PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers Academy teams had a successful trip to the annual U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase held Dec. 11-15 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. The Timbers U-18 and U-16 Academy teams combined to earn points in five of their six combined games.
The 2013 Winter Showcase featured teams from across the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, offering opportunities to compete against opponents outside of their region and allowing for exposure to national team and collegiate scouts and coaches.
The Timbers U-18 Academy (5-6-2, 17pts) opened the showcase with a pair of big results, earning 5-1 and 7-1 victories over the U-18 sides for Orlando City SC and Sporting Kansas City, respectively. The Timbers U-18s were dealt a 3-0 loss in their final match to the Crew Soccer Academy and finished play with a 2-1-0 record.
With a brace from Sam Werner (Beaverton, Ore.), the Timbers U-18s defeated the Orlando City SC U-18s 5-1 in their first match of the showcase on Dec. 11. Portland’s goal-scorers also included Niko De Vera (Washougal, Wash.), Alex Segovia (Hillsboro, Ore.) and Jesse Garcia (Hillsboro, Ore.), all with their first goals of the competition.
Two-goal performances by Segovia and Anthony Machionne (Camas, Wash.) propelled the Timbers U-18s to a 7-1 win over Sporting KC’s U-18 Academy on Dec. 12. Segovia scored both goals just four minutes apart in the first half for his second and third goals of the showcase. De Vera then tallied in a second straight match to help Portland to a 4-0 lead at halftime. Both Issa Hassan (Beaverton, Ore.) and Jacob Kempf (Camas, Wash.) scored their first goals of the season in the second half to contribute to the team’s highest scoring output of the season.
In the loss to the Crew Soccer Academy on Dec. 14, the Timbers U-18s were held scoreless for just the second time this season.
The Timbers U-16 Academy (2-6-5, 11pts) went unbeaten during the showcase, showing their resilience in a pair of comeback draws against the New England Revolution U-16 Academy and Dallas Texans. The Timbers U-16s then shut out the Crew Soccer Academy’s U-16 team in their final match of the showcase in a scoreless draw.
After allowing the opening goal against New England on Dec. 12, midfielder Nick Evans (Troutdale, Ore.) provided the equalizer in the 57th minute of a 1-1 draw to open play in the showcase. Evans then scored two more goals the following day in a 2-2 draw against the Dallas Texans, with his goals in the 24th and 47th minutes each bringing the score line level against one of the best teams in the Central Conference. With three goals during the showcase, Evans now has a team-leading six goals for the 2013-14 season.
The Timbers U-16s registered their fourth shutout of the season in the 0-0 draw against Crew Soccer Academy on Dec. 15. Goalkeeper Anthony Armenta (Happy Valley, Ore.) was credited with the clean sheet in his first start of the season.
The Timbers Academy teams have an extended break through the rest of December and all of January before returning to play on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, against Real So Cal in Oak Park, Calif.
