RECAP
Barça Academy had a successful weekend at home as they won both of their matches on Sunday. The U-18s opened play at Grande Sports World in an Arizona Premier League (APL) match against the CCV Stars where they won a tight match by the score of 1-0, extending their winning streak to four games, three in the APL. The U-16s followed in an Arizona State League match against Sereno SC. The U-16s without difficulty beat Sereno SC 6-2, advancing to 6-1-1 on the season
The Barça Academy U-18 team won their third straight APL match when they beat CCV Stars 1-0 on the strength of Fidel Rangel-Gallardo’s winning goal on the hour mark.
The match started at an extremely high tempo, with CCV pressing high up the pitch in an effort to neutralize Barça Academy’s possession. As both team found their footing in the game, chances started to flow.
The first clear cut chance fell to Barça on 23 minutes, when Arjan Dosanjh pulled off a lovely piece of skill to split a pair of defenders on the edge of the penalty area. He was able to get a shot away before the covering defender got across, but his low effort to the near post was smothered by the goalkeeper.
Barça Academy continued threatening throughout the first half, with Fidel Rangel-Gallardo proving to be the danger man out wide. On 31 minutes, he beat his man in a 1 vs 1 situation and fizzed a service across the face of goal, just out of the reach of a sliding Jose Castaneda. Six minutes later, Rangel-Gallardo would provide dangerous service again, putting a cross just ahead of Matthew Conti.
The halftime interval was reached with the score at 0-0. After the break, it would take 15 minutes for the deadlock to be broken. Barça Academy took the lead through great build-up play from the back, through the midfield, finding Rangel-Gallardo in a wide position. The winger once again beat his man in a 1 vs 1 situation, and slotted past the keeper to open the scoring.
“Our goals this season have come when we switch the play,” said Coach Cristian Lopez. “The ball started on the left side, then we found solutions in the middle, and then switch to the winger, who had a 1 v 1 situation, and then Fidel did very well to score this goal.”
Barça Academy had a chance to extend the lead in the 72nd minute, when the ball the ball fell to Jose Castaneda at the edge of the box, but his curling finish flew just wide of the far post.
Goalkeeper Daniel Dubiel was made to work for his clean sheet, making a pair of saves in the 77th and 87th minute to preserve the win for Barça Academy.
The Barça Academy U-16 team bounced back from a loss last weekend in fine style, emphatically beating Sereno Soccer Club by a score of 6-2.
The scoring was opened early on when Nick Bisagno beat his man in a wide area and picked out Alejandro Carrasco with a pinpoint cross. The center forward rose highest and powered a header past the helpless goalkeeper in the 6th minute.
Just two minutes later, Bisagno would turn from provider to scorer. Ryan Thomas’ overlapping run gave him space to shoot, and his low, driving effort to the far post was well saved by the goalkeeper. Bisgano was on at the far post hand to tap in the rebound and double Barça Academy’s advantage.
Chances would fall the way of Jimmy Glaab and Carrasco, but it wasn’t until the 31st minute that next clear-cut chance materialized. Guillermo Lopez lined up a free kick which beat the wall and rattled the frame of the goal before being scrambled away by Sereno’s defense.
Not to be denied, Lopez would get his goal four minutes later with a clinical finish low and hard to the far post. It would prove to be the last significant action of a lively first half.
The goals would keep coming early on in the second half. Caleb Suh’s powerful run through the center of the field drew the attention of Sereno’s back four, allowing Bisagno to take up a dangerous position in the box unmarked. Suh duly found Bisagno with a slide-rule pass, and Bisagno made no mistakes tucking away his finish into the side netting for his second goal of the day and Barça Academy’s fourth.
Much like Bisagno in the first half, Suh would quickly turn from provider to scorer in the 47th minute. He was able to take up a good position at the top of the box and curled a shot into the top corner past a diving goalkeeper.
Barça Academy would get their sixth of the day in the 56th minute when the ball fell to Ulrich Schmidt in the box, who powered an effort through the legs of a scrambling goalkeeper.
Sereno would score two goals late on after Kai Kruger was sent off for receiving two yellow cards, but the game was already over at that point.
“We really moved the ball well at certain times,” said Coach Brady Taylor after the match. “The rhythm of the game was where it needed to be in the first half, and we certainly picked it up early in the second half, but we got sloppy at the end of the second half.”
RESULTS
Pre-Academy
U-18: Barça Academy 1 vs. CCV Stars 0 | October 1, 2017
U-16: Barça Academy 6 vs. Sereno SC 2 | October 1, 2017
UPCOMING MATCHES
October 7
Academy
Barça Academy U-19 vs. Santa Cruz Breakers SC U-19 | 11:30 a.m. PT, Grande Sports World
Barça Academy U-17 vs. Santa Cruz Breakers SC U-1 | 9:00 a.m. PT, Grande Sports World
Barça Academy U-15 vs. Santa Cruz Breakers SC U-15 | 9:00 a.m. PT, Grande Sports World
LOOKING AHEAD
The Academy teams will compete at Grande Sports World against the Santa Cruz Breakers SC on October 7, 2017. The Pre-Academy U-18s will return to action on October 2, 2017 against SC Del Sol at 9:00 a.m. on field #2 at the Scottsdale Sports Complex. The U-16s will resume ASL play on October 21, time and location TBD.
COACHES CORNER
“We’re obviously still in the learning process of playing the Barcelona way and there’s going to be challenges with that, but I am happy with the results of today”
Want to be apart of Barça Academy? Register for camps at:
https://grandesportsacademy.regfox.com/new-gsa-soccer-tryouts-summer-camps
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