Chicago Fire Academy

Bushue rejoined the Fire following five years as an assistant coach for the DePaul Men’s Soccer program, where he also served as as a recruiting coordinator for the Big East program. He was a talent identification manager with U.S. Soccer’s youth national teams after working with Chicago-based Sockers FC as director of player personnel and college placement.

After receiving his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006, Bushue began his first stint with the Fire in 2009 in a youth scouting role, leaving the Club to become Director of U.S. Player Operations and Head Scout for football marketing agency Libero Sports in 2014.

While at Brighton, Ferrar held the role of Academy Analysis & Pathway Insights Manager. Prior to that, he was Head of Academy Analysis & Insights at the Premier League club. His passion for player development came from a previous role with Birmingham City's academy, taking on various roles across Analysis, Operations, and Coaching, across many years. 

Earlier in his career, Ferrar worked in non-league football and spent nine months coaching in the United States across various age groups. He holds a Master's degree in Performance Analysis and recently earned his UEFA “A” Licence.

Dr. Grainger (PhD) has extensive applied coaching and research experience in high performance sport, particularly in team sports. He is a Fellow at CASES (The Chartered Associated of Sport and Exercise Sciences), an Adjunct Assistant Professor at University College Dublin and an External Examiner at Leeds Beckett University. He most recently combined his Lead Academy Athletic Development role at Ulster Rugby with consultancy work at sports technology leader Kitman Labs.  

Prior to working in Ulster Rugby, Dr. Grainger also worked in English Premiership Rugby for 12 years (Saracens, London Wasps and Sale Sharks) across a variety of sports science and athletic performance roles. In December 2017, he was appointed Performance Director for Hockey Ireland, leading the women’s team to a World Cup silver medal and a successful Tokyo Olympics cycle. Meanwhile, during his tenure at University College Dublin as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach within their Ad Astra scholarship program, he supported Olympians across many sports and their League of Ireland soccer team. 

In October 2016, Dr. Grainger was appointed chair of the CASES’ Sport and Performance Division. He is chair of the CASES Conference Planning Group and Board member and Events Committee Chair for ISESA.

Prior to her promotion to her current role, Jankowsky served as the Fire’s manager of player advisory & support services, as well as senior coordinator of player education & welfare, since 2020. She originally joined the Fire in 2017 as a player support coordinator.

Jankowsky completed her MSW at University of Chicago in 2019 and is a licensed psychotherapist who is focused on helping young footballers navigate their development pathway.

She has previously managed a post-quake housing development in Haiti, started a business in Oman, and assisted in the establishment of a secondary campus for a leading youth soccer academy in Ghana. Jankowsky is currently focused on creating opportunities for players to access mental health and socio-emotional development supports in the world of youth soccer.

While at Parker, he served as an Academic Advisor, the Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Soccer program, and the Varsity Boys Soccer Assistant Coach.

Patrick’s connection to the Chicago Fire has been sustained for over twenty years as a season ticket holder. He served as the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Director of Finance of Section 8 Chicago NFP in 2006, 2014, and 2015 while helping lead the Chicago Fire Independent Supporters’ Association.

As the Fire’s Head of Education, Patrick has developed the Academy Day School Program from the ground up, integrating valuable life skills curriculum as a means of cultivating well-rounded and world-wise student athletes. Additionally, he oversees the continued education of first and second team players seeking to finish high school requirements or participate in university studies. Patrick received his B.A. in Interpersonal Communications from DePaul University and holds a USSF E license in coaching.

The Club leader in appearances (372), starts (364) and minutes played (32,538), Brown has nearly 30 years of experience as a coach and player at the professional level. In his current role with the Fire, Brown oversees the Chicago Fire Discovery Centers, a free program throughout the Chicagoland area that supports youth soccer and serves as a talent identification program, creating a pathway to the Chicago Fire Academy.

Following a decorated 13-year career that saw him win all six of Chicago’s domestic championships – including the MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the Fire’s inaugural 1998 season – Brown spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach in MLS, working with Real Salt Lake (2011-13), the Fire (2014), New York City FC (2015), Orlando City SC (2016-18) and the New York Red Bulls (2018-20). He also served as an assistant for the U-23 U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship and as technical director and head coach of Chicago House AC in 2021.

Following experience at Athletico and Ascension Medical Group, Sobarnia opened a private physical therapy and performance training practice in 2024. His work supporting rehabilitation with the Academy extended to the second team in 2026.

The EXOS Performance Specialist holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northwestern University. He also a FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine and a U.S. Soccer Coaching “D” License while being a certified CPR and BLS provider.

The Aurora, Ill. native previously earned athletic training internships with Seattle Sounders FC, Northwestern Medicine and Kaneland Senior High School. She holds a master’s degree in athletic training from North Central College in Naperville, and a bacherlor’s degree in sports and exercise science from Benedictine University in Lisle.

Neritani joined the Fire from ATI Physical Therapy, where he served as an Athletic Trainer. Before joining ATI, Neritani served as a Student Athletic Trainer for St. Louis University, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Athletic Training. He also held Athletic Training internships from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Washington University in St. Louis.

Chudley was named a mental performance coach for the Academy in 2025 after completing a yearlong internship in his field with the Fire. He previously served in similar roles at USL League Two side Salem City FC and Duluth FC.

The U.K. native holds a master’s degree in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Organizational Leadership from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.

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Yu joined the Chicago Fire FC Academy as PASS Coordinator in July 2018 after spending 6 months with the organization as an extern. He completed his Bachelor of Psychological Science degree from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.

He then traveled to Chicago to pursue a masters of arts in Counseling: Specializing in Sport and Health Psychology program that he completed at Adler University between 2016 - 2018. As a part of this dual program, he was required to complete an internship and externship, receiving dual training both in a clinical setting and as a mental performance coach.

In addition to developing and delivering PASS content to the Chicago Fire Soccer Academy, he works on enhancing the mental performance of players/groups/teams at all age levels .

Rodriguez has worked with national governing bodies and clubs worldwide, supporting teams at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2025 Concacaf U-15 Championship, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and the 2018 FIVB World Championship. She also supported Colombia’s national rugby team in its preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) also has additional certifications through EXOS, Functional Movement Systems, Z-Health, USA Weightlifting, and Starting Strength. Her research focuses on performance, injury risk reduction, and long-term athlete development. She is scheduled to begin a PhD in 2028.

With 15 years of experience working in high-performance soccer and youth development in the United States, Spain and Chile, Rojas primarily works with U-15 and U-18 athletes in the Academy.

Prior to joining Chicago Fire FC, Rojas spent two years working in the USL Championship with Loudoun United FC as a Performance Coach, contributing to the physical preparation, testing, and workload monitoring of professional and academy players. He also worked with UCAM FC and the Center for Research and High Performance at Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) in Spain, where he worked with developing players, including some who went on to compete for clubs such as Real Madrid CF, Valencia CF, and Granada CF.

Rojas holds a Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning for Elite Performance from UCAM and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA.

Rojero most recently completed internships at the Colorado Rapids Academy and Mike Boyle’s Strength & Conditioning in Boston. The El Paso, Texas native worked with local MLS NEXT club A.C. River while attaining his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. He is a Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC) Level 2 with fluency in both English and Spanish. .

Cokovic joined the Fire in August after working the last two years as a Training Camp Equipment Assistant with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and as a Team Attendant for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate Iowa Wolves. The Iowa native also worked with the Chicago Cubs’ minor league affiliate in the state, the Iowa Cubs, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Castillo began his career in 2023 with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC as an Operations and Video Analysis Intern before a promotion to Manager of Field & Facilities in 2024. He then joined Minnesota United FC as a Development Program Administrator, subsequently becoming Team Administrator for its second team. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Law and Business from Arizona State University.

Before joining the Fire as a Sr. Coordinator of Academy Football Operations, Arechiga attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and worked in multiple roles with the Fighting Illini football team from 2021 through 2024. His last role saw him serve as a video analysis assistant for Illini head coach Bret Bielema, under whom the program has earned more wins than any coach in program history through his first five seasons.

Ruiz originally joined the Fire as a Matchday Presentation Ambassador in 2022, making his way through Chicago Fire Rec Soccer before serving as an Operations Coordinator starting in 2023. The Northern Illinois University alumnus managed Chicago Fire FC II matchday operations for the 2026 season, coordinating between the technical staff, match officials and visiting teams.

Before his time with the Fire, Ruiz also worked in similar roles with the Chicago White Sox, Windy City Bulls and Kane County Cougars.