Mackenzie Mayes

My Recent Work

VAVEL •

Substitutes Continue to Shine for Canada despite Defeat

A poor defensive performance in the second half against Switzerland cost Canada top spot in Group B, but Promise David's impact proves that substitutions will play a key role for Jesse Marsch's team going forward.

David scored just 70 seconds after being introduced to the game, finding the net with an impressive outstretched finish after Nathan-Dylan Saliba had done exceptionally well to take down the ball and get the cross away.

With that goal, David joins a growing list of Canadian substitut...
VAVEL •

Javier Aguirre praises Mexico's ‘family’ cohesion ahead of World Cup opener

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Mexico’s manager Javier Aguirre discussed the bond his team has built during preparation for the World Cup, describing how openly the squad refers to itself as a family.

Aguirre emphasised the unity within the group and noted that cohesion was one of the greatest strengths the Mexican national team had heading into the tournament.

The Mexico City native, known as El Vasco or The Basque, a nickname that honours his family heritage, is in hi...
VAVEL •

Luc de Fougerolles Ready for Potential World Cup Debut

Canada’s youngest player, 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles, spoke about his readiness to make his World Cup debut on Friday, with the injury to defender Moïse Bombito potentially ruling him out of the fixture.

Speaking to the media after Canada’s training session on Wednesday, de Fougerolles seemed unfazed by the prospect of starting his side’s opening game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Despite having made just 13 appearances for Canada, his adopted country, having been born in London, de Foug...
VAVEL •

Mateo Chávez Accepts Pressure on Mexico to Top Group

Speaking to the media on Tuesday at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento, where the Mexican national team has been training in preparation for the World Cup, Mateo Chávez stated that the team was not intimidated by the pressure surrounding them to win Group A.

The 22-year-old Chávez, who plays his domestic football for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, has made just 10 appearances for Mexico’s national team but could play a key role in Javier Aguirre’s squad at this tournament, having played in all thre...
EliteScholars •

EliteScholars Football Team of the Week

Read on to discover which players made it into our Team of the Week, as selected by the EliteScholars staff.In their match against Arsenal, a 66th-minute red card forced Crystal Palace left-back Benamar to take the goalkeeping gloves for the remainder of the game.Incredibly, Benamar made multiple saves to keep a clean sheet in his nearly 30 minutes in net and helped his team secure a point.One of Palace’s standout players this season at left-back, maybe Benamar has been playing out of position a...
EliteScholars •

Italy Crowned Under-17 European Champions After Penalty Shootout

LILLEKÜLA STAADION, Tallinn – The final was decided by penalties after Belgium’s Noa Ojea gave his side the lead in the 85th minute, only for Marcello Fugazzola to equalise from the spot in the 90th+1.Belgium thought they had won the contest with a late goal, but Italy equalised in stoppage time after receiving a penalty for handball. They carried that momentum into the shootout, where they held their nerve and were crowned champions.Italian goalkeeper Christian Lupo made another crucial save in...
EliteScholars •

Under-17 European Championship Final Preview: Belgium vs Italy

The heroics of goalkeeper Christian Lupo in the semi-final saw Italy progress with a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain. The shot-stopper saved one penalty in the first half of regular time before making two more in the shoot-out. Italy reached the final without losing a single game, after topping their group on seven points with wins against France and Montenegro and a draw against Denmark.Unlike their opponents, Belgium lost in this tournament when they were beaten 1-0 in the group stage by...
EliteScholars •

Chelsea Win Under-18 Premier League National Final With Dominant Victory Over Manchester City

STAMFORD BRIDGE, London – Two early goals in the opening ten minutes from Chizaram Ezenwata and Mathis Eboue set the hosts on their way. Despite a spectacular goal from Ryan McAidoo reducing the deficit, Chelsea went clear in the second half, and the final scoreline reflects the overall pattern of the game, as the Blues finished deserving winners.This is Chelsea’s first national final win since 2018, the first season of the new format, where the winner of the Northern league plays the winner of...
EliteScholars •

Chelsea vs Manchester City: U18 Premier League National Final Preview

This is Chelsea’s first appearance in the final since losing 2-1 to Manchester United in 2024. They last won the competition in 2018, in the first year of the current format, where the season is divided into northern and southern leagues, with the two winners meeting in a final.City are the most successful side since the new format was introduced, having won the final three times, but they failed to win their fourth last campaign, losing 1-0 to Aston Villa. They will be looking to return to winn...
EliteScholars •

EliteScholars Football Team of the Week | 4th – 10th May 2026

It was an excellent week for the Southampton defence as they kept two clean sheets, and goalkeeper Dylan Moody was in fine form between the sticks for both performances.Against Fulham, he made six saves to ensure the clean sheet, and he couldn’t be beaten against Birmingham either.Having played the season across both the U21s and U18s, Moody stepped up for the final three matches of Southampton’s U18 Premier League South season and conceded just a single goal.United progressed through to the fin...
EliteScholars •

Heskey's Late Winner Seals FA Youth Cup Win for Manchester City

The derby had been deadlocked since two goals in 59 seconds from Floyd Samba and Godwill Kukonki at the end of the first half, and Heskey’s goal in the 87th minute proved to be the decisive blow.This was the first time the two sides had met in the final of this competition in 40 years, and the result proved to be the same, with City prevailing over their local rivals.The match featured the best attack in the U18 Premier League North in City, who scored 96 goals in their 26 matches, against the b...
EliteScholars •

FA Youth Cup final 2026: Manchester City vs Manchester United preview

The FA Youth Cup had its inaugural season in 1952, and just the second meeting between these two sides in the final will be broadcast on the BBC and TNT Sports, with many fans tuning in to catch a glimpse of JJ Gabriel, named U18 Premier League Player of the Season on Tuesday, and other prospects.This will be City’s third consecutive appearance in the final, having won the competition with a 4-0 victory over Leeds in 2024 and missed out on retaining the cup with a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa last se...
EliteScholars •

Shumaira Mheuka named Premier League 2 Player of the Season

The 18-year-old has been rewarded for an incredible season in which he finished as Premier League 2’s top scorer with 18 goals and, in his role as captain, guided the Blues to the regular season title with 14 wins from their 20 league fixtures.It was a prolific goalscoring season in which he registered two hat-tricks, the first coming in a statement 3-1 win over reigning champions Manchester City on the opening day of the season, a performance that helped earn Mheuka the PL2 Player of the Month...
EliteScholars •

JJ Gabriel wins inaugural U18 Premier League Player of the Season

Gabriel has been one of the standout performers in England’s youth competitions this season and has gained many admirers while playing for Manchester United U18s, earning him call-ups to train with United’s senior team on several occasions.Described as one of the jewels in the Carrington crown, Gabriel arguably has the brightest future of any player in the Manchester United academy and has been recognised for his phenomenal debut season in academy football, scoring 23 goals and registering three...
EliteScholars •

Premier League Under-18 Player of the Season Nominees Announced

The eight nominees are Mathis Eboué and Chizaram Ezenwata (both Chelsea), Joseph Junior Gabriel and Albert Mills (both Manchester United), Joe Roberts (Middlesbrough), Joshua Sonni-Lambie (Liverpool), Tyler Tingey (Tottenham Hotspur) and Teddie Lamb (Manchester City).Chelsea have had an outstanding campaign in the U18 Premier League South, being crowned champions having won 21 of their 28 matches, so it is hardly surprising they are so well represented on this list.Eboué, 17, the son of former A...
EliteScholars •

EliteScholars Football Team of the Week | 27th April – 3rd May 2026

Dowell was superb between the sticks as Newcastle kept a clean sheet in their 2-0 upset over Manchester United.In a composed performance, the 16-year-old made key saves to keep out efforts from James Overy, Samuel Lusale and Jariyah Shah, and claimed the majority of crosses that came into his box.The right-back has impressed since joining the Chelsea academy from West Ham in October and was rewarded with his first professional contract with the Blues in February.He scored his first goal for the...
EliteScholars •

EliteScholars Football Team of the Week | 20th-26th April 2026

Fifteen-year-old goalkeeper Benetton saved the decisive penalty as Crystal Palace claimed their first U18 Premier League Cup with victory over in-form Manchester United.He also made eight saves in the match, keeping out several big chances to keep his team in the game. Despite being the second-youngest player on the pitch, Benetton produced one of the standout performances of the day and was hugely influential in his side’s victory.Richards had an excellent game against Ipswich U18s, showcasing...
EliteScholars •

Brentford Academy Awarded Category One Status by Premier League

Category One is the highest status under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) and was achieved by the club just four years after reopening their academy, following their promotion to the Premier League.The Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan was introduced in 2012 to produce more and better homegrown players and has four key functions: Games Programme, Education, Coaching and Elite Performance.The EPPP consists of three phases: Foundation (Under-9 to Under-11), Youth Development (...
EliteScholars •

Crystal Palace crowned U18 Premier League Cup champions

Dean Benamar scored the final penalty to secure the title for Palace after a first-half goal from Noah Ajayi for Manchester United was cancelled out by a late Ben Casey spot-kick.The victory is Crystal Palace’s first in the competition and was achieved despite the absence of key players such as club captain Jasper Judd and semi-final goalscorer David Angibeaud.Manchester United were forced to complete the match with 10 men after Albert Mills was dismissed for conceding the penalty, as Darren Fle...
EliteScholars •

JJ Gabriel: Manchester United's 15-Year-Old Sensation

JJ Gabriel has been one of the standout performers across England’s youth competitions this season and has gained many admirers with his performances for Manchester United U18s.Described as one of the jewels in the Carrington crown, Gabriel arguably has the brightest future of any player in the Manchester United academy. His 21 goals in 23 appearances across U18 competitions this season, including a current run of scoring in six successive games, have made that abundantly clear.So why is he stil...
EliteScholars •

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: Under-18 Premier League Cup Final Preview

United are chasing a second title in three years, having won the competition in the 2023/24 season, while this is Palace’s first appearance in the cup final.The fixture holds extra weight for Javier Alonso’s Palace side, as they will be looking to exact revenge on the team that knocked them out of the FA Youth Cup semi-final just five days earlier, when a stoppage-time winner in extra time settled the tie. Equally, the last time these sides met in this competition, in the semi-final of the 2023/...
EliteScholars •

Real Madrid crowned UEFA Youth League champions after penalty heroics from Javier Navarro

The sides could not be separated in regular time, with Jacobo Ortega’s goal in the first half being cancelled out by Tobias Lund Jensen’s. The final went to penalties for the first time in the competition’s history.Real Madrid won the competition for the second time in the club’s history, joining Barcelona and Chelsea as the only multiple-time winners of the UEFA Youth League.The estimated 6,000 in attendance at the Stade de la Tuilière were treated to a magnificent final.The opening 25 minutes...
EliteScholars •

Chelsea Teenager Ryan Kavuma-McQueen Makes Long-Awaited First-Team Debut

Anyone who has watched Kavuma-McQueen shine in Chelsea’s academy or for England’s youth teams this season will not be surprised that this moment has arrived, with many Chelsea fans having called for the club to promote the 17-year-old to the first team sooner.He nearly made his debut earlier this season when he was an unused substitute twice in the Champions League, against Ajax (aged just 16) during the group stage, and for the second leg of Chelsea’s last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain.He f...
EliteScholars •

EliteScholars Football Team of the Week | U19 Euro Elite Round Edition

Read on to discover which players caught the eye of the EliteScholars staff this week.A commanding week between the sticks earns Whatmuff the gloves in this team.The young goalkeeper kept two clean sheets in England U19’s fixtures against Poland and Portugal, making key saves to ensure victories for his side.He also recorded an assist for England’s sixth goal against Portugal, playing through Harry Howell.White scored the decisive goal in a tight contest as Switzerland U19 narrowly defeated Norw...
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