Last Saturday, Juventus Academy Shanghai scheduled friendly matches to start getting ready for the new season. It was great to see all of our players again after the long break, enthusiastic about returning to football.
MATCH SUMMARIES
U8
Playing against an older team in a 5-a-side match, the young kids put up a great fight despite a loss. Gray was great in goal, and Rafael’s performance in a new position as center defense earned him the MOTM title. Luca, as always, did well and scored a goal for the team.
U9
With a 4-1 score against their opponents in the friendly, the newly-formed U9 team kickstarted their preseason with a win. Lots of potential from the young players, the Academy has high expectations from the team and is looking forward to seeing their performance this season. Karen scored two goals, and Louis and Edoardo scored one each. Arthur was named MOTM with his great performance in-goal, doing well to protect the goal.
U11
The U11 team snatched a huge 8-0 win against the opponent team. Jonah was the MOTM, as he scored half of the goals. Luscien, Ines, Leon, and Edoardo scored one each as well. The team cruised through this match and the Coaches are very satisfied with the performances.
U12
Also a new team, the U12 lost in a tight match. Jacob scored a hat-trick and Chris got one goal, but Johnny was also very crucial in this match. This was a good match for the coaches to test out the new team and which formations work best, and we saw good potential in many of the players.
U13
Despite a strong performance, our U13 team lost in their friendly match. Jacob, the MOTM, scored the only Juve goal in this game. Juve started with great possession and control, but a mistake in the defense led to the opponent taking the lead. In all, the team did very well and showed lots of skill and potential. This was a good game for getting the team back into rhythm and noticing mistakes before the official league games start.
U14 & U16
The U14 and U16 teams played a 9-a-side training match between themselves. It was a great practice for the players after a break of no league matches. Both sides worked hard and played an intense match regardless, the Academy is looking forward to seeing more great performances from the teams this coming season.
Our Senior Team also played a match in the 11-a-side adult league, claiming a 3-1 win over their opponents. Ross, Eli, and Sam each scored one goal. The team had a strong start but missed a few clear chances- the first goal came late at around 20 minutes and the first half ended 3-0. The second half was slower although the boys continued to create good chances. In all, a great performance from the team in a tough league.
