Wisconsin Soccer Central

The FC Wisconsin Nationals Under-15/16 team claimed all six points available on the weekend, sweeping Shattuck-St. Mary's 4-3 and Minnesota Thunder Academy 1-0 in its first matches of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy spring season.

The Nationals (6-8-0) never trailed against the Minnesota sides.

They took the lead through Robleh Omar (Madison West) in the 9th minute against Shattuck on Saturday in Faribault, then went ahead for good in the 35th when Simar Perez (Oak Creek) scored his fourth goal of the season. Michael Carreon Jr. (Kimberly) added goals in the 52nd and 54th to make it 4-1 – he has a team-best eight on the season.

A day later in South Richfield, Luis Arreola's second goal of the season in the 69th minute proved to be the lone goal and goalkeeper Stephen Clemens (Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah) posted his third clean sheet of the season in the shutout victory over MTA.

The Nationals' Under-17/18 side, meanwhile, dropped both of its matches on the weekend, falling to Shattuck 4-1 and MTA 3-2.

On Saturday, Blake Carr (Hartland Arrowhead) cut FC Wisconsin's deficit to 2-1 with his 70th-minute goal – it was his team-best fifth of the season – but two late goals secured victory for the home team. Abdul Kooistra (Madison Memorial), a University of Wisconsin recruit, and Sal Gloria netted equalizers against MTA in the 47th and 64th on Sunday, but the Nationals (3-8-3) couldn't level the score a third time.

All three of the Nationals teams, including the club's Under-13/14 side, are back in action Saturday against Sockers FC in Schaumburg, Ill.

FC Wisconsin Nationals results/schedules/rosters

• Twelve Under-10 and Under-14 boys players from Shorewood club North Shore Arsenal are headed to Germany on March 31 and will have eight training sessions at the facilities of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Andreas Davi, North Shore Arsenal's director of coaching, came up through the Bayer Leverkusen youth program and has taken several Wisconsin teams to train at the club over the past few years.
• The Fire Spring Friendlies, featuring the Wisconsin Fire, Michigan Fire and Generation Red, will be held Saturday in the Milwaukee area. Each of the Under-12 through Under-17 teams will play two matches, and Under-16 and Under-17 players are invited to attend a free college recruitment workshop presented by Scholar Athlete USA. The Wisconsin Fire program includes players from 10 state clubs – Appleton SC, Bavarian SC, Brookfield SA, Croatian Eagles, Madison 56ers, Milwaukee Kickers, North Shore United, Racine United, Rush Wisconsin and SC Waukesha – and is part of the Chicago Fire's Emerging Talent Program. Here's the schedule: