SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes Academy U-16s began their quest of the 2015/16 Generation adidas Cup last Friday, and to say that they kicked off the first weekend of competition in Denver with a bang would be a massive understatement.
After a tough result in their opening match, losing 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids but dominating possession, the Quakes woke up Saturday morning hungry to reverse their fortune.
And reverse it they did.
The Quakes exploded offensively, never taking their foot off the gas in a 7-0 thumping of the Portland Timbers. A hat trick from Arda Bulut did not even account for half the goals, as Andrew Paoli converted a penalty kick, Victor Romero slipped one past the keeper, Oscar Govea scored in the second half, and Adolfo Trujillo scored off of a 40-yard blast in the dying minutes of the match.
"We did several video sessions and tactical talks on how each opponent plays and how we would successfully build-up the field," said Head Coach Paul Holocher. "When the build-up is good then everything else becomes easier and that's why so many of our goals involved many players and longer passing sequences."
Coach Holocher's consistent focus on possession paid off in a big way, controlling play for an estimated 70% of the matches during the weekend.
"That means in that 30% [without the ball] we must also be very good," said Holocher. "There were moments when we lost the ball and had to quickly transition to prevent a counterattack or recover to collectively defend deeper. At times we needed to congest the center of the field to protect what we call the 'direct goal channel.’"
The momentum from that commanding victory carried over into the Quakes' final match of the weekend, as they took on Real Salt Lake.
Romero gave the Quakes an early 1-0 lead, and soon after, Paoli showed his individual effort, cutting off a pass and using his weak foot to send the ball off the post and in.
The scoring didn't stop there. Later in the half, Kaya Fabbretti chipped one over the keeper, and a Real Salt Lake own goal brought the score to 4-0 entering the break.
Bulut wasn't done either. He scored his fourth of the weekend to secure the victory. A late RSL goal saw that the Quakes' would not keep a clean sheet for the second straight day, but the match finished as a dominant 5-1 San Jose win.
After the match, compliments came in from fans in the audience regarding the Quakes' impressive style of play.
"That is reward in itself," said Holocher. "We knew we were on the right path and so we continued on and looked to improve some of the details in our movements and support that could make the difference."
As if a 12-2 goals for/against total wasn't impressive enough, things were strong on the 16’s defensive end as well, much to the delight of Holocher.
"We didn’t give away too many clear chances and this was perhaps the most impressive thing about the weekend," he said. "We were very good in these transitional and defending moments."
‘Staying on the gas pedal’ is an analogy they used heavily throughout the course of the weekend, and the team's tilted score sheets were tangible evidence of that.
"We teach the players to look at each minute as ‘minute one’ and in doing so the team works to stay focused and intent on what we want to do," said Holocher. "The level of communication is also an important factor in keeping our foot on the gas pedal."
The 16s return to California full of confidence from a fantastic weekend. They currently sit in a tie for second place in the table for this tournament out of the six teams in their region, but as one can imagine, goal differential is in their favor.
With the next set of matches for the Generation adidas cup being months away in Los Angeles, the 16s will have to quickly refocus, as they train for Saturday's derby match against De Anza Force Academy.
Their teams are well-coached and they look to play soccer in a way that develops the player," Holocher said of De Anza. "It's important to have these types of teams to play against and why we always welcome good and meaningful competition.
Next Match: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1:30 p.m. vs. De Anza Force Academy at De Anza College
