CHICAGO, IL - The Chicago Fire Premier Development League (PDL) team has qualified for the PDL National Championship Match by virtue of a 2-1 overtime victory over the Cary Clarets from North Carolina on Saturday, August 1st. This is the second time the Fire PDL has advanced to the National Finals in its history, the last time being in 2003 when they fell to the Cape Cod Crusaders by a score of 2-0.
In the National Championship semi-final match, the Fire's Fred Braun (University of Louisville) opened scoring in the 38th minute. Cary's Zach Schilawski rallied to tie the match with a goal in the 63rd minute. The Fire's game winning goal was scored five minutes into overtime by Andre Akpan (Harvard University) with an assist from Chris Cutshaw (Bradley University).
This win was preceded by a 3-0 victory in the National Championship quarterfinal match over the Ocean City Barons in Des Moines, Iowa. Mark Blades (Northwestern University) opened scoring in the 18th minute followed by two second half goals by Fred Braun (University of Louisville) in the 66th minute with an assist by Andy Adlard (Indiana University), and a goal by Chris Cutshaw (Bradley University) in the 76th minute.
The Fire PDL, despite having the best overall regular season record in league history with a record of 115-19-20 and also carrying a league record nine consecutive playoff appearances in their nine seasons of play, has only advanced to the National Finals once before, in 2003. The Fire carries a USL unbeaten streak of 14 matches including 9 wins in a row heading into the National Final match. The PDL's overall record stands at an impressive 14-1-5. In addition to its remarkable record, the PDL's goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer (University of South Carolina) was recently named PDL Goalkeeper of the Year. Maurer is the third Goalkeeper from the Fire PDL to be named PDL Goalkeeper of the Year, following on the footsteps of current US National Team Goalkeeper Brad Guzan and former Chicago Fire and current Colorado Rapids Goalkeeper Matt Pickens.
"Our guys have gotten on a roll and hope to carry it through the Championship match. Being the first all-college based team to reach a PDL final is a great testament to the Fire's commitment to player development. Our mission is to identify the best college age players to play in the top amateur league in the country, the PDL. It's also a huge statement to the talent and character of this young team to achieve the success they have. We played two great matches in Des Moines this past weekend, but we know our job is not done and know that Ventura County is also a great team on a huge roll themselves. We look forward to a great final", said John Dorn, Director of the Fire PDL.
The National Championship Finals will take place on Saturday, August 8th versus the Ventura County Fusion at Buena High School in Ventura, California at 9:00 PM CT. The game will play on Fox Soccer Channel Tuesday, August 11th at 6:30 PM CT.
ABOUT CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER
Chicago Fire Soccer was founded on October 8, 1997 as a Major League Soccer expansion team. The Fire won the MLS Cup in its inaugural season in 1998 and was crowned the champion of U.S. Soccer's national tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. In June 2006, the Fire moved into its world-class home of TOYOTA PARK, located in Bridgeview, IL.
ABOUT TOYOTA PARK
Located 15 minutes from downtown Chicago and minutes from Midway airport off of I-55 on Harlem Avenue, TOYOTA PARK is the Midwest's preeminent outdoor live entertainment and sporting facility. Opened in 2006, TOYOTA PARK not only serves as the home of the Chicago Fire, but also hosts a variety of sporting events, special events and concerts by national and international artists.
