By the time the final whistle blew on June 30^th, not only was the month of June about to end but the U-18 and U-16 Chicago Fire Academies were wrapping up their four-day stay in Greensboro, NC. They were taking part in the Summer Showcase featuring teams from all across the United States looking to punch their ticket to LA, if they had not already done so, and the finals competition July 12^th through the 19^th to be televised on the ESPN networks.

A full report on the exciting weekend's action follows. 

Their first matches took place the morning Friday, the 27^th, and both clubs got off to a great start. The Under 18’s started things off at 8:30am with a 4-0 defeat of North Meck SC, led by a pair of goals by Brad Horton, and goals by Eric Marofske in the 44^th minute and Al Palar in the 89^th. The Under-16’s followed suit at 10:30am that morning, dismantling North Meck AC by a score of 3-0. Scoring for the Men In Red were Chris Prince, Bryan Ciesiulka, and Felipe Cortez. Both academies were off to a great start, while making a noticeable statement at the Bryan Park Soccer Complex.

As the weekend rolled around, each team would play once, with the U-16’s getting things going Saturday morning against Greater Boston FC. They didn’t waste any time getting on the score sheet as an incredible pass out of the back lead to a goal in the 9^th minute by Marco Gutierrez. I could tell early on that the Fire had an opportunity to keep another clean sheet, this time against the team from Boston, as they moved the ball around effortlessly and communicated with one another on a level that I wasn’t expecting.

The level of play by this Chicago Fire Academy was outstanding, and it was not a surprise that the Boston keeper was left looking like he was wearing concrete boots in the 34^th minute as Bryan Ciesiulka put an absolutely beautiful, arching shot over the keeper and into the back of the net, for his second goal of the competition. My chin hit the floor and I jumped out of my chair yelling and clapping (it was chosen as the #1 goal of the weekend at USSoccer.com, and can be seen in their Studio 90 compilation).

That goal seemed to take the wind out of the Boston team, and the Fire settled into halftime with a 2-0 lead. While the second half didn’t produce another goal, Chicago dominated and controlled the run of play. One of the good things about watching them play in a setting like the Bryan Park Soccer Complex is that you can sit just a couple of feet off the field, and be in perfect position to watch Felipe Cortez leave several Boston players wondering what happened with the moves and agility that he displayed while dribbling around and through them. But it wasn’t just one player leading the charge and taking control of the match, it was every Chicago player that stepped onto the pitch that morning. They played with confidence and an incredible sense of togetherness that a team needs if they are going to be able to be effective in a competition like this one over a period of four days. Felipe’s moves stand out in my mind, but the hustle and spirit of all 11 on the field, would have made any Fire fan proud. Those boys displayed tradition, honor, and passion during that match.

Sunday morning arrived earlier than expected, as the Under 18’s were taking on FC Greater Boston at 9:15am. I secured a good position above the field this time and was ready to watch the Chicago Fire play some more soccer.

As the match began, it was obvious that Boston was going to try to use its size to dictate some physical play, and it seemed to have an early effect on the Fire as they were having some difficulty putting together a series of quality passes. Boston worked its way inside the box for a couple opportunities, but the Fire keeper, Steven Purdy, was able to put an end to any potential scoring opportunities by FCGB. About ten to fifteen minutes in, Chicago found their groove and was moving the ball effectively down the left side of the field, when they earned a free-kick from just outside the penalty area. Before Boston could get their wits about them, Chicago went with a quick restart, and found themselves 1v1 with the keeper who had come off his line. What would have been a huge momentum changer was pushed aside by the keeper in a split second effort, but the Fire still continued to put on the pressure and just came up short as Boston began to regroup defensively.

As Boston began working their way toward the Fire goal area again, one of their players sent in a cross that the Chicago keeper was unable to corral, and the rebound dropped to the foot of a FCGB forward who put it in for a 1-0 lead. The circumstances of the goal seemed to take more out of the Fire players than the goal itself, as they weren’t able to put much of an offensive effort together. It looked like they would be able to make it into the half to regroup when another Boston forward made a few good moves and put them up 2-0 just before the whistle. I could tell that being down by two had taken a bit of a toll on the players, but as the second half started the Men In Red looked determined to get one back as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, a quick counter by Boston not only put them up 3-0, but also led to the sending off of the Fire captain for an aggressive move (which looked to me to be part elbow, part acting). Even with only ten men and a three goal deficit, I never once saw any of the Fire players quit. Sure they may have been frustrated by the way the match had gone, but never did I see them give up. They pushed and pressed and attacked and fought and defended and worked their asses off trying to get the score even or pull off a win. This match had its share of horrible calls and chippy play on the field, but never once was I upset at how they played, because I knew that some of these young men have the skill set and mental attitude to potential walk out of the tunnel at Toyota Park in front of a sold out crowd and the roar of Section 8.

It should also be noted that the Under 16 Fire players had congregated around one corner of the field and were letting Fire chants fly and “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, Burro!”, during Boston goal kicks. The Fire players on the field may have been losing, but the other players were going to make sure that Chicago left its mark during this game. Chicago was able to get one back when the Boston keeper had to play the man after a fantastic pass and run into the box. Keith Mach netted the PK, and the final score had Boston up 4-1.

The final day of matches took place this morning, and just like the way the Showcase began, both Fire Academies left with a bang. The Under-18’s got things rolling with a 5-1 Chi-Town Beat-Down of the San Diego surf. Andy Huftlain got things going in the 34^th minute for Chicago, and after San Diego was able to even the score in the 50^th, it was all Fire as Keith Mach and Al Palar were able to net two goals each. After a frustrating game on Sunday, these Men In Red rebounded in a way that any Fire fan would be proud of when this match had finished (note: the U-18s play a make-up game today, which they need to win or draw in to qualify for the finals in LA).

The Under-16’s also found themselves taking on the San Diego Surf, but also in a position that they had not encountered in their previous two matches. In what appears to be an insane period of about 3 minutes according to the official score sheet, San Diego jumped on top 1-0 in the 33^rd minute. But from what I saw out of these Fire players on the field and off, you should never bet against them. Sure enough, a minute later they had the game even at 1-1, with a goal by Chris Prince, whose tireless work rate finally paid off. So that’s one minute down of the three I mentioned, and just two minutes later Marco Gutierrez put the Fire up for good, with his second goal of the tournament. In the three matches they played, the U-16’s went 3-0, with a +6 goal differential. They controlled their showcase, and head to the MLS U-17 Cup in Denver this weekend.

My only regret after following these teams over the last four days is that I didn’t know about it sooner. I was only able to see the matches over the weekend because of too many work commitments that I had already made previously; I wish I had been able to see them all. Win or lose, these kids re-affirmed what the Chicago Fire means to me.

Because I don’t have the chance to get to very many games in person, once or twice a year, watching the academies play reminded me of the first couple of times I walked into old Soldier Field and saw the Chicago Fire Soccer Club play. There was an incredible sense of pride amongst the Chicago Fire players on the field, and the players from both of these academies exuded that same sense of pride. They played with passion, they worked harder than the other teams they faced, and they never gave up, even when they were down. Everyone I saw on that field carried high the banner of Tradition, Honor, and Passion, and if any of these young men can make the move to play professional soccer for the Fire, they will make the team and organization as a whole, that much better.

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5 Comments

Ben July 07, 2008	"Win or lose, these kids re-affirmed what the Chicago Fire means to me." That pretty much says it all. Thanks for the write up. It would be great to be able to follow them even more closely. Hopefully we can find their games at the finals on ESPN.
juan gutierrez July 18, 2008	hello, really nice article, but i think you have some of the stats worong, at the fire u 16 victory against north meck ac, the goals of chris prince and felipe cortez were scored by marco gutierrez, if you see the video you can see that marco was the scorer. The result is what really matters the fire win, but also the fans need the right information. thankyou...
DK July 18, 2008	Sorry about the mistake about who scored the goals in the game against North Meck. I got my information off of the US Soccer website for that match, as I wasn't there for that one. Here is the link from where I took the information: http://208.78.67.197:8080/Summer08Game?game=16008 Thank you for providing the correct info.
DON July 29, 2008	the 18' were on espn? wow no updates
juan gutierrez July 30, 2008	the 18' lost the game for the fifth place, check the ussoccer.com they have all the info, just cant remember who they lost to, or the final score, great job though, sixth place out of sixty some teams in their first year.