The MLS NEXT season rolls on, with week two taking your Loons down to St. Louis this past weekend. All three teams were in action against a strong St. Louis CITY group, coming out of their first away trip of the season with two losses and a win for the U15s. With STL being a fellow MLS academy, the boys played at their proper age groups this week, as they will do all season when facing MLS opposition.
U18
St. Louis CITY SC 6 - 1 MNUFC
For Head Coach Alex Morawiecki’s U18 squad, it was a weekend of too many errors. Long stretches of defending put the boys under unnecessary pressure, leading to a ton of chances for the home side on what was an extremely hot, 97-degree day. Despite being down just a single goal at the half, a handful of transition moments and a penalty in the second half ultimately put the result out of reach.
Forward Tim Dennis scored the Loons’ lone goal, while the individual performances of midfielders Jabari Kibisu and Griffin Giel proved to be the most threatening piece of the visiting side’s time in possession. Morawiecki recognized that this match came with plenty of lessons and looks forward to building from here in the weeks to come.
U16
St. Louis CITY SC 5 - 1 MNUFC
Similar to their older counterparts, the U16s braved sweltering conditions down in St. Louis, ultimately coming up short in a 5-1 loss. Head Coach Jamie Caroll-Rolfe maintained that the final score didn’t reflect the true nature of the match itself, as his side had several great chances to add to their goal tally throughout.
The goal ultimately came from forward Alex Densley, whose efforts up top were buoyed by the determination of those behind him. Midfielder Collin Barnes earned special recognition for his leadership, playing through pressure and combining well with his teammates to advance the ball. Fellow midfielder Hector Cruz was likewise effective in the attack, while winger Nosa Osagie presented a real threat to get behind the last line.
U15
St. Louis CITY SC 1 - 2 MNUFC
In their first away game of the year, Head Coach Amin Qasim’s U15s felt the excitement of playing on the road with the older Academy players. Due to the heat, the match was shortened by 20 minutes, shaving each half down to just 35 of the usual 45.
In the early stages, the Loons played around St. Louis’ press quite well, keeping the fullbacks further back to provide more passing options to get out. By defending in a mid-block, the Loons saved their energy and drew their opponents forward, meaning that when they did win the ball back, they had space to play into.
After executing the game plan quite well, the visitors went into the half up 1-0. Some tactical adjustments on both sides saw the second half play out far more evenly, but the Black and Blue managed to get the important second goal before STL got one of their own in the final moments. Coach Qasim was pumped for his side after getting the result.
“This was a very important win on the road and in the heat,” he said. “This was also a very important psychological boost for the boys after last weekend, where we felt like we could have gotten a result but didn't because of isolated mistakes. This showed us that we are able to compete very well and get a win against our age group, and we can continue to build on that with another exciting weekend against Chicago Fire and SC Wave.”
As Qasim said, the Academy will be back in action next weekend, with another doubleheader coming to the NSC. On Saturday, all three teams will be playing against the Chicago Fire, while SC Wave will be coming to town on Sunday.
