Last weekend, the Development Academy crowned its champions in the U16 and U18 categories. Texans SC Houston won the final 2-1 against LA Galaxy at the U18 level, while the U16 final was won 2-0 by Atlanta United FC against FC Dallas.
Both teams faced the Impact in the group phase of the playoffs. The U18s lost 3-2 against the Texans, while the U16s drew 1-1 against Atlanta.
The Impact U18 by the numbers
During its 24-game season, the Bleu-blanc-noir won 14 games, lost four and tied six times, finishing with an average of two points per game.
One of the main strengths of the team was its efficiency in front of the net, with 63 goals scored, an average of 2.63 goals per game.
Amongst the scorers, Gabriel Balbinotti distinguished himself with 21 goals in 20 games, one third of his team’s goal total. He finished the season in ninth position for goals scored and eighth for goals per game (1.05).
The team also conceded only 29 goals during the season, with nine clean sheets, shared between goalkeepers Christopher Hansen-Barkun (4), Jordan Tisseur (3) and Charles Desrochers (2).
According to stats software Ortec, the Impact U18 completed an average of 317 passes per game, keeping possession 62% of the time.
The Impact U16 by the numbers
Over 26 games played, the Impact U16 won half, with six losses and seven draws.
The team finished tied at the top of the Northeast division in goals scored with 55. With 11 goals in 11 games, forward Jean-Arnaud Tano is fourth in the league in goals per game. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury and did not take part in the second half of the season, but his teammates Moulay Abdallah Kanzi Belghiti (10), Tristan Resendes (8) and Woobens Pacius (8) took over in terms of goal scoring.
The Impact U16, like its seniors, was defensively strong, allowing an average of 1.35 goals per game and recording seven clean sheets. Amongst the goalkeepers, Benjamin Collins and Konstantinos Maniatis got one each. But Jordan Tisseur, who also contributed to the solid performances of the Impact U18, did his part with the younger ones with five clean sheets.
2017-2018 season
The next season will officially start on Saturday, September 2, at Centre Nutrilait, against the Everton FC Westchester teams. For the first time, three Montreal Impact Academy teams will take part in the competition, with teams in the U15, U17 and U19 categories. All will play a 26-game season, including the three games that will be added to the calendar for the Winter showcase in December.
The Impact U15 will come back to training on August 7, while the U17 and U19 teams will start their preseason on August 1st.
