House Advances to 3rd Round!
CHICAGO HOUSE AC ADVANCES TO 3RD ROUND OF 2023 US OPEN CUP QUALIFYING
AT METRO LOUISVILLE NOVEMBER 19TH
Dramatic 2nd Round win over 1927 Fort Wayne SC Propels Club
Chicago, Illinois (October 21, 2022) - US Soccer announced that Chicago House AC will travel to Metro Louisville FC for the third round of 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Saturday, November 19 at 4:00 PM ET/3:00 PM CT. House will play the single elimination tournament match at Woehrle Athletic Complex in Jeffersonville, Indiana across the Ohio River from Louisvillle, Kentucky.
House defeated 1927 Fort Wayne SC last Saturday 1-1 (5-4) in penalty kicks after Seo-In Kim drew and converted a penalty in 92+. Kim also made his penalty after extra time remained level at 1-1. House Captain AR Smith, midfielder Jed McCloud and Goalkeeper Tony Halterman also converted their PKs after extra time. Halterman made saves in the 4th and 5 th rounds of penalties prior to clinching the victory by scoring from the spot himself.
House Technical Director and Head Coach Matt Poland was proud of his squad. “We could not have scripted a more dramatic ending to our win over 1927 FW. Proud of the guys fight to earn the first victory in the Open Cup in Chicago House AC history. Credit to 1927 for their determination and hard work, but I felt with the performance our guys gave we deserved to win that game. Our fans energy during the later part of the game was massive to our players continuing to fight for the equalizing goal,” Poland said.
House is one of 36 clubs and is the only Illinois based team to advance to the 3 rd Qualifying Round. There were 107 teams nationally when the qualifying bean. Nine clubs will advance to the 2023 US Open Cup tournament from the four Qualifying Rounds. Chicago is placed in the Eastern Bracket and received a 1st round bye.
“Metro Louisville is a respected club,” said House Managing Partner and President Peter Wilt. “They defeated NISA professional club Chattanooga FC 3-2 earlier this year in a friendly and will be a big challenge for us. This is another important step for Chicago House AC as we build to a return to professional soccer. We expect more important announcements in the next several months.” Wilt said.
Open Division Local Qualifying is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis. Matchups are determined geographically to minimize travel time and expense, with random selection used when practical to determine opponent pairings. Home teams are determined by coin flip.
Poland is excited about the upcoming matchup. “Looking ahead we are excited for our game against Metro Louisville FC. They have a history of putting strong teams out on the field. This will be a good opportunity for our players to showcase themselves against another quality opponent,” Poland said.
"We are excited to be in the Open Cup. This allows our players an opportunity to play against high level teams outside of Illinois like Metro Louisville and gain an important experience for their development,” Poland said.
“We have been able to keep a core group of 14 players on the roster from our summer season mixed with eight new players we have added this fall. The challenge will be in getting the new players up to speed with the team’s style and tactics as quickly as possible to be ready for the third round. We have a roster with a lot of talent and now it’s about getting them comfortable playing with each other," Poland said.
The Qualifying Rounds for U.S. Soccer National Championship take place across four weekends from September to December 2022.
2023 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP QUALIFYING SCHEDULE
September 17-18, 2022 – First Qualifying Round
October 15-16, 2022 – Second Qualifying Round
November 19-20, 2022 – Third Qualifying Round
December, 17-18, 2022 – Fourth Qualifying Round
A total of nine slots in the 2023 tournament proper will be available to the teams left standing after the four rounds of qualifying competition.
The tournament proper will begin the week of March 20, 2023, with the Final scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
The history-filled annual tournament, entering its 108th edition, is the only high-profile event in American team sports where amateur sides have the opportunity, should they advance far enough, to face professionals in meaningful national competition.
ABOUT CHICAGO HOUSE AC
Founded in 2020, Chicago House AC is a community-based soccer club which began play as a professional team in 3rd division NISA in fall, 2021. House played in the Midwest Premier League in 2022 where it finished its 11-game schedule with ten straight matches undefeated. Chicago House AC U-23 team played its first Northern Illinois Soccer League Season in summer, 2022 and finished atop the standings with an undefeated record. Led by Managing Partner, President and CEO Peter Wilt, Chicago House AC is structured as a public benefit corporation committed to transparency and working with its constituents to use its platform for social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. Chicago House AC is sponsored by NIKE, Weiss Memorial Hospital, FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers and Fruit Street Health. For more information, contact us at info@chicagohouseac.com, visit www.chicagohouseac.com and follow on Twitter at @ChicagoHouse_AC.