More than 50,000 fans were on hand to see Lionel Messi score an incredible 19-minute hat trick vs. Panama at Soldier Field Friday night.
But few Chicagoans got up close and personal with the No. 1 team in the FIFA World Ranking the way the Chicago Fire Academy sides did last week.
The Chicago Fire Academy U-18 and U-16 squads trained alongside Argentina before and after Friday's 5-0 defeat of Panama in Copa America Centenario Group D action. Training at UIC's Flames Field on Wednesday and Thursday, the Chicago Fire Academy had the once-in-a-soccer-lifetime educational experience of mimicking the Panamanian side's tactics and personnel as Gerardo Martino prepared his men for the match.