The Chicago Fire Under-15 academy team was a penalty kick shootout away from claiming the 2014 Liga MX vs. MLS Under-15 championship at Azteca Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Pachuca took the inaugural trophy in a match consisting of 35-minute halves.
The Mexican side, which defeated Chicago 4-1 in a group stage match, grabbed an early 1-0 lead after only two minutes in Mexico City, but a penalty kick converted by Chicago's David Portugal with four minutes remaining allowed the Fire U-15s to send the match to a shootout, where the Fire missed their first three attempts en route to a 3-1 PK loss.
Despite going winless in the group stage (4-1 loss to Pachuca, 1-1 tie vs. Houston Dynamo and 3-2 loss vs. Chivas Guadalajara), the Fire still advanced to the semifinals, where they knocked off fellow MLS side Toronto FC 2-1. Tournament rules ensured the top two MLS teams and the two best Mexican sides met in the semis.
