Barca Residency Academy’s MLS NEXT Academy teams returned to action this weekend on the road with a doubleheader in Las Vegas, Nevada, taking on Albion SC Las Vegas and Downtown Las Vegas SC. The weekend delivered mixed results, highlighted by a stellar undefeated Saturday followed by some lessons learned on Sunday.
MLS NEXT Academy vs. Albion SC Las Vegas
Barca opened the weekend with four wins and a clean sweep versus Albion SC Las Vegas. The gameday was highlighted by a number of top-class goals. The first of which came from a well-worked goal by the U-16s, fizzing the ball around and then crossing to Bryce Hughes, who headed home the lone goal of the game. Not to be one-upped, the U-19s added a top goal of their own, courtesy of Kevin Cholko thundering home a strike from outside the box. Defense was also on display throughout the day, as both the U-15 and U-16s added a clean sheet to their respective performances.
- U-19s: W 3–2 (P. Hernandez, Cholko, Trollope)
- U-17s: W 3–1 (Morales-Shackleford, Momusse, Alonso)
- U-16s: W 1–0 (Hughes)
- U-15s: W 2–0 (Marin, Kawase)
MLS NEXT Academy vs. Downtown Las Vegas SC
Barca finished the weekend going 1-3 versus Downtown Las Vegas SC. Despite the results, the matches provided valuable lessons for the players and staff. The lone win of the day was nothing short of cinema. The U-15s came back from down a goal after an Elliot Mackay equalizer paired with a perfect delivery on a corner from Renataro Kawase, which was headed home by Sebastian Kay to secure the win.
- U-19s: L 2–4 (Ford, Hill)
- U-17s: L 0–2
- U-16s: L 1–2 (I. Rodriguez)
- U-15s: W 2–1 (Mackay, Kay)
Looking Ahead
The upcoming weekend will be action-packed, with a doubleheader slate for both Barca Residency Academy MLS Next Homegrown and Academy teams. On Saturday, the Homegrown team will play Chula Vista FC, while the Academy teams will face Las Vegas Sports Academy. On Sunday, the Homegrown teams will face LA Bulls SC, and the Academy teams will face Players Soccer Club NV. All games will be played at Grande Sports World.
