USSDA Winter Showcase
Two TFC Academy squads were in Florida this week to take part in the US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase.
The Toronto FC Academy U-18/19 squad got their showcase underway on Thursday with a game against Real Colorado.
Shaan Hundal opened the scoring on the day as he converted a first-half penalty kick. Shortly after Dante Campbell sent home a bicycle kick into the Colorado goal to double the lead. Not to be outdone Hundal then smashed in a bicycle kick of his own to make it 3-0.
Zak Abdi (A: Jordan Faria) and Jordan Faria (A: Noble Okello) added second-half goals as the Reds cruised to the 5-1 victory.
Next up for the Reds was a match against Orlando City SC on Friday. Campbell (A: Kunle Dada-Luke) scored his second of the showcase to open the scoring. Hundal (A: Zak Abdi) and Abdi (A: Okello) both followed suit netting their second in as many games as the Reds shutout OCSC. Nick Christoffersen earned the clean sheet in the victory.
The final game of the showcase pitted the U-18/19s up against the Colorado Rapids. Abdi (A: Josh Moreira) continued his strong run of play by opening the scoring late in the first half however the Rapids equalized just before the break.
In the second half, Steffen Yeates (A: Terique Mohammed) scored to give the Reds the lead but Colorado came back with a pair of goals to take a 3-2 advantage. However, late into injury-time the Reds were awarded a penalty kick and Shaan Hundal converted to level the contest at 3.
The U-18/19s finished the showcase undefeated with a 2-0-1 record.
The Toronto FC Academy U-16/17 team was also in Florida competing in the Winter Showcase.
The younger Reds opened their showcase with a match against FC Golden State. The Reds went down early but tied it up just before the half as Mehdi Essoussi converted a penalty kick.
Michael Washington scored early in the second half to give the Reds the 2-1 lead before Washington set up Themi Antonoglou for another. Ryan Robinson added an injury-time marker as the Reds rallied for the 4-1 victory.
The second game of the showcase featured a battle with Atlanta United FC. The Reds were in tough as they went down 2-0 before the halftime break with one of the goals coming on an Atlanta PK. The Georgians made it 3-0 just after the restart before Washington pulled one back on a goal assisted by Matthaus Garcia. The Atlanta attacked proved to be a tough test for the Reds as the victors added a few more to finish the match 6-1.
The final game of the showcase featured the U-16/17 team against Orlando City SC.
Theo Corbeanu (A: Essoussi, Daniel Raimondo) had a first-half brace but the Reds couldn’t hold on as the Lions battled back to tie the match on a last-minute penalty kick. Altogether the Reds finished the showcase with a 1-1-1 record.
TFC Academy Athletes Nominated for Canada Soccer Awards
5 TFC Academy Athletes have been nominated for Canada Soccer Player of the Year Awards. Luca Uccello has been nominated for the U-20 Male Player of the Year award while Rocco Romeo, Terique Mohammed, Jordan Faria, and Steffen Yeates have been nominated for the U-17 honour.
