Sporting Kansas City has announced the launch of the inaugural Patterson Cup, an elite tournament featuring six of the top youth academies from Major League Soccer.

The Patterson Cup will take place in conjunction with the first-ever Sporting Next Gen Invitational, slated for March 30-31 at the world-class Wyandotte Sporting Fields in Kansas City, Kansas. The marquee event will see six U-12 academy clubs square off, including Sporting Kansas City, Atlanta United FC, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC.

“One of our goals is to create high-quality competitions for MLS academy teams to compete in every year,” Sporting KC Academy Director Jon Parry said. “With Sporting KC’s access to the best soccer facilities in the Midwest, we are excited for the Patterson Cup to become a destination for MLS academies well into the future.”

The Patterson Cup is named after Sporting KC co-owner Neal Patterson and his wife Jeanne, both of whom lost their lives to cancer in 2017. For more than a decade, the Patterson Family helped transform Sporting KC into the model MLS organization it is today. Their unwavering commitment to the growth of soccer in Kansas City has been manifested through the development of state-of-the-art facilities, technological innovation at sporting events and significant investment in soccer at the youth level.

“The Patterson Cup will feature some of the best U-12 teams in the country, and we are excited to host this prestigious youth soccer tournament in Kansas City,” said Dan Popik, Sporting KC Vice President, Youth Business Development. “This tournament represents a unique opportunity for these ambitious players to test and challenge themselves against the highest level of competition.”

The full match schedule for the Patterson Cup will be announced March 11. Hosts Sporting KC are joined in a talented field highlighted by U-12 teams of the last two MLS Cup champions (Atlanta United and Toronto FC) and reigning U-12 Generation adidas Cup champion Colorado Rapids.

As part of the tournament experience, all six Patterson Cup participants will attend an opening banquet and receive a tour of the Pinnacle National Development Center, the new training home of Sporting KC. The banquet on March 29 will also feature an appearance from a Sporting KC player.

The Sporting Next Gen Invitational will feature nearly 100 premier youth clubs from across the Midwest at the boys and girls U-8 through U-12 levels. The event will include championship matches in multiple divisions, appearances from Sporting KC players, adidas coaches’ gift, and social media contests and prize giveaways.

Future editions of the Patterson Cup will expand to include some of the top U-12, U-13 and U-14 academy teams from MLS and abroad.

Visit SportingKCYouth.com and follow @SportingKCYouth on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for Patterson Cup and Sporting Next Gen Invitational updates. For more news and information about the Sporting KC Academy, visit SportingKCAcademy.com and follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.