Potomac Academy Teams Return from U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase Undefeated!
At the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix, Arizona this past weekend, the U-15/16 and U-17/18 Potomac Academy teams secured positions in the top of their divisions by posting 1 win and 5 ties. Playing 3 matches over the course of 4 days at the Reach 11 Soccer Complex, each team was able to test themselves against some of the best competition in the country. With just over a month of training, the teams were provided an opportunity to see where they are early in the Academy season.
The U-15/16 squad, coached by Matt Pilkington, went 1-0-2 on the weekend, and opened up the competition with a 1-0 win over the IMG Academy squad from Bradenton, FL with a goal from Daniel Akinkoye. The team then tied an extremely talented Weston Academy side from Miami, FL with a late goal from midfielder Nick Breitsameter, who calmly placed a right-footed shot into the net from about 10 yards out from a nice through ball that split the Westin defense. The Potomac team kept the pressure up for the last few minutes and nearly won the game on two great chances near the end of regulation. In their last match of the weekend, the U-15/16s tied 0-0 against Classics SC from Texas, and were disappointed in not picking up 3 points after creating many quality chances throughout the game. Overall, it was a tremendous start for the U-15/16s, allowing just 1 goal in their first 3 matches of the Academy season, and performing well against 3 quality opponents.
The U17/18 group also had much to be proud of as well as they held all 3 opponents scoreless over the weekend. With all 3 matches ending in 0-0 ties, the talented group coached by Zach Samol showed moments of great attacking play, and were unfortunate to not come away with a couple of wins. The defense played extremely well and limited the opponents to very few chances. All of the defenders performed well, and combined with solid goalkeeping in all 3 games, the team had 3 clean sheets. Offensively, the team created a number of good chances that they could not convert on. While disappointed in not picking up any wins, the team showed great signs of coming together early in the Academy season.
Each match throughout the event was observed and evaluated by a U.S. Soccer National Scout with emphasis in identifying the best players in the country for inclusion into our U.S. Soccer National Team programs. All statistics are taken and input into the Academy web site.
In addition to the Academy matches there were select matches for the ‘93 and ‘94 age groups, as well as International games between the U-17 sides representing Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA. Brazil won the competition by going 2-0-1 over the 4 days, while the USA went 1-1-1. The USA squad is comprised of the ’94 birth years and this was the first event for Coach Wilmer Cabrera’s young squad.
Potomac player Nat Eggleston was selected to play in the ‘93 Select Matches and performed extremely well at central defense in his outing on Sunday. The Potomac native has been in the U-18 National Team pool for the past year, and will take part in their next training camp this winter.
In addition to observing and playing in a number of matches, the Potomac U-15/16 players were also able to take part in a Gatorade rehydration testing program for their match against Weston. The players were weighed before and after the match to review and provide feedback about their individual hydration level. Gatorade provided complementary drinks to the players, as well as gave them a brief seminar on the importance of rehydration.
Nike and U.S. Soccer also provided interactive events and demonstrations for the teams in the player tent. The tent was filled with informative products and soccer specific technical testing measures for each player.
The Academy teams will take a break for the holidays and then begin training in Mid-January in preparation for the league matches in February.
For more information on the Potomac Academy, please email
PotomacAcademy@gmail.com , or visit the Academy web site at Potomacsoccer.org
The Potomac U.S. Soccer Development Academy Program congratulates Quinn Meehan who was selected to the 2009 NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar All-America Soccer Team. A member of the Potomac U-17/18 team, Quinn attends the Tuscarora High School in Frederick, Maryland, where he currently has a GPA of 4.4 and was selected for the All-State First team. “It’s a great honor for Quinn, and certainly well deserved. He is a tremendous example of the types of players and young men that we aim to attract to our Academy Program. He certainly has a bright future ahead of him, and we are proud to have him in our program,” stated Jeff Rohrman, Potomac’s Technical Director. Quinn has played midfield for the Potomac Academy team for the past two years, and will be attending Towson University in the fall. Quinn was recently honored for his award at a ceremony at the NSC AA Coaches Convention this past weekend in Philadelphia. 
