Team Chicago Academy-Cruzeiro finished up its MRL Premier I Division play with a trip to St. Paul, MN this past weekend. Having already clinched the MRL title, Cruzeiro was looking to finish the season with a perfect 7-0-0 record while the host Minneapolis United needed a win to secure its spot in the MRL Premier I Division for the Fall 2014 Season.

Cruzeiro dominated the opening minutes of the game, but against the run of play Minneapolis United went up 1-0 off a defensive miscue. Playing a team that was very well-organized and athletic, Cruzeiro had to up the ante to get the win, and the team did just that in the 2nd half.

With 15 minutes left Madison Zaleski capped off a long period of Cruzeiro pressure with the tying goal, and after that it was all one-way traffic as MU tried to hold onto the tie. The relentless Cruzeiro pressure finally paid off with 33 seconds to go as Kerry Abello found the game-winner to secure the perfect MRL record.

On Saturday, Cruzeiro had arranged an 80-minute scrimmage against the Minnesota Thunder Academy U15 ECNL team. The game was a great experience for Cruzeiro as it had to contend with a stronger and faster opponent that also played great soccer. MTA ended up earning a deserved 1-0 win, but both teams learned valuable lessons along the way.