While the Dynamo Academy U-18 team is set to take the biggest trip in the Academy's short history this weekend when it heads to Europe, the U-16 squad faced an intense trip to El Salvador last weekend.
The Dynamo finished 1-3 on the trip, playing four games in four days - two each against the El Salvador U-15 national team and Dynamo partner FESA.
The weekend opened on a rough note, as the Academy flew to El Salvador on Friday, July 31, and faced a game that night against the El Salvador U-15 national team, hosted by FESA. After a strong first half, the Dynamo Academy conceded a well-struck goal from distance just before halftime, then gave up a goal early in the second half and wound up on the wrong end of a 5-0 defeat.
The Academy players more than made amends the next day, facing the national team's B squad in the cavernous Estadio Cuscatlán, where the Dynamo first team played Luis Angel Firpo to a 1-1 tie last year and the U.S. national team played to a 2-2 tie earlier this year. The young U-16 squad turned in its best performance to earn a 2-1 upset win.
Michael Diaz opened the scoring in the 17th minute, capitalizing on a goalkeeper mistake. El Salvador tied the game early in the second half on a goal Dynamo players thought was offside. Houston got the game-winner, however, when Juan Carlos Salmeron made a great run on the left side of the field, dribbled around the goalkeeper, and tapped the ball into the net, providing the difference in the game.
The Dynamo Academy then faced FESA in a pair of road games, losing 3-1 on Sunday and 2-1 on Monday. In Sunday's game, the Dynamo trailed 2-0 at halftime and were reduced to 10 men in the second half. But Houston pulled one goal back from a Ricky Balmaceda free kick and had a great chance to tie the game from a long-range Leo Ayala (Houston Sharpstown) free kick, but he missed the top corner.
FESA eventually scored on the counter-attack as the Dynamo pushed up in an attempt to tie the game. Goalkeeper Cody Schlegel (The Woodlands) finished with five saves.
In Monday's trip finale, the Dynamo could not get the first goal despite early chances from Balmaceda and Salmeron.
Goalkeeper Phillip Blake (Deer Park) made three first-half saves and finished with five for the game. FESA broke the deadlock early in the second half on a penalty kick, then quickly added another. The Dynamo pulled a goal back on a long-range volley from Diaz, but Houston could not find a tying goal.
Ayala, of Salvadoran descent, will join the U-18 squad for the upcoming trip to Europe; his U-16 teammates will continue preparing for the upcoming U-15/U-16 season in the USSF Development Academy league, which begins in September.
