CHAC Advances!

3/24/23

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago House A.C. has advanced to the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after defeating fellow Midwest Premier League club, Bavarian United S.C., on Wednesday, March 22 at Langhorst Field in Elmhurst, IL by a score of 1-0.

This is House’s first appearance in U.S. Open Cup tournament proper, since the team began play in the summer of 2021, having made it through four rounds of qualification in the fall of 2022.  Conversely, the Bavarians are one of the oldest soccer clubs in the United States and have had tremendous success in the Open Cup.

“The Bavarians are historically one of the best amateur clubs in the country.  There’s a reason why there are so many stars above their crest. I think it’s difficult to know what to expect from them, but we knew they were going to be disciplined, we knew they were going to be veteran guys with a lot of experience so that was our thought process going into it,” said Head Coach and Technical Director, Matt Poland on preparations for the match. “The biggest thing during preseason was to focus on ourself – creating a team identity, start creating that chemistry with guys that might not have played together and reminding some of the players that have been away from us for a while what the crest means and what we’ve created from it.”

Working on that chemistry paid off.  Chicago scored the game’s only goal on a set piece in the 39th minute when Shannon Seymour sent a corner kick into the center of the goal that found Naz Kabbani’s head from 11 yards out.  Kabbani headed the ball to John Makowiecki who headed a ball that deflected off goalkeeper Agustin Rey's right shoulder and into the back of the net.

The Bavarians created several offensive opportunities with 16 shots, four on goal, to House’s eight with four on goal, but could not convert due a stalwart performance in goal by Tony Halterman who came away with a clean sheet with four saves, including two in the final seconds of stoppage time.

“Everyone on the field fought 100%.  I think Tony (Halterman), in goal had an outstanding performance, he made some great saves. He kept us in the game early and is just a calm guy behind the backline.  I think Manny (Adam Mann) worked really hard up top, and we have a guy like Damon (Almazon) who maybe the stats don’t show it but the effort he gave was great, and obviously for him to be playing for his mother during this time is awesome. You could see the heart and commitment that he gave every minute he was on the field,” said Poland on his team’s performance.

Up next for House is another team that was started by Chicago’s Managing Partner and President, Peter Wilt, Forward Madison F.C.  The “Flamingos” finished ninth in USL 1 play in 2022 with a record of 7-12-11 and will begin their league season this weekend versus Union Omaha, which will be their only regular season match heading to the Open Cup tilt versus House.

“It’s a big jump, obviously, now we’re playing against a professional team with guys who this is their whole life preparing for a game like this.  So, there is an added sense of focus that we need to bring into training these next two weeks, but again as I told them, that when the game starts it’s 0-0 and it’s 90 minutes to prove it,” said Poland on playing a third division professional team.  “No matter who the opponent is you can’t over think who you’re playing and let that negatively affect you.  The biggest thing to focus on is representing the crest and the team identity the best we can in those 90 minutes and let the results take care of themselves.”

The round two match will be played at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, WI on Tuesday, April 4 at 6:00 pm.  Click to purchase a Chicago ticket package, which includes a Chicago style hot dog, a Goose Island 312 beer and a match ticket for $25.  Single game tickets, which range in price from $18-$43, can also be found on the club’s website. 

While Wilt has ties to both clubs, his focus now is on the importance of The Cup run for his current team.  “This is a historic win for House.  It reflects well on the entire organization, especially the players and coaches who have worked tirelessly to achieve this goal,” said Wilt.

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 Diaza, Weiss Memorial Hospital, Bookie’s and Fruit Street Health. For more information, contact us at info@chicagohouseac.com, visit www.chicagohouseac.com and follow on Twitter at @ChicagoHouse_AC