Character shined for Orlando City’s youngest stars this weekend.
City’s Development Academy U-17/18s fought back from an early deficit on the road at Charlotte Soccer Academy and responded to an early second-half equalizer with an 85th minute goal from Juan Esteban Carmona to secure the win. They followed that up with a 2-0 win over Carolina Rapids to improve to 20-4-1 and No. 2 in the country.
Landen Haig notched a brace before Carmona scored on Saturday; Thomas Dennis and Mikael Martins scored Sunday.
“Both games were really hard for the boys,” Academy Director and U-17/18s head coach David Longwell said. “They went down in the first game but fought back. I’m really proud of the character they showed.”
The U-15/16s faced a similar challenge in North Carolina. They dropped a tight 2-1 decision to Charlotte SA before coming out on the winning side of the same scoreline Sunday. Roberto Ydrach scored twice over the weekend and Mario Licor added his team-leading 12th of the season.
Licor’s success at the U-15/16 level comes as no surprise considering he’s a regular call-up to the U-17/18s and sees time in training with OCB and the First Team. AJ Seals is another U-15/16 that plays up a few levels, and their quick progress is a sign of their potential.
“Sometimes with these young kids we see things in them that maybe they don’t see in themselves,” Longwell explained. “We don’t accelerate their development because we want to, but because they can handle it and are ready for it.”
A similar story is playing out with the U-15/16s, where three U-14 players started the weekend’s games. Longwell pointed out that the jump from U-14 to U-15/16 is an especially difficult one but that the players excelled.
“All in all, I’m really proud of the boys,” Longwell said. “The 15/16s didn’t win their first game but they rebounded nicely against two tough opponents. It’s not so much the results we’re looking for, but the individual development and play of the team as a whole.
“They all showed tremendous character.”
