Crisp passing proved to be the difference in a pair of title matches Thursday evening at Seven Flags Park as the Laredo Heat SC youth academy 2012 and 2013 teams won Elite Soccer League 2021-2022 Championships with victories over the Rayados.
“The most important thing is the way we played,” Laredo Heat SC youth academy coach Cio Bargallo said. “I saw the teams in both games connecting passes. Being able to connect a lot of passes and end up with a shot, that’s the outcome I take as a coach. The wins are obviously important, but I’m most proud of how we played and showed we were able to do a lot of things with the ball.”
The 2013 team was the first to take the field and utilized a strong first half to claim the championship with a 2-1 win. It got on the board first as Johnny Lopez – who was named the MVP – had his corner kick deflected back to him near the right corner. He scored despite the tough angle from near the end line as he fired it into the top left of the net.
A pass from near midfield by Edgar Chavez helped the Heat add to their advantage shortly after that. Trey Alvarado chased down the ball up the right side, and from almost the same spot as the first goal he placed the ball through the keeper’s legs for a 2-0 lead.
“It feels great winning the championship,” Lopez said. “We moved the ball really well tonight against the Rayados.”
The Rayados upped the tension in the second half as they quickly scored off a free kick from just outside the box on the left side. They nearly tied it up a couple minutes later, but Santiago Lopez made a save from point-blank range to keep the Heat ahead. The Heat continued to buckle down on defense and fended off several attacks late to hold on for the championship.
Along with Alvarado, Chavez, Johnny Lopez and Santiago Lopez, the team also features Jeronimo Fuentes, Leo Hernandez and Andrea San Miguel.
“The pressure sometimes plays in our favor because the other team can get a little frustrated as the time is winding down, but sometimes it can go the other way,” Bargallo said. “It was tough to protect the lead, but the team did really well. They stayed focused and physical and protected the lead. The team showed up and the defense did really well with what it needed to do.”
The 2012 team faced a different challenge as it fell behind early but responded strong to pick up a 5-2 victory. The Rayados scored in the opening minutes as a goalie kick deep into the opposing box set up the shot. The Heat took charge from there as they answered back almost immediately.
Moments later near the top of the box, David Ledezma dribbled to the right to get an angle around the last defender, and while running to the right he shot back across his body into the lower left of the net to even the score.
A potential go-ahead goal was waved off because it touched the top of the net before falling back into play, but the Heat found the net again shortly after that. A header from Ledezma had Dominique Gonzalez racing up the left side. With the defense chasing him, he sent a cross to Chrystopher Garcia at the top right corner of the box, and he shot into the left side for a 2-1 lead. The next goal came just a minute later as Gonzalez crossed to Ledezma at the top of the box, and he again cut right and shot left for a goal.
“Coming back from 1-0 and putting a few goals in right away gave us a boost that we needed,” Bargallo said. “Sometimes when the goals don’t come players can put their head down, but today the team showed up. This game was going to be about who had the most shots on target, and today it was us. We played against them in the regular season and the score was much closer.”
Following a pair of big saves by the Rayados keeper, Diego Avila followed suit for the Heat breaking up a big scoring chance on a counter attack. A steal and a deep pass left a forward with only Avila to beat, but he was well positioned and deflected the shot away with his legs.
The Heat added to their lead late in the half as Mariano Caracheo delivered a pass from beyond midfield to Eduardo Campos behind the defense. The keeper attempted to clear it before Campos could corral it, but Campos deflected the clearing attempt, got around the keeper and tapped in the goal for a 4-1 lead.
Ledezma completed a hat trick early in the second half to put the game away. Racing up the left side, he froze the last defender with a stutter step then sent a low shot to the right corner of the net. The Rayados scored off a corner kick to make it 5-2, but the Heat shut them down from there.
Avila was named the MVP and credited his defense for putting him in position to succeed.
“My defense played the ball well in front of me and didn’t let it in my box,” he said.
Avila, Campos, Caracheo, Garcia, Gonzalez and Ledezma are joined on the team by Mary Jo Berrones, Santiago Castro, Badir Flores and Andrea San Miguel.
After claiming championships, both teams are getting right back to work as they head to San Antonio to compete in another league just two days later.
Visit laredoheatsc.com and follow @laredoheatsc on social media to stay up to date on the latest news for both the youth academy and the National Premier Soccer League team. Any youth players interested in joining the academy can visit laredoheatscyouth.com for more information.