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Chicago House AC

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Chicago House AC
Full nameChicago House Athletic Club
Nickname(s)CHAC
Founded2020; 4 years ago (2020)
StadiumDePaul College Prep
OwnerLaurence Girard
Head coachMatt Poland
LeagueMidwest Premier League
Websitehttps://www.chicagohouseac.com/

Chicago House Athletic Club is an American semi-professional men's soccer club owned by Laurence Girard and led by CEO Peter Wilt.[1] The club is based in Chicago, Illinois. They began play in August 2021 as a professional club, competing in the third-tier National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).[2][3] After being expelled from the league in January 2021, the club currently plays in the semi-professional Midwest Premier League.[4]

History

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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.[5] 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.[6][7] Other investors included Bruce Merivale-Austin.[8]

On November 5, NISA officially announced the team had been accepted with an aim to begin play in Fall 2021.[9] 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.[10] The winner of the poll, "Chicago House" was unveiled as the official name on February 23, 2021, alongside the team crest and colors.[11][12]

On January 27, 2021, the team confirmed that it would play home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.[13] 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.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16] Girard would later assert that he himself is the primary team owner and controlling shareholder of Chicago House AC, with "full voting control of the club".[17]

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.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[22]

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.[23]

Club identity

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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.[24] The club's logo uses the municipal device of Chicago and the letterforms suggest the city skyline. The team's colors are "Patina Green", black, and "deep rust" (a shade of orange).[25]

Current squad

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As of April 2023[26]

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

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

Front office

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  • United States Laurence Girard – Primary Owner
  • United States Peter Wilt – CEO
  • United States Night Train Veeck – COO
  • United States Matt Poland – Technical director and head coach

References

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  1. ^ Hawley, Larry (April 25, 2023). "'You can't ask for a bigger stage': Semi-pro Chicago House AC face Fire in US Open Cup". wgntv.com. WGN9. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Announcement on Nisa site for the Chicago Application https://nisaofficial.com/news/2020/11/05/nisa-approves-the-chicago-nisa-application
  3. ^ "NISA Approves the Chicago NISA Application". NISA Homepage. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Chicago House AC joins the Midwest Premier League". Midwest Premier League Homepage. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Paul (September 11, 2020). "Peter Wilt launches another start-up, in another league". www.socceramerica.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021. (subscription required)
  6. ^ Tolmich, Ryan (February 17, 2016). "Peter Wilt looking to revitalize soccer in Chicago with NASL project". SBI Soccer. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Milewski, Todd D. (May 17, 2018). "Big Top hires Peter Wilt to launch pro soccer team at Breese Stevens Field in 2019". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Sandalow, Brian (November 21, 2020). "With passion for fans, Night Train Veeck eager to build new Chicago soccer franchise". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Lewis, Michael (November 5, 2020). "WELCOME ABOARD: Chicago joins NISA for the 2021 fall season". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Mikula, Jeremy (January 7, 2021). "What do you get when a Veeck and the man who helped launch the Fire and Red Stars team up? A new soccer team coming to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  11. ^ ""Chicago House Athletic Club" Unveiled Along With Club Marks and Colors". Chicago House AC Homepage. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "New soccer club enters the House". Chicago Sun Times. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Hanania, Ray (January 27, 2021). "Chicago NISA Club names SeatGeek Stadium home". Suburban Chicagoland. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Mikula, Jeremy (February 2, 2021). "Chicago Fire legend C.J. Brown is the 1st technical director and coach of the new Chicago NISA club". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Chicago House Athletic Club Announces New Primary Team Owner". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "Rough Seas Ahead: New Amsterdam FC and NISA at Impasse". Protagonist Soccer. January 28, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Laurence Girard Provides Update On The Future Of NAFC & CHAC Legal Action Against NISA? International Expansion?". First Team Podcast. September 22, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  18. ^ Battista, Mike (January 27, 2022). "New Amsterdam owner speaks out on Open Cup and NISA issues". Once a Metro. SBNation. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  19. ^ Creel, Dan (February 15, 2022). "A Breakdown of the Suit Against NISA". Protagonist Soccer. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  20. ^ "Chicago House AC join Midwest Premier League". Instagram. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  21. ^ "Chicago House AC 2022 schedule announced". Instagram. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  22. ^ "Chicago Fire FC vs Chicago House AC". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "Chicago House AC Schedule Release 2023". Instagram. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Lewis, Michael (February 23, 2021). "Unveiling the name: Chicago House is the NISA club's name". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  25. ^ ""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.
  26. ^ "First Team". Chicago House AC.
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