The Pre-Development Academy traveled to Fishers, Indiana, to compete in the U.S. Soccer Futsal Showcase earlier this month.

The Pre-DA is comprised of 40 players in a pool, and of these 40 players, 20 were selected to make the trip. That group was then split up into Red and Blue teams of 10 players each.

Both teams faced off against Cincinnati United Premier, and MLS sides Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire.

The Blue team displayed mixed results across the board. 

They lost their first match against Cincinnati United Premier, 2-4. It was a tough one with the CUP goalkeeper standing tall. In their second match, the Blue team tied the Crew in an exciting 5-5 draw. In their final match, the squad put out the Fire with a 6-0 win and help from Ryan Marcatonna and his great performance in goal.

The Blue team played in front of 150 people for third place in the placement match. After two overtimes, the score remained even at 4-4. The Blue team lost in penalties, 2-3.

The Red team walked away with three wins and first place in the showcase.

In its first match, against Cincinnati United Premier, Leonel Cedeno scored the match-winner with three seconds left on the clock, and the Red team walked away with a 10-9 victory. The squad faced the Crew next, and was victorious, 5-3. In its last match, the Red team outscored the Fire, 7-3.

The Red team played for first place against Cincinnati United Premier, and with a strong performance from Giovanny Cruz, beat the team 7-5 for the gold. 

“This futsal event provided the boys with another tremendous growth opportunity,” said Academy Director Tim Carter. “Our Pre-Development Academy is a supplemental training program and adds to the existing soccer training the boys receive from their home clubs.”