Philadelphia Union Academy faced its first double gameday weekend of the MLS NEXT season, picking up results in nine of the 10 matches.
Union Academy U-18s (8), Toronto FC (4)
Anisse Saidi and Diego Rocio couldn't be stopped on Saturday morning at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex with the duo combining for seven of the U-18s goals. Saidi led the way with four goals while Rocio notched a hat trick in a wild affair that was deadlocked at 3-3 at the break. Henry Bernstein rounded out the scoring as the squad started off their weekend with a victory.
"We are thrilled to score 8 goals from very impressive attacking moments however, it is disappointing and uncharacteristic to concede four goals," Head Coach Peter McDonnell said following the match.
Union Acacdemy U-16s (8), Toronto FC (0)
The U-16s kept the scoring going as well against the Canadian side as six different Boys in Blue found the back of the net. Forward Malik Jakupovic continued his hot start to the season with another brace while Tyler Gladstone added a pair of goals too. With goalkeeper Marcello Avalos and his backline locking things down during the match, the offense erupted in the second half with seven goals in a 30-minute span.
Union 3 (2), Philly Lonestar (1)
Union 3 picked up its first UPSL victory of the season sa they knocked off local side Philly Lonestar by a 2-1 margin. Forward Paul Killeen scored a brace in the win, finding the back of the net in the 10th minute off a pass from Daniel Dixon. The game winner came just past the hour mark as Killeen jumped on a rebound spilled inside the box to lift the Baby Snakes to the win.
Union Academy U-14s (5), PA Classics (0)
Phil Karn's side opened its weekend on the road but kept its unbeaten form as they picked up a 5-0 win against rivals PA Classics. The Union side saw five different scorers on the stat sheet with Evan Roberts, Samuel Mendes, Ian Heyward, Daniel Auguste and Zak Oladunmoye contributing goals.
Union Academy U-13s (5), PA Classics (0)
Just like their Academy teammates, the U-13s put up a matching scoreline at PA Classics on Saturday morning with a 5-0 win. Micah Casey, Josiah Felix, Brendan McCue, Ahrend Knapp and Mikey Blaszczyk.
Union Academy U-18s (3), TSF (0)
The U-18s completed the weekend sweep with a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex. Jack Wayne gave the Baby Snakes the early lead in the 25th minute while Zach Greer and Henry Bernstein added second-half tallies to complete the perfect weekend.
Union Academy U-16s (11), TSF (0)
After putting up eight goals the previous day, the Pedro Cavalcanti's side put up 11 in another shutout effect in front of the Union faithful. Malik Jakupovic bagged four goals on Sunday while Timoni Gbalajobi added a hat trick to led the offense. Chuka Ebu contributed a brace on the day with the rest of the scoring added in by Charlie Rihn and Tyler Gladestone.
Union Academy U-15s (1), TSF (1)
Collin Fullam found the back of the net in the 12th minute but TSF was able to steal a road point with the two sides battling to a 1-1 draw.
"The overall performance of the group was very good for the majority of the game," Head Coach Henry Apaloo said following the match. "The improvement needs to come in finishing chances, but the positive is that the team created a lot of chances and limited the opposition to very few chances which shows how well they controlled the game."
Union Academy U-14s (3), TSF (2)
The Union U-14s had a tight battle against the New Jersey side but prevailed with a 3-2 result at home. Jax Benton, Mateo Rosko and Evan Roberts contributed goals in the winning effort that saw the team complete the weekend sweep.
"Was a very good challenge for the team at this early stage in the season," Phil Karn said. "They had a few players that were quick and fast and if we made mistakes in possession, they jumped all over us. They also played a different formation that caused us challenges particularly in the back, as they had 3 forwards up against our back four all game long. However, aside from the last 12 minutes of the game, we controlled the tempo of the game. We created a lot of chances but didnt score today. We are getting a lot of chances in wide areas but but our service and our ability to get open in the red zone needs to improve."
Union Academy U-13s (1), TSF (4)
Philadelphia Union nearly got the weekend sweep but a difficult matchup at the U-13 level saw the visiting side claim all three points. It was a tale of two halves as the Baby Snakes started slow against a more physical side which presented a unique formation of three attacking pieces against the Union's traditional back four. River Franek netted the lone goal for Willy Topp's side as they suffered their second loss of the season.
