PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers Academy teams played their first home matches of the 2012-13 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season over the weekend, each coming away with a win and a draw.
The Timbers U-18 Academy (1-2-2, 5pts) played Real So Cal to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in their first home match. After going down a goal in the 25th minute, midfielder Foster Langsdorf (Vancouver, Wash.) scored his first goal of the season to level the score in the 38th minute. Langsdorf beat two defenders and the goalkeeper before firing the ball into the back of the net.
On Sunday, the Timbers U-18s claimed their first win of the season, defeating Arsenal FC 1-0. Portland scored the decisive goal on a penalty kick in the 71st minute after Langsdorf was brought down inside the penalty area. Forward Christian Desir (Portland, Ore.) converted the penalty kick for his second goal of the season. The Timbers U-18s are unbeaten in their last three matches.
The Timbers U-16 Academy (2-0-3, 9pts) remains unbeaten to start the season, recording a 3-2 win over Real So Cal and a 1-1 draw against Arsenal FC over the weekend. With the results, the Timbers U-16s are unbeaten through the first five games of the season and have won two of their last three.
On Saturday, three different Timbers U-16 players netted their first goals of the season in a 3-2 victory over Real So Cal’s U-16 side. The Timbers U-16s jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by midfielder Brandon Faro (Wilsonville, Ore.) and forward Rolando Velazquez (Junction City, Ore.) in the 27th and 33rd minutes, respectively. Real So Cal cut the deficit with a goal just before halftime. The two sides traded goals in the 80th minute, with forward Alejandro Segovia (Beaverton, Ore.) finding the insurance goal for the Timbers U-16s.
On Sunday, the Timbers U-16s matched up with Arsenal FC for the first time. Segovia scored his second goal of the weekend, heading home the equalizer in the second half, to help Portland earn a 1-1 draw.
The Timbers Academy teams head back out on the road to play the Real Salt Lake AZ Academy on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Ariz. Kickoff for the U-18s is set for 10 a.m. (Pacific.), while the U-16s kick off at 12:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Timbers U-16s’ Rubio Rubin helps U.S. U-17 National Team reach ASG Cup final
Timbers U-16 Academy forward Rubio Rubin and the U.S. U-17 National Team wrapped up play in the ASG Cup in Spain over the weekend, playing Mexico to a 1-1 draw in the tournament final on Saturday. Rubin provided the scoring for the United States in the final, tallying his second goal of the tournament.
After helping the U.S. U-17s open the ASG Cup with back-to-back victories over Morocco and United Arab Emirates, Rubin started and played the full 90 in a 1-0 loss to Azerbaijan on Oct. 2. In all, Rubin played in four of the team’s five matches during the tournament and scored a game-winning and a game-tying goal. He was one of 11 players selected to the all-tournament team.
Timbers U-23s’ Erik Hurtado named WCC Player of the Month
Timbers U-23s forward Erik Hurtado (Beaverton, Ore.) was recently named the West Coast Conference Player of the Month for September, recording six goals and two assists during the month for Santa Clara University.
Hurtado helped Santa Clara assemble a four-game winning streak to close out the month, scoring the game-winning goal in three straight games. He led the Broncos to a 2-0-0 start in conference play and was named the WCC Player of the Week on Oct. 1. Hurtado and Santa Clara visit Portland on Friday to face the University of Portland, featuring several Timbers U-23s players, at Merlo Field.
