PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers Academy teams return to action this weekend when they travel to play the academy teams for Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. on Saturday. The U-18s kick off at 1 p.m. (Pacific), while the U-16s kick off at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific).
The Timbers U-18 Academy (0-2-0, 0pts) opened the season with consecutive losses to the U-18 sides for Chivas USA and LA Galaxy in Southern California on Sept. 8-9. The Timbers U-18s look for their first win of the season during a three-match road stretch to start the 2012-13 U.S. Soccer Development Academy campaign.
The Timbers U-16 Academy (0-0-2, 2pts) opened their season by securing two points with back-to-back draws against the Chivas USA and LA Galaxy U-16 Academy teams. Defender Niko De Vera (Washougal, Wash.) scored the first goal in team history on Sept. 8 against Chivas USA, and midfielder/forward Reid Baez (Salem, Ore.) leads the team in scoring with two goals.
Like the Timbers Academy teams, the Sounders FC Academy teams opened their season in Southern California against the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA on Sept. 8-9. Sounders FC U-18s (0-1-1, 1pt) finished with a draw and a loss on the weekend, while the U-16s (0-0-2, 2pts) earned a pair of draws.
Two Timbers U-18 Academy players see time with Timbers Reserves
Two Timbers U-18 Academy players, goalkeeper Mitch North (Medford, Ore.) and forward Christian Desir (Portland, Ore.), saw time in the season finale for the Timbers Reserves on Sunday at JELD-WEN Field – a 3-2 win over the Seattle Sounders FC Reserves.
North contributed two saves after coming on for injured starter Jake Gleeson in the 32nd minute, while Desir played 11 minutes off the bench and took one shot. In total, three Timbers U-18 Academy players, including forward Anthony Macchione (Camas, Wash.), saw playing time with the Timbers Reserves during the 2012 MLS Reserve League season.
Rubio Rubin plays in two matches for the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team
Timbers U-16 Academy forward Rubio Rubin (Beaverton, Ore.) recently played in a pair of exhibition matches for the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team against U-18 teams from the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. He was one of 20 players from the U.S. U-17 Residency Program selected to participate in the two games.
On Sept. 8, Rubin scored a goal in the 43rd minute to spark a comeback, 3-2 win for the U.S U-17 National Team against St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri at St. Louis Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. The U.S. U-17s then fell 2-1 to the Crew Soccer Academy on Sept. 10 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Rubin started and played the full 90 in both matches.
