Chicago Fire Academy U-12 wins back-to-back Patterson Cup championships

CHICAGO (June 10, 2024) – The Chicago Fire Academy U-12 won their second consecutive Patterson Cup title on Sunday, June 9. Just 19 days after coming together, the newest members of the Fire Academy won the club's second title of the season. The winning roster was made up of players recently selected through the Discovery Center initiative.

There were a total of three Chicago Fire Academy teams competing, including two U-12 teams and one U-14 team. The No. 1 Chicago Fire Academy was crowned tournament champion, led by Leandre Beckford. Beckford scored six goals and received top scorer honors in the competition.

The five-day tournament kicked off Wednesday, June 5 at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri. The first group of U-12s achieved a quick victory against Sporting Kansas City, with a final score of 3-1. Beckford would record a brace, with Adrian Sotelo scoring the insurance goal for the CFFA No.1. Later in the day, No. 1 CFFA would fall to NYCFC, 3-0, to earn its only loss of the tournament. The No. 2 CFFA would record a 3-1 win of their own against the Colorado Rapids, but would lose a game later in the day against NYCFC in what was a 3-0 defeat.

The next day, the number 1 of the CFFA saw itself snatch a new result in the face of strong competition. In their third match of the tournament, they would draw against Orlando City SC, 2-2. As for the number 2 of the CFFA, he would win a 2-1 victory against Sporting Kansas City. Their second match of the day was a rematch against NYCFC, but the New York team would win again, 4-1.

On Saturday, June 8, CFFA #1 would record a 2-0 victory over Austin FC, with goals from Ben Leone and Cesar Zambrano. Later in the evening, it would be a Chicago Fire Academy derby, with #1 CFFA hosting #2 CFFA. CFFA n°1 would emerge victorious with a 4-1 victory. Another brace for Beckford and goals from Sotelo and Leone would help them progress further in the tournament.

On the last day of the tournament, the CFFA number 1 would need a victory and a defeat in Orlando to win the title. Facing the Colorado Rapids, the Fire would make no mistake beating the team 3-0 to give themselves a chance. The CFFA number 2 faced Orlando City SC and also emerged victorious, defeating the Florida-based academy, 4-0, to help their teammates win the title.

With the victory, a Patterson Cup championship capped an impressive week of action for the newest members of the Chicago Fire 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-14s recorded a 0-0 result against the Colorado Rapids. The next day, they would face the Houston Dynamo in tournament play. The Fire would take an impressive 3-0 win over the Texas-based team for their first victory in the competition.

Later in the day, the Fire were defeated by Austin FC, 2-0, for their first Patterson Cup loss. As a result, they played two more consolation matches.

The U-14s remained undefeated in the consolation match, gaining valuable experience with a 6-0 victory over the Portland Timbers and a 2-2 draw against Minnesota United FC.