Over the weekend of April 11th and 12, 2014, the FC Wisconsin's sent boys and girls teams between the ages of U11-U13 to Rockford, Illinois to compete in the Spring Puma Cup.

The U13 Boys White team defeated Madison FC 2-1, Chicago Fire Juniors West 5-0 and Tonka United 3-0 (IL) in group play to advance to the Rockford Raptors Puma Cup Championship final. Disappointingly however, after warming up the game, the team was informed that all remaining tournament games were cancelled due to steady rain and field conditions. As a result of yielding just a single goal in group play and winning all but game one decisively, the tournament awareded the U13 Boys White team the first place trophy and individual medals.

The level of improvement in terms of sustained possession, pressure defensively and more overall competitiveness has seen marked improvement early this season and unlike in the fall, goal scoring chances were far more abundant. Coach Chris McCreary was happy with the team's togetherness and work rate. "Though we only made the trip with 4 substitutes, each player was energized and excited to compete in the final, which was great to see. I'm extremely proud of the boys efforts. They showed great camaraderie throughout the weekend and in training leading up to the event," said McCreary.

U13 Boys pictured above left to right:Nolan Rehard, Mason Schrot, Destin Martens, Gio Beltran, Cole Brzakala, Timothy Flannery, Dante Paladino, Noah Sprunk, Evan Koenig, Caleb Grossman, Keegan Gruss- Not Pictured: Brandon Sanger and guest players Neico Caini, Dawson de Boer, Camden Flater

Both the U11 Boys Black and White teams had good showings against good competition, despite missing players due to Spring break and Easter. There performances shows quality depth within our pool of U11 players within the Club.

The U12 Boys Black, who were also without players on vacation, took positive steps forward in their development with their performances including a big win against the Chicago Magic U12s.

Although the U13 girls lost all of their games, there were some good performances especially considering the majority of team were playing an age up. From a developmental standpoint the weekend was productive for all who attended.

"As a club, we are excited to see the progress and development that all of our teams are making so far this Spring. As a development centered club this is extremely pleasing to see and we look forward to continued success this spring season," said Co Director of Coaching Ben Shepherd.

GO FC WISCONSIN!