House Advances to the 4th Round
CHICAGO HOUSE AC ADVANCES TO FINAL ROUND OF 2023 US OPEN CUP QUALIFYING AT BROCKTON FC DECEMBER 17TH
Exciting 3rd Round win over Metro Louisville FC Propels Club 12 Straight Games Undefeated For Chicago House AC
Chicago, Illinois (November 23, 2022) – US Soccer announced that Chicago House AC will travel to play Brockton FC in suburban Boston, Massachusetts for the final round of 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT. House will play the 4th round single elimination tournament match at Randolph High School in Randolph, Massachusetts just south of Boston.
House defeated Metro Louisville FC 2-1 last Saturday in a dramatic 3rd Round match to set up the 4th and Final Round matchup. The victory over Metro Louisville was Chicago House’s 12th consecutive game undefeated in 2022. The Midwest Premier League club has lost only one competitive match, it’s first, in all of 2022.
The game at Woehrle Athletic Complex in Jeffersonville, Indiana had plenty of action with three goals, two red cards, one penalty kick and an injured House player taken to the hospital. House opened the scoring in the 9th minute on a penalty kick taken by midfielder Seo In-Kim.
The penalty was awarded after the Metro Louisville goalkeeper, Alex Moody, was assessed a yellow card for a hard foul on Chicago’s Nico Williams. Williams was taken to a local hospital as a result of the play and received stitches on his right cheek. Louisville equalized with a goal in the 29th minute by Midfielder Erbin Trejo on a cross shot to the back post, just to goalkeeper Tony Halterman’s right from six yards out.
House went down a man in the 40th minute when defender Daniel Hayes was shown a red card. The skirmish also resulted in three additional yellow cards issued – two to Metro Louisville FC and one to House captain, A.R. Smith.
“The first half of the first half we weren’t playing that well. I think we were scared to put our foot on the ball and slow it down and let the play develop. Once we got the red card it calmed our guys down and we started playing a little better. Maybe they felt like they had more individual responsibility to make up for being down a man,” said Matt Poland Head Coach and Technical Director.
The playing field drew level in the 64th minute when Metro Louisville’s #10 was shown a second yellow for a hard foul and was sent off. House took advantage and grabbed the lead on a goal credited to Jed Mccloud in the 71st minute. McCloud received a pass from Damon Almazan, cut back inside and shot at the back post. The ball deflected off a Louisville center back’s foot redirecting the ball in the near post, as the keeper dove back post.
“Going into the second half I told them that they had nothing to lose out there, we’re down a man and no one is expecting us to win. So, I told them to play with freedom, to play with heart. I give them a lot of credit for coming out in the second 45 minutes - they worked and worked and worked. I said you guys are going to get an opportunity, obviously we got it, and we finished it. Credit to Jed (Mccloud) on the finish, and it was incredible to watch their work rate in the second half,” said Poland.
House is one of 18 clubs, and is the only Illinois based team, to advance to the 4th 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 and won its 2 nd and 3rd round matches.
“I am very proud of our team. The players, coaches, staff and partners have all contributed to the success of the club,” said House Managing Partner and President Peter Wilt. “This is another important step for Chicago House AC as we build to a return to professional soccer. We look forward to another great challenge next month in Boston.” 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.
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.