The Chicago Fire are luring one of the central figures at Paris Saint-Germain's respected youth system across the Atlantic to lead their academy, according to a new report from a French outlet.
CulturePSG.com claimed on Monday that Cedric Cattenoy is set to depart PSG after some 15 years on staff, in order to sign a three-year deal with the Fire in a position dubbed “directeur de la formation,” which roughly translates as academy director.
Chicago saw longtime academy boss Larry Sunderland leave the club to take up a post with the Portland Timbers late last year. Under his leadership, six Homegrown players graduated to the first team ,and the Men in Red won US Soccer Development Academy championships at the Under-16 level in 2010 and at the U-18 level in 2015.
Cattenoy currently serves as the U-15 coach at PSG's residential pre-academy and has also been a leading figure in coaching education at the club, whose academy has cranked out a steady stream of talent over the years, highlighted by prominent names like Nicolas Anelka, Kingsley Coman and Mamadou Sakho.
Were he to join the Fire, Cattenoy would bring some experience of their home market, with PSG having crafted an affiliate partnership with local youth club Chicago Magic.
Chicago's academy was one of the first MLS academies to bear fruit in the early years of the league's pivot towards youth development, and the Fire currently have four Homegrown players on their roster: Joey Calistri, Drew Connor, Patrick Doody and Collin Fernandez. But several HGPs have also left the club, with 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year contender Harry Shipp the most recent to depart, via a trade to Montreal earlier this year.
