The boys were busy over the weekend, with all three of MNUFC Academy teams going up against Chicago Fire’s Academy and Milwaukee’s SC Wave. Chicago dominated Minnesota, but the Black and Blue found two out of three victories over the Wave, with the 16s and 15s securing wins and the 18s walking away with lessons learned from a pair of close contests.
U18
MNUFC 0 - 1 Chicago Fire FC
Alex Morawiecki’s U18s saw a dynamic first half against Chicago, with good opportunities on both sides but only the Fire managing to find the back of the net. Keeper Keane Perkins made a couple of important saves early in the game, and Griffin Giel had a great chance for the Loons when he combined with Brady Schumacher behind the last line, only to be denied by Chicago’s keeper. Chicago dominated possession in the second half, but in classic Loons fashion, Minnesota generated several promising attacks on counters and set pieces. Jabari Kibisu was strong on both defense and offense, drawing fouls and finding good pockets to advance the attack. Schumacher continued to boost the Black and Blue with his creativity on both sides of the ball, and Etienne Testa made multiple key challenges inside the box. Despite a big push at the end of the match, the Loons couldn’t find a goal.
MNUFC 1 - 3 SC Wave
Featuring a fresh XI after Saturday’s loss, the U18s went down 0-2 in the first half against the SC Wave. Though dominating possession, the Loons conceded on the counter and then a penalty. The second half was much the same, with the Wave’s keeper logging some great saves to keep the Black and Blue at bay. Morawiecki’s side earned a PK for their efforts, but the boys weren’t able to push back after the Wave’s third goal, converted off a mistimed pass from Minnesota’s keeper. The highlight of the match was once again Kibisu, who came off the bench to boost the attack and seamlessly continued his strong play from the day prior.
U16
MNUFC 1 - 3 Chicago Fire
Jamie Carroll-Rolfe’s U16s likewise took on the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Though they couldn’t swing the win, the match was a major step forward for the group, showing admirable adaptability throughout the match that kept to the team’s principles in whatever formation they used on the pitch. Minnesota defended well for long stretches of the game while also creating some strong chances. Mario Vera-Martinez consistently provided balance behind the ball, also finding space to progress and recovering quickly when the line was broken. Nosa Osagie and his spot-on timing presented a frequent threat to the opposition’s backline. Minnesota’s goal came from Donatien Nzambimana, who got one past Chicago’s high-performing keeper by engineering strong combinations behind the backline with the rest of the team’s determined attack.
Overall, Carroll-Rolfe’s side pulled a lot of positives from the game to push forward with, taking lessons learned into a Sunday matchup against the SC Wave.
MNUFC 4 - 2 SC Wave
Sunday brought both sunshine and victory for the Loons, with a solid performance across the board against the SC Wave. As the game progressed, Carroll-Rolfe’s side was quick to adapt to the Wave’s game plan, notably dealing well with the physicality of playing a year up. The team’s good reaction after conceding kept them on the upswing, with Pablo Merheb securing a brace, Nzambimana logging his second goal of the weekend, and Ethan Sharkey putting one in net for the Loons’ final tally of four. The boys excelled in one-on-one duels, consistently progressing the ball and timing runs to rack up the score. Bruno De La Hoya was a hallmark of defending space, and Collin Barnes’ leadership was a large contributor to the success of the day.
U15
MNUFC 2 - 7 Chicago Fire
After the weekend the 15s had in St. Louis, Amin Qasim’s side was in good spirits and looked to continue a streak of strong play. Calvin Clarke started the scoring off early by forcing a turnover in Chicago’s own half. Chicago fired back with two goals before Minnesota’s Enzi Herrera Sanchez evened the score in the 25th. But the Fire went on a scoring spree, and the first half ended with Minnesota down 2-4. Adrian Kibaya came off the bench and was able to create some good moments on the attack, and Clarke continued to be strong on the press throughout the match. Overall, the Loons played a better second half, though they weren’t able to increase their goal tally, and Chicago was quick to capitalize on a few moments of poor defensive concentration.
“The first home game of a double header weekend is usually tough because we have to think about squad balance and which players will play how many minutes and so on,” Qasim said. “Nevertheless, it was a good game to open the weekend against a really good opponent.”
MNUFC 4 - 0 SC Wave
Sunday saw an entirely different match for the 15s, with a quick emotional turnaround from the prior day’s loss. A few changes in the starting XI gave opportunities to some fresh faces, and the Loons started off strong, organized against the ball and closing the middle to force the opposition to play sideways to the full back. Minnesota was able to win the ball and get directly to the goal in the first two minutes of the game with such a strategy, with Kibaya kicking off the scoring. The matchup was a physical one, and the boys were accordingly quick to move the ball and create chances in transition, but they couldn’t capitalize on their chances for the remainder of the first half. After the half, Clarke scored the second goal of the match off direct play from Teddy Eckert. Instead of relaxing with a 2-0 lead, the Loons were ruthless in front of the goal. Leo Sabesan didn’t hesitate when he got the ball on a throw-in from the right, finding Lorenzo Uribe to chip one in and make it three. Herrera Sanchez sealed the deal with the team’s fourth goal of the match, coming off another great through ball from Sabesan. The match demonstrated what the boys were capable of both individually and on a collective level, a lesson in the importance of bouncing back that leaves them in a good place ahead of their next matchup against Colorado.
