Day Two – Friday December 4, 2009

This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel before the U16s departed for the complex at 8:30am. The complex is absolutely fantastic with 18 lit fields and turf that felt like a carpet. The U16s played a tough Colorado Rapids team from the MLS and after a somewhat shaky start came into their own midway through the first half. We created three good chances through Ben Burdon and two good free kicks from Roland Minogue. In the second half the game opened up more as substitutions were made by both teams. We were unlucky not to take the lead when we hit the right hand upright during the second half. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:

GK Stefen Knapp (Jaron Bradley GK)
LB Austin Yearwood (Zhuvonte Wilson LMF)
CB Matt Brown
CB Brandon Kardos
RB Bennett Yort (Ben Kern RB)
LMF Jake Keating
CMF Santiago Patino (Kyle Parker CF)
CMF Roland Minogue
RMF Drew Brown (Harper Williams RMF)
CF Conor Keeley
CF Ben Burdon

The U18 team also faced the Rapids at 12pm at the Reach 11 Complex. The Rapids are also opening up there season here in Phoenix. We started brightly with chances from Giuseppe Gentile and Jono Grad. But in the eighth minute the Rapids struck when a square ball played from right to left at the half way line was intercepted. The Rapids center forward ran from the half way line to the eighteen yard line with the ball before slotting over goal keeper Nick Hensley.

The second half was a different story with us creating numerous chances from wide play and also down the middle. Our defensive shape was much better with players helping each other out. After missing by inches on several occasions, Evan Kent provided a ball into the channel down the right for Giuseppe Gentile to control at the top of the area before beating the center back for pace and pulling the ball back for Drew Benningfield. With the ball at his feet, Benningfield swept the ball home from eight yards out with seventeen minutes remaining to make it 1-1. From then on out we went for the win getting in behind and creating a number of good opportunities that the keeper saved well from. Unfortunately with seven minutes remaining the tide turned as the Rapids played a good one-two at the top of our box before beating our advancing goal keep Trent Johnson. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:

GK Nick Hensley (Trent Johnson GK)
LB Evan Kent
CB Thomas Allen (Keith Pittman CB)
CB James Nero
RB Will O’Brien (Tyler Adams LB)
LMF Andrew Sperr (Michael Nelli LMF)
CMF Brett Luccia (Robbie Beatty CMF)
CMF Jono Grad (Alex Leonard CMF)
RMF Nick Barnhorst
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Conner Miller (Andrew Benningfield CF)

After the game the boys had dinner, watched the first half of the USA vs. Portugal game and then headed to the hotel. It has been a good trip so far. Looking forward to the next game………