The month of March was an incredibly busy and successful month for the Sounders Academy teams. All three teams played each of the first three weekends of the month leading into GA Cup, the biggest international youth tournament in the country.
Through the Sounder at Heart discord and streams on MLS YouTube for GA Cup, we have been able to get a closer look at the U15 and U16 teams this month. This allows for a bit more context on how these games have gone and what players to keep an eye on.
League and Flex play
Before the highlight of the month in GA Cup, the teams were very busy in League and Flex play. The best result was a sweep of the Portland Timbers, with the U16 team hammering the rivals by a score of 7-1. However, that was followed up with a winless weekend against LA Galaxy. Even with these mixed results, the U17s keep their first place standing in League play and the U16 team sits in third.
U16 Seattle Sounders 3 - Portland Timbers 0
Starting Lineup: Max Carmichael; Josh Espino, Basil Kuprishov, Zander Cook, Jampa Tsognyi; Chris Montero, Adin Fikic; Cris Batiz, Wells Lear, Vitalii Kolomiets; Santiago Perez
Goals:
- ⚽Santiago Perez (Josh Espino)
- ⚽Wells Lear (Chris Montero)
- ⚽Adin Fikic (Josh Espino)
GA Cup
GA Cup is the most anticipated youth tournament every year and the Sounders have historically had a lot of success, previously winning the U17 Champions division against Valencia in 2019.
This year the U15s made it all the way to the final to play against Valencia again, but unlike the previous win against the Spanish side, the team fell short. The loss doesn't dampen an exciting run and excellent performances from some of the top prospects, notably Cris Batiz, who won the golden boot. The U16s also advanced to the semifinal before falling to Red Bull Bragantino.
Having both age groups advance that far is an incredible achievement and again shows the strength of the Sounders youth development.
U16 Seattle Sounders 2 - CAI de la Chorrera 0
Starting Lineup: Jackson Dale; Bridger Sandnes, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz, Eduardo Marquez; Chris Montero, Deyan Radosavljevic; Josh Espino, Adin Fikic, Vitalii Kolomiets; Landon Lucero
Goals:
- ⚽Josh Espino
- ⚽Adin Fikic
U16 Seattle Sounders 3 - Red Bull New York 1
Starting Lineup: Jackson Dale; Jampa Tsongyi, Bridger Sandnes, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz; Chris Montero, Deyan Radosavljevic; Wells Lear, Adin Fikic, Santiago Perez; Landon Lucero
Goals:
- ⚽Max Boltz
- ⚽Landon Lucero (Josh Espino)
- ⚽Vitalii Kolomiets (Landon Lucero)
U16 Seattle Sounders 2 - Orlando City SC 3
Starting Lineup: Will Bischoff; Jampa Tsongyi, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz; Josh Espino, Chris Montero, Deyan Radosavljevic, Oliver Endo; Daniel Buezo, Vitalii Kolomiets; Landon Lucero
Goals:
- ⚽Wells Lear
- ⚽Daniel Buezo (Deyan Radosvljevic)
U16 Seattle Sounders 1 - Boca Juniors 0
Starting Lineup: Jackson Dale; Bridger Sandnes, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz; Josh Espino, Chris Montero, Deyan Radosavljevic, Eduardo Marquez; Adin Fikic, Vitalii Kolomiets; Landon Lucero
Goals:
- ⚽Adin Fikic
U15 Seattle Sounders 4 - FC Bayern 0
U16 Seattle Sounders 1(5) - New England 1(3)
Starting Lineup: Jackson Dale; Bridger Sandnes, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz; Eduardo Marquez (Josh Espino), Chris Montero, Deyan Radosavljevic (Wells Lear), Jampa Tsongyi (Oliver Endo); Santiago Perez, Adin Fikic (Angel Mora); Landon Lucero
*subs included as YouTube stream could confirm
Goals:
- ⚽Basil Kuprishov (Chris Montero)
- (pen)⚽Wells Lear
- (pen)⚽Basil Kuprishov
- (pen)⚽Bridger Sandnes
- (pen)⚽Landon Lucero
- (pen)⚽Josh Espino
U15 Seattle Sounders 2 - LAFC 0
Starting Lineup: Alan Mercado; Gian Hurtado Martinez, Aedan Suh, Sasha Charles-Antoine, Ameya Osaro-Igwe (Nolan Ibsen), Tomoki Imai; Jona Barrera, Calen Dean, Leo Guadagnino; Kyle Iwamoto, Cris Batiz
*subs included as YouTube stream could confirm
Goals:
- ⚽Leo Guadagnino (Cris Batiz)
- ⚽Sasha Charles-Antoine
U16 Seattle Sounders 2 - Red Bull Bragantino 3
Starting Lineup: Jackson Dale; Bridger Sandnes, Basil Kuprishov, Max Boltz, Oliver Endo; Chris Montero, Dayan Radosvljevic; Josh Espino, Adin Fikic, Vitalii Kolomiets; Landon Lucero
Goals:
- ⚽Vitalii Kolomiets
- ⚽Landon Lucero
U15 Seattle Sounders 0 - Valencia 5
Starting Lineup: Alan Mercado; Gian Hurtado Martinez (Eduoard Mayele), Aedan Suh (Eita Fujimoto), Sasha Charles-Antoine, Tomoki Imai, Leo Guadagnino (Ameya Osaro-Igwe); Jona Barrera (Hudson Roberts), Calen Dean (Tommy Dos Santos), Aaryav Adhikari (Nolan Ibsen); Kyle Iwamoto (Fernando Macias), Cris Batiz
Goals:
Interesting Notes
- Chris Montero and Deyan Radosavljevic started every game together in central midfield and showed exceptional fitness
- Similarly, Basil Kuprishov and Max Boltz started every game in the backline, either as a central pairing or as two of a back three
- Bridger Sandnes is the younger brother of fellow academy player Gallatin Sandnes, who is getting lots of time at Tacoma Defiance
- Daniel Buezo has primarily played with the U15s due to bio banding (playing with age group based on physical traits instead of age), however he was with the U16s at GA Cup
- Gian Hurtado Martinez is the son of former Sounder centerback Jhon Kennedy Hurtado; his older brother Paolo is part of the U18s.
Key Performers
Cris Batiz
The Honduran winger made headlines when he signed for Tacoma Defiance at 14 years old, the youngest signing in the organization's history. However, his play in this GA Cup is building his reputation on the pitch, as he finished the tournament with six goals scored, including a highlight reel free kick.
He played up an age level in the MLS NEXT Flex match against Portland Timbers earlier in the month before GA Cup and was one of the more dangerous attackers. His touch and dribbling skills were evident and he looked confident, showing a desire to be the one with his foot on the ball.
Batiz may have been an unknown name to fans of the Sounders before the start of the year, but now is one of the most intriguing names in their youth setup.
Adin Fikic
Fikic is an academy player who has been sought after by MLS academies, where he was initially signed to FC Cincinnati's setup from Crossfire Premier in 2024. He has since made his way back to the Pacific Northwest and when watching him play you can see why he is so highly regarded.
He has a calmness and precision on the ball and pairs that with a physicality and work rate that should endear himself to the club culture. This is how he scored his goal against CAI de la Chorrera, by high pressing the keeper and intercepting his pass out of the back to put away an easy finish.
At the GA Cup he was used exclusively as an attacking midfielder/winger, but he has shown an ability to play back a line as a box to box midfielder, such as in the game against Portland. This flexibility plus the high skillset he clearly possesses sets him up well for continued progression through the club development pathway.
Basil Kuprishov
The hero in the quarterfinal against New England with his 56th minute header off of a corner kick to equalize and send the game to penalties. He then took one of the spot kicks to slot it past the keeper. Earlier in the game he also used his size to match up with New England's danger man up top, Matthew Jean Baptiste, who was a tough physical matchup.
While he was the man of the match, Kuprishov also has showed himself to be an iron man as he has started every game* of the GA Cup. Most often playing in the center of a back three, he also has played in a more standard center back pairing.
He looks like a defender who is primarily focused on the defensive side of the game. Showing strong organization and willingness to get into the tackle. This GA Cup has at times been an exercise in defensive solidity and Kuprishov is a cornerstone of that effort.
Josh Espino
Espino is a converted central midfielder who is transitioning to a left sided wide player, getting time at both left back and left wing. What has stood out about Espino is an affinity for creating goals off of free kicks.
This month he has had an assist off a corner against Portland, an assist off a free kick against Red Bull, and a 30 yard goal off a free kick against CAI de la Chorrera.
At times, it does look like Espino is still figuring out the nuances of playing out wide, but he has some great starting points and an elite ability over a dead ball.
Standings and results
