CHICAGO (June 10, 2024) - The U-12 Chicago Fire Academy recorded their second consecutive Patterson Cup title on Sunday, June 9. Only 19 days after joining together, the newest members of the Fire Academy claimed the Club’s second title of the season. The winning roster was comprised of players recently selected through the Discovery Center initiative.
There were three total Chicago Fire Academy teams in competition, including two U-12 rosters, and one U-14 roster. Chicago Fire Academy No. 1 were crowned champions of the tournament, led by Leandre Beckford. Beckford recorded six goals and was awarded top scorer honors in the competition.
CFFA No. 1 and No. 2
The five-day tournament commenced on Wednesday, June 5 at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. The first group of U-12's picked up an early victory against Sporting Kansas City, with a final score of 3-1. Beckford would record a brace, with Adrian Sotelo picking up the insurance goal for CFFA No. 1. Later that day, CFFA No. 1 would fall to NYCFC, 3-0, to pick up their only loss of the tournament. CFFA No. 2 would record a 3-1 victory of their own over the Colorado Rapids but drop a match later that day to NYCFC in what was a 3-0 defeat.
The following day, CFFA No. 1 saw themselves pick up another result against strong competition. In their third match of the tournament, they would draw against Orlando City SC, 2-2. As for CFFA No. 2, they would pick up a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Their second match of the day was a rematch against NYCFC, but the New York side would win again, 4-1.
On Saturday, June 8, CFFA #1 would record a 2-0 win over Austin FC, with goals from Ben Leone and Cesar Zambrano. Later that night, it would be a Chicago Fire Academy derby, with CFFA No. 1 hosting CFFA No. 2. CFFA No. 1 would come out victorious to the tune of a 4-1 win. Another brace for Beckford, and tallies from Sotelo and Leone would help them advance further in the tournament.
In the final day of the tournament, CFFA No. 1 would need a victory and an Orlando loss to claim the title. Facing the Colorado Rapids, the Fire would make no mistake, defeating the side 3-0 to give themselves a chance. CFFA No. 2 faced Orlando City SC and came out victorious as well, defeating the Florida-based academy, 4-0, to help their teammates claim the title.
With the win, a Patterson Cup championship capped off an impressive week of action for the newest members of the Chicago Fire Academy.
U-14 Academy
The older group would also compete in the U-14 bracket of the Patterson Cup. In their opening match of the competition, the U-14's recorded a 0-0 result against the Colorado Rapids. The following day, they would take on the Houston Dynamo in tournament play. The Fire would pick up an impressive 3-0 victory against the Texas-based side for their first victory in the competition.
Later that day, the Fire were defeated by Austin FC, 2-0, for their first loss of the Patterson Cup. As a result, they played two more consolation games.
The U-14's went undefeated in consolation play, picking up valuable experience with a 6-0 victory over the Portland Timbers and a 2-2 draw against Minnesota United FC.
