The Chicago Fire U-16 and U-18 Academy sides wrapped up group play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs on Sunday night, with differing results.
Coming off of Wednesday's tournament-opening 2-0 defeat of Strikers FC, the U-16 squad made it out of Group E play in their division with a win over IMG Academy (1-0) on Friday and a loss to New York Red Bulls on Sunday (2-0). Their six total points were good for first in the group, moving them into the quarterfinal knockout round for a July 6 meeting with Florida-based Weston FC. The match will be played in Florida at a time to be determined.
The Chicago Fire Academy U-18s, defending champions in the age group, went into the weekend with a 2-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Union Academy on Friday night before ending Group G play with a 5-2 win over Beachside Academy on Sunday. Needing three points and a scoring outburst in their final match to erase Philadelphia's lead in the group, the Fire received just that courtesy of Djordje Mihalovic, Mauricio Pineda, Matthew Moderwell and a brace from Edson Murguia. However, despite finishing level on six points with the Union atop the group, the U-18s fell just short in goal differential, allowing the Union to earn a place in the quarterfinals.
For more information on the tournament, visit ussoccerda.com.
