Last week, the Sounders Academy U-17s won the club’s first ever U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championships, dismantling the reigning champs, Atlanta United, 5-1 in the final.
It was an incredible achievement for the young Sounders. Throughout the playoffs, the team scored 27 goals in just six games. In total, four professionals and eight players with U.S. Youth National Teams helped guide Seattle to its first national title, with two players from the 2003 class, midfielders Sota Kitahara and Danny Leyva, playing significant roles.
This success, which could soon be the new norm for Sounders Academy, didn’t happen in a vacuum.