2023 MWPL Season Recap
The 2023 season has been a bit of feast or famine for Chicago House AC Men’s first team as they wrapped up their Midwest Premier League (MWPL) season with a third-place finish in the Heartland Conference. House had high expectations for the MWPL season after winning five straight Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches, making it to the third round tournament proper, and a Chicago Open Cup Derby match against Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, but league play proved very competitive. Below is a game-by-game review of the league season.
May 13, 2023: Berber City 2 Chicago House AC 1
As would be expected, opponents in the MWPL were looking to make a mark by beating House after the team’s successful Open Cup run, and in the first match, Berber FC took it to the team at House’s former home ground of Illinois Institute of Technology in Bronzeville, Chicago. Berber went up 2-0 before halftime and House’s comeback came up short as the final result ended 2-1 in favor of fellow Chicagoans Berber.
House starting 11 v Berber City, Berber City Twitter
May 21, 2023: Chicago House AC 2 Chicago City 2
Opening the home season at Loyola University, House took on Chicago City in another Chicago Derby match. Unfortunately, things picked up where they left off in Bronzeville, and before the half was up, House was down 1-0. AR Smith converted a late first half penalty to even the score. When Alajandro Mentasti headed home a Jhon Alazate corner in the 85th minute, it looked as though House would be sending their supporters home happy. A first conference win was not to be, however, as Chicago City, despite being on the back foot for most of the second half, persisted and earned their own penalty in 95th minute and put it past goalkeeper Joel Estrada to earn a 2-2 draw.
House v Chicago City at Loyola University
May 27, 2023: Chicago House AC 1 Bavarians United SC 0
In a rematch of the U.S. Open Cup first-round tournament proper, Chicago House met the Bavarians on a Saturday afternoon in Roscoe Village, Chicago. House’s new home ground, DePaul College Prep, was in perfect condition, and the squad came away with the same result as in the Open Cup with a 1-0 victory. Kiki Avalos took a through pass from Aaron Nguyen, which was flicked on from Alejandro Mentasti, and fired into the top corner of Bavarian’s net in the 14th minute. That was all House needed as goalkeeper Tony Halterman earned another Milwaukee-Chicago shutout. In honor of cancer survivors, House wore pink jersey’s which listed the name of a survivor instead of the player’s name.
House “Hope is Stronger” uniforms, House v Bavarians at DePaul Prep, Jack Kramer and Jenn Jarmula
June 6, 2023: Steel City FC 1 Chicago House AC 1
House traveled to Joliet in early June for a mid-week matchup at Duly Health and Care Field, home of Steel City. While Joliet has a long and storied history of successful soccer teams, Steel City has been a thorn in House’s Midwest Premier League side, having given House their only defeat in the 2022 season, an opening game 0-1 home loss on May 13, 2022. The first half of this 2023 encounter looked reminiscent of 2022, as Steel City went up 1-0 in the 14th minute on a breakaway goal. Joliet product Daman Almazan was not going to let that lead stand, however, and in the 63rd minute, he took a feed from AR Smith at the top of the box, cut to his right, and fired a low drive into the lower right hand corner of the net to tie the game. Steel City had a chance to win the match in the 2nd half, as they earned a penalty, but House ‘keeper Tyler Marfu would not be beaten. In 2021, House met Steel City in a friendly in Kankakee, IL and gave Steel City a 2-0 defeat, so in all time matches, results are an even 1-1-1.
House Pre-game and Duly Health and Care Field
June 10, 2023: Chicago House AC 1 Czarni Jaslo 1
Ultimately, winners of the 2023 Heartland Conference, Czarni Jaslo, came to DePaul Prep on June 10 looking to solidify their place on top of the standings. This was the toughest match of the season, and had the most raucous opposing crowd, as Czarni fans often referred to House’s Open Cup success when trying to get under the skin of House players. Czarni drew first blood with an 18th minute penalty. The call, a handball in the box, seemed soft, as House defender Daniel Hayes looked to settle an errant Czarni pass, but inadvertently flicked the ball on to his arm, and the referee pointed to the spot. Alex Gomez sent keeper Tony Halterman the wrong way and the half finished with Czarni up 1-0. House kept up the pressure in the second half, and in the 65th minute, midfielder Shannon Seymour sent a through ball into the box, Captain AR Smith settled the ball, fooled a defender and smoothly passed the ball into the net beyond the reach of Czarni’s keeper. House’s chances of a home win slipped away in the 85th minute, when defender Jack Kramer was given a second yellow card, for kicking the ball away after the referee had blown a foul on House. All-in-all it was a fine night of soccer played by two of the Midwest Premier League’s top teams and a fair result.
DePaul Prep High School Field
June 17, 2023: DeKalb County United 2 Chicago House 1
Perhaps it was the busy schedule, or the intensity of previous matches, or the loss of defender Jack Kramer, but House went down to defeat on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. For once, House was not chasing the game, as they went up 1-0 in the 10th minute when Kiki Avalos made no question from a couple yards out off a Florian Ouaddour cross. Unfortunately, it was again a penalty kick that got DeKalb on the board in the 19th minute after Daniel Hayes had taken down DeKalb United forward Josh Johansen. Johansen took the ensuing kick and beat House keeper Billy Castro to level the score. It looked like the half would end in a draw, but in the 44th minute, DeKalb played the ball straight up the field, Johansen got to the ball first and broke in one on one with Castro and poked the ball under the onrushing House keeper. A well-played second half in front of a DeKalb County United record crowd of 619 led to no more goals, and House headed back to Chicago with an unlucky away loss.
Chicago House Instagram posts
June 24, 2023: Indy Boyz FC 1 Chicago House 14
The floodgates opened on a Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. After the frustrations of the first six league matches, in which House were only able to tally 7 goals, Indy Boyz were on the receiving end of a pasting. House was up 1-0 within a minute, and 6-0 at halftime. Perhaps it was the Indy Boyz coach providing some motivation for House, as he was heard to say that Indy only “had to shoot and they’d score” after Indy pulled one back in the 61st minute and the score 8-1. The House men never let up in this game and improved their goal difference immensely with a hat trick from Isiah Gallegos-Munoz, a few braces from Aaron Nguyen, AR Smith and Kiki Avalos and single goals from Jack Kramer, Alejandro Mentasti, Pau Mateo-Chacon, Georgi Spasov and Jhon Alazate. While not the most competitive match in House history, it’s always nice to add to the history books with the largest margin of victory in a league game.
Chicago House Instagram posts
July 5, 2023: Chicago House AC 2 RWB Adria 1
IT was a stormy night in Chicago for one of the toughest derbies on the House calendar. A number of lightning strikes in the area and tornado sirens howling delayed kickoff by 45 minutes, but the officials and staff, as well as players were committed to getting this game in, and House certainly showed up. RWB Adria has a long history of soccer success and has had such famous world stars as Eusebio in their lineup, so House never has an issue preparing for this game. That said, Adria had the run of play as the game kicked off in a downpour and House was lucky to go into half-time with a goalless tie. The weather had cleared by second half kickoff, and House was first to get on the board when Shannon Seymour took a pass from Alejandro Mentasti and beat the Adria keeper low. Adria responded quickly and tied the game, perhaps a bit luckily, but not undeservedly, on a deflection. House was not to be denied though, and second half substitute, Jack Kramer, finished off a corner with his head, and the wet House faithful headed home with a happy result in Roscoe Village.
House v RWB Adria in Chicago storms
July 15, 2023: Chicago House AC 3 Edgewater Castle 1
The North Branch Derby (both House and Edgewater play their home matches within sight of the North Branch of Chicago River, so with the agreement of House and Castle front offices, we have a name!) kicked off on a pleasant, and smoky, Saturday night at DePaul College Prep. Both teams were still in the hunt for the Midwest Premier League trophy at this point, so it was an intense encounter worthy of being called a derby. Despite being outshot, House looked the more dangerous side, and Kiki Avalos fired in the first goal from 25 yards out in the 6th minute. Castle’s goalkeeper Jacob Alstadt, under pressure from House Captain AR Smith, cleared the ball directly to Avalos, who took a touch to settle, then hit a screamer into the top of the net. Shortly before halftime, Shannon Seymour doubled House’s lead. A quick counter attacking move, started by Seymour, resulted in Avalos going one-on-one with Castle Keeper Alstadt, whose save directed the ball directly into the path of Seymour, who finished coolly over the head of former House defender David Abidor for a 2-0 House lead at halftime. The second half started out mostly the same, with Castle pressuring to get back in the game, but it was again Seymour and Avalos who teamed up to put the game out of reach. AR Smith found Seymour out on the left flank and Seymour’s outside the boot pass from 35 yards found Avalos 16 yard out with his back to the goal. Avalos turned and whipped a low shot past Alstadt and it was 3-0 House. Edgewater Castle got a well- earned goal in the 85th minute, but House walked away with the three points.
House v Edgewater Castle at DePaul Prep
July 22, 2023: Rockford FC 0 Chicago House AC 8
It’s always good to finish a season with a feast! House traveled to Rockford, IL, where House feasted on Rockford’s leaky backline to register eight in the final game of the regular season and secured a third place finish in the Heartland Conference. Rockford had had some surprising results, including holding Berber City to only two goals in a 0-2 defeat to start the month of July and Rockford held second place team RWB Adria to a 2-2 draw at the end of June, so it was not a guarantee that House would have such an easy result to finish the season. That said, with proper rest, and preparation from Head Coach and Technical Director Matt Poland, House was never in danger of losing or drawing in this one. At half, House was up 5-0 on a couple of goals from both Kiki Avalos and Alejandro Mentasti as well as one from AR Smith. The second half went the way of the first, as both Avalos and Mentasti finished off hat tricks and Daman Almazan got on the board with House’s final goal of the match, and the regular season.
House Twitter and House Instagram
Final 2023 Midwest Premier League Record for Chicago House AC: 5 Wins 3 Draws 2 Losses with 34 goals scored and 11 Conceded
The House men completed the season with a win and a draw against the top two teams, a double win over the bottom two with a goal difference of 22-1, but it was tough losses against middle of the table teams, ninth place Berber City and fifth place DeKalb County United, as well as a late draw against sixth place Chicago City, that kept House from topping the 2023 Heartland Conference. Clearly the lesson for future House opponents is you will want to play us early in the season to get a result. In 2022, House finished with a 10-game undefeated streak, which propelled them to a successful Open Cup campaign. While 2023 did not finish with quite the same streak, closing out the regular season with 4 straight wins should lead to another exciting national tournament performance and a strong 2024 MWPL season.