Chicago House AC

Last updated

Chicago House AC
Chicago House AC Primary Logo.svg
Full nameChicago House Athletic Club
Nickname(s)CHAC
Founded2020;4 years ago (2020)
Stadium DePaul College Prep
OwnerLindsey Morgan Sacks
Head coachMatt Poland
League Midwest Premier League
Website Club website

Chicago House Athletic Club is an American professional men's soccer club owned by Laurence Girard and led by CEO Peter Wilt. The club is based in Chicago, Illinois. They began play in August 2021, competing in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a professional 3rd tier league. [1] [2] The club currently play in the semi-professional Midwest Premier League. [3]

Contents

History

On September 10, 2020, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced that an investor group, led by league founder Peter Wilt, had applied for a club to play in the Chicago market. [4] Wilt had previously attempted to start a new Chicago team in 2016 with the North American Soccer League (NASL) and more recently in 2018, following his departure from NISA, successfully started the Madison, Wisconsin based Forward Madison FC in USL League One. [5] [6] Other investors included Bruce Merivale-Austin. [7]

On November 5, NISA officially announced the team had been accepted with an aim to begin play in Fall 2021. [8] In the following months, the team asked fans to submit potential team names that related to the history and culture of Chicago. The team selected 68 finalists and held a fan advisory poll bracket, dubbed "Moniker Madness", to determine the most popular option. [9] The winner of the poll, "Chicago House" was unveiled as the official name on February 23, 2021, alongside the team crest and colors. [10] [11]

On January 27, 2021, the team confirmed that it would play home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. [12] On February 2, former Chicago Fire FC player and all-time appearance leader C. J. Brown was announced as the team's first technical director and head coach. [13]

On May 1, 2021, the team announced that Lindsey Morgan Sacks would become the new primary team owner, taking control of the club from Bruce Merivale-Austin. [14]

On July 9, 2021, the team played their official first match in club history, losing 2–0 to amateur side FC Milwaukee Torrent in the 2021 NISA Independent Cup.[ citation needed ]

Two weeks later, the House defeated Union Dubuque FC by a score of 5–0 to end the Independent Cup campaign with a first win in club history.[ citation needed ]

The club finished 6th in its inaugural season, posting a 7-2-9 record. Wojciech Wojcik was the team's top scorer, notching eight goals.[ citation needed ]

Behind the scenes, ownership was feuding with the league; NISA reported that neither Chicago House nor New Amsterdam FC (owned by Sacks's husband Laurence Girard) had paid their league dues for 2021. In a mid-December email to the NISA board of governors, Gerard threatened to pull his clubs from competition unless he was granted loans from the league to run them. [15]

On January 25, 2022, the league issued a press release to announce that neither New Amsterdam nor Chicago House would be playing in the U.S. Open Cup. [16] The 2022 NISA schedule was released the following month, with both NAFC and Chicago House removed. The clubs responded by filing suit in Delaware's Chancery Court, seeking to both be reinstated. [17] New Amsterdam went on hiatus, but in March 2022 the House announced via social media that the club would join the semi-professional Midwest Premier League for the upcoming season. [18]

The House announced its initial Midwest Premier League schedule via social media and also announced it would play its home matches at Stuart Field, on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology. [19]

The House finished 4th in the MWPL in 2022 with a 5–5–1 record. At the end of the season, the club announced its intention to compete in local qualifiers for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After receiving a bye in the first round, CHAC defeated 1927 SC on penalties after a 1–1 draw, Metro Louisville FC 2–1, and Brockton FC United in another penalty shootout to advance to the competition proper. Chicago House then defeated National Amateur Cup champions Bavarian United SC 1–0 to record its first-ever cup win and move on to the second round and face Forward Madison FC of USL League 1. After trailing 2–0 at halftime, Chicago scored two goals to force extra time and a third to win 3–2 and advance to the third round. They faced Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire FC at the House's former home SeatGeek Stadium on April 26, where their cup run ended with a 3-0 loss. [20]

The club announced its 2023 MWPL schedule via social media and that it would play its home matches at DePaul College Prep on its new stadium in Roscoe Village on the North Side near Lane Tech. [21]

Club identity

The club's name, Chicago House Athletic Club, was announced on February 21, 2021, and refers to the Chicago house style of music. It was one of 400 entries submitted for a public contest; the 68 finalist names were picked through public votes in a bracket tournament. [22] The club's logo uses civic symbols of Chicago as well as the city skyline and depicts the Chicago River. The team's colors are "Patina Green", black, and "deep rust" (a shade of orange). [23]

Players and staff

Current squad

As of April 2023 [24]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
2 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jack Kramer
4 FW Flag of Argentina.svg  ARG Alejandro Mentasti
5 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA John Makowiecki
6 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jasper Waddington
7 FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Adam Mann
8 MF Flag of the Bahamas.svg  BAH Shannon Seymour
10 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Ricardo Avalos
11 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Georgi Spasov
13 DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Oskar Duenkel
14 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA AR Smith
No.Pos.NationPlayer
15 MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Nassouh Kabbani
18 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Tony Halterman
20 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Aaron Nguyen
22 MF Flag of Colombia.svg  COL Jhon Alzate
23 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Nico Williams
25 MF Flag of Mexico.svg  MEX Rodrigo Gudiño
33 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Billy Castro
94 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Damon Almazan
99 MF Flag of France.svg  FRA Florian Ouaddour

Front office

Related Research Articles

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References

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  3. "Chicago House AC joins the Midwest Premier League". Midwest Premier League Homepage. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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  11. "New soccer club enters the House". Chicago Sun Times. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. Hanania, Ray (January 27, 2021). "Chicago NISA Club names SeatGeek Stadium home". Suburban Chicagoland. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
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  14. "Chicago House Athletic Club Announces New Primary Team Owner". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  15. "Rough Seas Ahead: New Amsterdam FC and NISA at Impasse". Protagonist Soccer. January 28, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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  18. "Chicago House AC join Midwest Premier League". Instagram. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  19. "Chicago House AC 2022 schedule announced". Instagram. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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  21. "Chicago House AC Schedule Release 2023". Instagram. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
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  23. ""Chicago House Athletic Club" Unveiled Along With Club Marks and Colors" (Press release). Chicago House AC. February 23, 2021. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  24. "First Team". Chicago House AC.