The New York City FC U13/14 Academy team finished their first season on a high note after they defeated LA Galaxy academy team, 3-1 on Thursday night at the US Soccer Development Academy Showcase in Dallas, Texas.

The NYCFC Academy found themselves trailing after the Galaxy scored an early goal. The NYCFC Academy then rallied and rattled off two goals, one from Alexsi Morel and a penalty kick by Sal Rasizzi to give NYCFC the lead at halftime. In the final 15 minutes of the match, Gio Reyna connected on a penalty kick to help secure the win for NYCFC.

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NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna was impressed how the NYCFC Academy played the match:

"It was a great performance and a fantastic way to end our first ever season, they played a good LA Galaxy team and were worthy winners. I was most impressed with the way we competed and stayed together as a group. We went down a goal and it didn’t rattle them at all, and actually after that played better. We stepped up and had an excellent team performance, something everyone at the Club should be very proud of.”

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This was the final match for the NYCFC Academy at the US Soccer Development Academy Showcase. The NYCFC Academy finished the showcase 3-0 after defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 and Sacramento Republic 5-3. Reyna credits the International Tournaments earlier in the year in Bolivia and Spain to the recent success at the Showcase.

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"The international trips to Bolivia and Madrid were vital in their development because it gave them the experience, that challenged them and took them out of the comfort zone of just playing in the US. Without those experiences they wouldn’t be able to compete to the level they did. Competing against excellent teams in South America and Europe has given them the confidence as a group and as individuals to compete here. It is important that the team responded to such adversity as it prepared them for the Showcase in Dallas. “

In the fall, NYCFC will add a U16 team and will be based at St. John’s University for the 2016/17 season. Reyna has been proud of the group this year and is looking ahead to the future.

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"I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our Academy staff and players for a great first year and for the way they developed individually and collectively. This is a talented group with a lot of potential, and it is important for us as a club and as staff to continue to push the players to reach their maximum potential. They should be proud of themselves, stay humble, and continue their commitment to each other to work hard in the future. As a team and individually there’s a very bright future for this group and I want to thank them on behalf of the club for the way they represented themselves on and off the field.”

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