Wednesday, June 5 through Sunday, June 9, the Sporting Kansas City Academy hosted 31 teams and 19 MLS NEXT Academies for the 2024 Patterson Cup at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, in one of the most competitive Academy events at the U-12, U-13 and U-14 levels. MLS clubs and one MLS NEXT Academy from coast to coast concluded their 2023-24 season at the tournament, giving the competition a playoff atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Sporting KC was represented in all age groups. The U-14s finished as the runner-ups for their age group after just falling to FC Cincinnati in the final in front of a raucous crowd of parents, Sporting KC staff, Acadmey players, SKC II players and several teams who participated in Patterson Cup. Sporting's U-13s wrapped up their season with a 1-2-1 record in the group stage playing in four incredibly close matches. The U-12s were made up of players who will rise to the U-13 level in the 2024-25 season and had just one week of training as a group before the tournament.
Sporting's U-14s opened Patterson Cup with a 1-0 loss to D.C. United in the group stage. Now, needing three wins and help elsewhere to qualify for the semifinals, head coach Colby Childress challenged his group to rise to the occasion. The boys did just that, dispatching KSA 5-2, slipping past Nashville SC 2-0 and defeating New England Revolution 1-0 to earn their spot in the semis. Now in the knockouts, SKC demolished Houston Dynamo 4-1, setting the stage for Sunday's final against FC Cincinnati.
Swope Soccer Village's East field was packed with onlookers for an eventful U-14 Patterson Cup final which was decided with penalties. After falling behind 2-0 before the end of the first half, Sporting clawed their way back, halving the deficit early in the second, before scoring a worldie from outside the box to even the match. The contest opened up as both teams rattled the crossbar and almost claimed the cup in regulation. The final went to kicks from the spot where Cincinnati outlasted Sporting 5-4.
FC Dallas took home the cup in the U-13 bracket and for a second straight season, Chicago Fire's U-12s lifted the Patterson Cup.
Patterson Cup is named after Sporting KC co-owner Neal Patterson and his wife Jeanne, both of whom lost their lives to cancer in 2017. For more than a decade, the Patterson Family helped transform Sporting KC into the model MLS organization it is today. Their unwavering commitment to the growth of soccer in Kansas City has been manifested through the development of state-of-the-art facilities, technological innovation at sporting events and significant investment in soccer at the youth level.
The inaugural Patterson Cup took place in March 2019 with six MLS academies squaring off at the U-12 level. The 2024 edition was the fourth annual Patterson Cup and the third featuring all three age groups as the tournament continues to foster growth in youth soccer around the United States.
The Sporting KC U-13s and U-14s will return to the pitch in August for the 2024-25 preseason. Sporting's U-17s will compete in the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs while the U-15s play in the MLS NEXT Cup Showcase from June 15-23 Nashville, Tennessee. To keep up to date with everything going on in the Sporting Kansas City Academy, fans can follow @SKCAcademy on X and Instagram or head to SportingKCAcademy.com.
