to be determined.
