U-16 team wins final game to finish third in DA playoffs

The U-16 team ended their trip to California and their season on a high note with a 2-0 win over Georgia United in the third place game of the U.S. Development Academy Championship on Saturday.

Tiger Graham, who led the team in scoring this season, put the Union on the board just before the first half whistle in the 40th minute, and Anthony Fontana added a second goal at the end of the second half.

With the win, the Union finished their second season in the Development Academy with an impressive 26-4-2 record. The team posted a 13-9-6 mark last season.

FC Dallas, which beat the Union 3-0 in the semifinal last Thursday, were crowned champions Saturday after beating the No. 1 overall seed New York Red Bulls 4-0. FC Dallas were unstoppable in the postseason, going 6-0 while outscoring opponents 20-0. Chicago Fire beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 in the U-18 final on Saturday.

The U-16, U-18 and U-14 teams have the next five weeks off and will open the 2015-16 season with a home slate against Players Development Academy on Sunday, August 30.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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