TBU U13/14 US Soccer Development Academy Season is Underway
The 2014-15 US Soccer Development Academy Season is well under way for the TBU U13/14 Development Academy team following a five week preseason which included 4 scrimmages and a team outing to the Rowdies vs Railhawks game on Aug 23rd. “Obviously training is important to improve individually and collectively but we also put a lot of emphasis during preseason on classroom sessions and team building activities,” stated Coach Harrison. “We have a lot of new players and it is important for them to get to know each other on and off the field. The classroom session helped with this and also aided with the players’ understanding of the principles of soccer, which will help them have a more cerebral approach to the game.”
The regular season kicked off on the road vs Jacksonville FC on September 13 and TBU came away with a 2-1 victory. “Overall I was pleased with our first match of the year and we are very happy to start on a positive note,” stated Coach Harrison. “We certainly had more possession but we will have to do better with our opportunities in front of goal as we missed several opportunities to score. Again, it is the first match and it provides us a good picture of what we need to work on.”
The Jacksonville match was followed by another away match at Orlando City on September 20 where TBU fell 3-2 in an exciting and fast paced match. “We knew this would be a tough test on the road as Orlando City is talented, well coached and they have a strong competitive spirit.” The match was tied 2-2 when Orlando City scored the game winner in the 71st minute. “While we are disappointed in the final score this was an excellent match for us to evaluate ourselves both individually and collectively. These are the type of matches we want and need to grow and develop.”
The September schedule closed out with two home matches on September27th and 28th versus Weston and Kendall respectively. The weekend started with a 4-2 win vs Weston FC. Coach Harrison stated, “We started slowly and lacked urgency and intensity in the first half. On the flip side I’m happy with our second half response after being down 1-0 at halftime by scoring 4 goals in the second half. I would be remiss if I did not mention the second goal that started with an excellent early cross from Sebastian Soto to charging Andres Ojeda who headed it home for a 2-1 lead.”
The weekend ended as it began with a 4-0 TBU win versus Kendall. “Today was a challenge for us for a couple of reasons. First, we were playing back to back games in hot humid conditions. Second, we were facing a strong and rested opponent in Kendall,” stated Coach Harrison. “Today we took a big step forward in two areas. First, we mentally fought through playing back to back days with a tremendous effort. Second, we are beginning to play with more intelligence, which was on display through our possession and letting the ball do the work.”
October will feature three away matches and one home match. Oct. 4 at IMG, Oct 11 & 12 at Boca United and Kendall and Oct. 25 at home versus Jacksonville.