On Wednesday, Nov. 23, 96 players and 17 staff members from all 10 Fire Juniors clubs nationwide arrived in Clermont, Fla. for a two day pre-tournament event camp prior to the 2016 Disney Junior Soccer Showcase presented by AS Roma.
Six Junior Elite teams -- composed of regional Fire Juniors players previously selected to compete on a national level -- participated in the annual event, as part of a program that looks to bridge the gap between Fire Juniors and the Chicago Fire Academy.
The six teams competed against some of the most accomplished youth soccer clubs in the country and achieved a record of 13 wins, 4 defeats and 5 ties with 55 goals for and 23 goals against. The U-12 boys were crowned premier champions in the highest ranked division and the U-13 boys clinched the title in the second-highest ranked division.
Off the field, events like these teach a series of life lessons to many of the young players involved. Elements like coping with being away from home for the first time, fusing soccer and education via classroom sessions/team talks/video analysis/pool regenerations classes, and forging friendships with their Fire Juniors counterparts from across the country were all emphasized throughout the course of the week.
The Disney Junior Soccer Showcase presented by AS Roma was held on Nov. 25-27 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Kissimmee, Fla. It is an FYSA Sanctioned Tournament, which is open to all USSF affiliated organizations for boys and girls in age groups U-11 to U-14. It is additionally open to state cup or higher level teams in age divisions U-11 to U-14. For full results and more information on this year's showcase, click here.
