Week 10
The MNUFC Development Academy U13 and U14 teams went on their first away weekend of the spring season April 21–22. The Loons traveled to Columbus to face Crew SC Academy and Internationals. Both of the teams fared well and came home with a win and a loss.
MNUFC U13 vs. Crew SC Academy U13
The Loons started the weekend off on the wrong foot, falling to Crew SC 2-0. Crew SC struck early in the eighth minute with a goal from Caleb Borneo. Landon Hill widened the gap and put the home team ahead 2-0 with his goal in the 17th minute. MNUFC couldn’t catch up but fought hard until the final whistle.
MNUFC U13 vs. Internationals U13
MNUFC headed into their second match of the weekend with urgency. Soloman Straub put the Loons on the board with his 41st minute goal, closing out the first half on a high note for MNUFC. Micah Burton followed suit and finished in the 53rd minute, putting the Loons up 2-0. Blake Gordon responded with a 58th minute goal for Internationals, but the team couldn’t catch up. The Loons closed out Sunday with a 2-1 victory.
MNUFC U14 vs. Crew SC Academy U14
The U14s mimicked the U13s performance in their first match against Crew SC. The Loons fell behind in the 12th minute, when Andrew Shaffer put one in the back of the net. MNUFC drew level in the second half on a Baraka Tarleton goal in the 49th minute. Both teams fought to pull ahead, but it was Sebastian Swary who scored a 58th minute goal to solidify the Crew SC victory.
MNUFC U14 vs. Internationals U14
MNUFC came to play against the Internationals on Sunday morning. Ryan Mahabadi opened the scoring parade with a ninth minute goal, putting the Loons on the board first. Joseph Highfield added to the number, scoring in the 16th minute. Internationals player Tristian Wilson responded with an 18th minute goal, closing the gap to 2-1. The second half opened with three goals from Mahabadi. Morgan Olson added one more to the score sheet with his 80th minute goal. The Loons walked away from their Sunday match with a 6-1 victory.
Week 11
MNUFC hosted the Minnesota Thunder Academy for a pair of matches on Sunday, April 29. The Loons split the pair of matches with the U13s falling 1-0 in the first match before the U14s capped the day with a 2-1 triumph.
MNUFC U13 vs. Minnesota Thunder Academy U13
After conceding a pair of goals in the first half, the MNUFC U13 team was unable to claw its way back against the Thunder. MTA did all of its damage in a nine-minute span just over midway through the first half. The Thunder’s Antonio Lee took full advantage of a corner kick to open the scoring in the 24th minute and Alex Moreno converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute as the Thunder quickly built a two-goal advantage that the Loons never recovered from.
MNUFC U14 vs. Minnesota Thunder Academy U14
After jumping out to an early two-goal lead, the MNUFC U14 team held off MTA late for a 2-1 victory. The Loons got going quickly as Ryan Mahabadi staked his side to a 1-0 advantage in the third minute. MNUFC doubled its fortune in the 40th minute as Perry Blay’s cross connected with Luke Yeeyick. The Thunder got one back in the 42nd minute courtesy of Mohammed Ulel but that was as close as they came as the Loons closed out the one-goal win.
Next up for the U13s and U14s is a trip to Cincinnati to face Cincinnati United Premier. The U13 sides will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 5 ahead of the U14 match at 12:30 p.m. The full schedule for both programs can be found here.
MNUFC announced the trial dates for its Development Academy (DA) teams and assessment dates for the Pre-Development Academy program. Trials will be for U13 (2006), U14 (2005) and U15 (2004) DA teams, along with placement trials for the U11 (2008) and U12 (2007) Pre-Development Academy programs. All trials will be held at the Minnesota United Training Ground located at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
