The U19 soccer squad in Vegas. Photo provided.
Last weekend, the soccer team traveled for one of their longest trips of the year to Las Vegas to compete in the Las Vegas Players’ Showcase. Both teams played four games in three days to secure the top spot in their respective groups. The U19s went 4-0-0, scoring 16 goals in the process while conceding only 5. With this record, they finished first in their group, winning the age group for the second consecutive year.
In the first game, the boys went up against Riverside FC, where they were able to come out victorious with a 4-2 win after leading 3-0 at halftime. Goals coming from Said El Eyssami ’26, Li Feng ’25, and Jace Donawa ’25. “This game was a good way for us to start the tournament, but we wish we had kept a clean sheet as we deserved it, I feel,” said Tziyon Morris ’26.
The second game, which was the most competitive game all weekend, was a game against IMG Academy’s top international team. Even after going 1-0 down in windy conditions, the boys were able to fight back late and win the game 2-1. The two late goals that came from Said El Eyssami ’26 and Jace Donawa ’25 gave the 19s a deserving win in the end. “This was by far the toughest game we played because of the wind and the quality of the opponent, and I feel that this game gave us the momentum to push on in our last two games,” said Noah Moodey ’25.
The third game against Las Vegas FC became difficult for the boys after going down 1-0 right before halftime, but they were able to come back in the second half and win 3-1. The second-half goals came from Ryan Farr ’25, Said El Eyssami ’26, and Leo Doyle ’25. “We put ourselves in a more difficult position than we would’ve wanted to in the game, but coming back to win put us in a position to go on and win the group with a win in the next game,” said Diego Green ’25.
The fourth and final game was the icing on the cake as the 19s were able to win 7-1 in the most dominant fashion against Mirage FC. The goals came from Said El Eyssami ’26, Leo Doyle ’25, Diogo Charraz ’25, Dowon Kim ’26, and Alex Derby ’26. “This game I enjoyed because the sun was out and it seemed we were just meant to win, which I feel the result reflected in the end,” Leo Doyle ’25.
