The U16 and U18 sides faced local club Baltimore Bays. The U16s came away with a 1-1 draw. Andy Najar scored the only goal in the 78 minute to keep the score even after moving from his right back spot to central midfield, with only 10 minutes left in the match.
The U18’s defeated the 2007/2008 US Soccer Development Academy National Champion 2-1. Uwem Etuk scored a wonderful goal early in the match after taking on three players across the 18-yard box and firing a driven ball into the upper corner. Marcus Douglas got the game winner in the 61 minute when he collected a cross from Etuk at the top of the box, pushed it past the defender and finished to the far post.
“Both of our teams played solid games this weekend but we are always striving to be better,” said United Director of Youth Development John Maessner. “We know we have work to do with both groups and will continue to push our players.”
Academy Players: Another Academy player recently announced his college commitment. U18 midfielder Uwem Etuk committed to play at West Virginia University starting this fall. He will join teammates, Peabo Doue and Travis Pittman at WVU this fall, which is shaping up to be one of the top recruiting classes in the country
Upcoming Matches: D.C. United Academy will face PDA and Match Fit this weekend at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. The U16s kick off at 2 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, while the U18s will play at 4 p.m. and 1 p.m.
The U16 squad also has plans to play a friendly against Real Madrid’s youth team on April 4, taking the field at RFK Stadium before the first team faces Houston at 7:30 p.m. The team also has plans to face Costa Rica’s Deportivo Saprissa on April 6.
Broadcasting and P.A. Request: When speaking of the organization, please refer to the team as either “D.C. United” or “United,” but not “the D.C. United” or “the United.” We appreciate your cooperation.
Doug Hicks,
dhicks@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5448,
Boris Flores,
bflores@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5452,
Kyle Sheldon,
ksheldon@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5450 or
Cristina Cruz,
ccruz@dcunited.com
, (202) 587-5440
