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CHICAGO, IL – This was certainly a home game that concerned us with OHV fielding almost a full strength outfit. Chicago missing a few players from their victory in Columbus a few weeks earlier looked to their veterans on Saturday. played in 70 degree heat and in between showers the home side stepped out from the first bounce full of running and never looked back. Winning the toss and kicking with what looked like a 4-5 goal breeze the United lads took full advantage kicking 5 goals to a solitary behind in the first.

The second quarter saw the Dockers remain solid and hold their own outscoring a United side that was at times wasteful coming into the forward line in a flukey breeze. The Dockers went into the main break 33 points in arrears. With their back line playing well under constant pressure the oppostion coach called for reinforcements and flooded the United forward line, this got the desired result with the United team only able to register 2 goals for the quarter.

The breeze seemed to die in the last and the United side were able to hold a gallant and spirited visiting side and run out comfortable victors in the end 91 to 19.

Big thanks once again go to Paul Drake who donned the orange and black and took on the officiating duties with aplomb. The United boys head out to Denver on 19th June to take on one of the powerhouses of the USAFL, a big challenge awaits.

CHICAGO, IL- This week marks the return of Metro footy to Chicago’s magnificent shoreline as the Piranhas get to take another shot at runaway flag favorites, the bustling Tigers of Lincoln Square.

Magnificent in their perfect season thus far, the Tigers certainly got a scare last game as Forte and the Rhinos took it right up to them, losing by under a straight kick in what was the game of the season thus far. The Tigers were a tad undermanned for that one and it will be interesting to see who lobs for the black and yellow this friday in the moist Chicago heat that it rolling in off the plains.

The Piranhas are yet to hit their straps but are also coming off a victory over the Rhinos in another close one. They boast Roofy, Gambaro, Hayse and MacGlashan and a ragged band of Irishmen that can turn a game in mere seconds. The Toddy Holmberg like Ciaran Sweeney is a huge talent and his last up effort was hopefully a sign of things to come for Hayse and the Piranhas. Other Piranhas to put their hands up include Pedro, Zukowski, Gallagher and Walsh who will be well supported by veterans Palmer, Ehlers, Deri Morgan, Kastilahn and the Mini Keg on two legs Nolan McKe(e)gan. The Piranhas certainly have the team to beat the Tigers but can they put it together? Their backline is probably their biggest worry as between McKeegan, Ward, MacGlashan and co they can pile on plenty of goals. The mids in Hayse, Sweeney, Isadore, Fresh and the renegade master Stacey Elmore can at least hang with the highly fancied midfield of the Tige’s that is a who’s who of United Football in Brennan, Dhoory x 2, Gunn, Leibowitz and the best of them all in Willy Uhlmann who is coming off a B.O.G effort against Cincinnatti in which he racked up over 40 possessions (2 of which hit their target just quietly).

The Tigers are a force but their leader and inspiration will most likely be missing from this line up in Francis Bradley who has popped the shoulder yet again (Hendrie popped his again meaning Hendrie still leads the ‘popped shoulder’ contest 75 to 62). The Tiges will be looking for the mercurial Wilhelm to take on Elmore in what, if it pans out, will be a great match up in the ruck. Elmore with the experience, Wilhelm with the looks and form. The Tiger backs were shown up at times by Wrigleyville and their forward line is not that scary but with Fitz, Dhoorys and Hoyt running through the lines, goals can come in a hurry as Fitz showed against the Rhinos in that magnificent third quarter a few weeks back. Hoyt could be a player to watch in this game though. He presented magnificently time and again against Cinci but had a case of the yips that had even Ian Baker Finch feeling sorry for him. Hoyts return of 2 marks from 33 attempts and 1 goal 23 points will be talked about for a long time but it must be pointed out that he did get to the ball and was a credible target for Uhlmann, Hayse, Leibowitz and the United midfielders. Look for Hoyt and Hayse to be duking it out at some stage as Hoyt looks to get even for some interesting comments during the course of the United triumph!

This game, I am predicting, will be a romp by the Tigers. Ward is unlikely to play after Forte broke his ribs in an incident that would seem normal if Rocky were involved but alas he was chasing fire trucks somewhere. The Tiger midfield will be too hot to handle for Hayse and with Oscar coming back as well as Wilhelm and Burgmann (kidding), the Tigers will be too strong, too big, too quick for the aging Piranhas. Tigers by 5 goals.

WHEN: Friday, June 11th @ 6pm
WHERE: Waveland Park, CNR LSD and Waveland Aves
WHO: Lincoln Park Pirnahas v Lincoln Square Piranhas
WHAT ELSE: WV Rhinos to supply umpires and hecklers and beer (gonna be hot)
KEY MATCH UPS: Elmore v Wilhelm, Hayse v Uhlmann, Gambaro v Meyer, Roofy v Poncho (in terms of beers drank on the sidelines), Hoyt v wooden hands, MacGlashan v desire to quit and go to the pool and suck tinnies coz of the bloody heat, Fitzgerald v McKeegan
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Tigers: Covering Poncho and getting the ball to the midfielders
Piranhas: Hoping Billy, Crackers, Fitz, Leibba, Gunn and the Dhoorys don’t turn up. Getting Elmore and Sweeney to play.

CHICAGO, IL- The Cincinnati Dockers, the nations oldest Australian Football team, head up the I65 this weekend to take on one of the nations best in the Chicago United who are running hot after a tough opener against the Jackaroos of Columbus two weeks ago. In what was the perfect preparation for the long MAAFL season, the United stormed to victory in the last quarter against a vastly improved and energetic Jacks team bragging big guns in Chet Ridenour, Evan Gardiner, John Fisher and the little pop gun in Scoota Matheson who all took it up to their highly fancied opponents.

The Dockers on the other hand are still picking leather out of their behinds after Luke Nemeth and co treated them like a red headed step child when Nashville visited for the John Harrell Memorial cup but the boys in the pretty red, white, purple and green strips held their own against little Scoota and co so this game can not be taken lightly by Hendrie and his Chicago charges who look to dominate the competition and serve notice to their old foes in the music city.

The purple people eaters are the reigning Divvy 4 champions and are looking to build on that success with a good showing against the United who have become the measuring stick in the MAAFL. Past games have been spirited to say the least and this one should be no exception though there hasn’t been a team in a bloody long time come in and beat Chicago in Chicago (New York I think??? Or was it the Gambaro/ Carroll led Blues of St Louis in 2004?) so it’s hard to see how the Docks can win this one but footy is a funny game indeed. A run through the Chicago line up presents Hendrie, Hayse and the other selectors with a wonderful problem that other teams in the US would love to have, an abundance of players that have stepped up in terms of personal commitment and fitness. Hendrie has not skipped a beat after taking over the United reins and the Chicago engine is revving like Ponchos vesper as it zooms up and down Halsted. Hendrie will, however, have the unenviable task of telling stalwarts and new guns alike that they’ve missed the opportunity to play in front of what will be a huge crowd this Saturday. On the small expanse of Waveland Fields, Hendrie will look for plenty of pace from the likes of Hayse, Uhlmann, Dhoory and Brennan who have all been on fire thus far. Dhoory, Brennan and Uhlmann in particular are all class and make up one of the best midfields this side of Punt Rd. The flying peanut, in this scribes opinion, maybe more valuable to this team than the big man in Roofy and his play around the ground will present the Dockers with a huge challenge in stopping him. The backline is just brutal with Gambaro and co ready to have their way with the Docker forwards. Key to this game will be the amount of room Hendrie and Chicago can generate for Roofy to operate in and how good the delivery is to the great man. With his stunning bride in attendance, Roofy will be looking for a bag to go with the 20 odd grabs Hendrie is hoping for from the Matty Richardson like champion.

This should be a great game for a half but the as Hendrie points out, the big men don’t get any smaller and the Chicago skyscrapers will be too big and strong for the Dockers big men who look to have their work cut out for them. Look for another massive game from Jason Wilhelm who has been a sensation this season. The boys love his effort and raw ability, the girls love everything else about him and those roving him are licking their lips at the prospect of ball on tit all day. Oscar, Hoyt, McKeegan and the faltering Chicago forwards should have a break out day on their own dung heap as goals and lots of them become the order of the day.

Chicago to run away with this after half time by a lazy 8 goals. Post match function will be at Brownstone Tavern and all are expected to attend. Bring as many people as you can to both the game and after party as this game will demonstrate the best Chicago footy has to offer. Should be a great day weather wise so if an umpire seems slightly intoxicated, that may very well be the case!

The Chicago United Football Club ventured into unchartered waters yesterday with a hard fought away win yesterday against the Columbus Jackaroos in Columbus, OH. A game played in the true spirit of the game and what was also pleasing from a coaches point of view was the overall umpiring effort, well done to the umps.

A relatively new look United team had 10 guys making their debut. Jason W., Pedro, Brandon, Tyler H, Tank, Simon, Ben, Jack and the twins Jason & Nolan played like rockstars in their first game. Pedro added a lot of bite in the forward line and applied fantastic defensive pressure, he also managed a great snap for goal and helped create others.

We knew that we were going to come up against a home side that has improved and will be a tough side to beat come Nationals time in October. They really held sway for the first three quarters and if it only had been a pinch of luck going their way the deficit at three quarter time might have been more than 2 points.

Effectively this enabled United a sniff. And in the end the talls don’t get any smaller in tough battles and it was the likes of Roofy, Crackers and the irrepressible Haysey who continued to marshall the troops and get us over the line by 20 points.
The mug award went to Big Jason, a revelation this year in the ruck. I have no doubt in my mind that in the next year or so that you will see him in a Revo jumper. All in all, everyone had their job to do and one that resulted in a very satisfying win. One that was savored throughout the night!

Our focus now turns to Milwaukee in a couple of weeks at home. Let’s get out on the track and get ready to take it up to the Milwaukee team that has not beaten us for a couple of years. Remember lads this is only the first win for the year there is a long road ahead of us.

Chicago, IL- A new coach, a sleu of new talent and a renewed desire to hit the 4-peat drives Chicago United down the I 65 in their season opener against the little big man in Scott Matheson and his Jackaroos, the surprise packet of 2009.

The Jacks brought a strong team to Chicago in 09 where after hanging on for a half, they were eventually worn down with the experience, size and skill that oozes from this Chicago team. But the Jacks have a year of playing with the big boys in the MAAFL under them and according to Matheson a strong recruiting class that is ready and raring to take on the best in the Midwest. The little mans size is belied by the size of his mouth but everyone is expecting a cracker of a game this saturday at Tuttle Field with no favors asked, nor given.

Columbus come into the game on the heels of a good old fashoined schellacking by the Nashville Kangas who it seems have not forgotten nor forgiven the Jacks for their upset against them last season. One can only imagine the ‘Roo boys winter long frustrations simmering and churning in their bellys after the shenanigans pulled by a certain team positioned slightly north of Chicago in the Nationals (would love to be at that game when those two meet again!). But I digress. Columbus have a healthy metro comp brewing (even a girls team… which apparently Matheson is allowed to play in as well!!! I heard that from Chet if anyone talks to the little man!) and are looking to this game as a baromteter on how far they have come in their short life.

On the other side of the football is the might of the Chicago United Football Club. Hendrie leads a strong side into the wilds of Ohio with a team that has its eyes set on the 4 peat and cracking the Nationals hoodoo that plagues this team. Led by Rohan Ward, the United bring with them new guns Stenger, Wilhelm, Hattery, Jiminez, Harper and Nate Ward, all of whom have shown plenty in early metro rounds. Look for Wilhelm to play a particularly big role in this game as he will definitely be the best looking chap out there if not the biggest bastard as well. His first up effort against the Rhinos had Drake and Bradley comparing him to a young Drew Wolfe.

This team will, however, be missing big guns in Leibowitz, MacGlashan, Allen, Drake, Forte and the brothers Dhoory but there should be enough talent in there to win this. Uhlmann is one of the best American footballers to ever play in Chicago (or the US for that matter) and he’ll be alongside arguably the best player in the entire competition in BJ Gambaro who, like a bottle of fine wine, just gets better and better. David Fitzgerald, Frank Bradley and Brain Hoyt complete this murderers row of backmen that will be harder for the Jackaroos to penetrate than a cheapskate on Michigan Ave in December.

The on ball brigade will feature the aforementioned Wilhelm (so expect a large female crowd to be in attendance… Hoyt, eyes on the ball son!) who will be feeding Hayse, Brennan, Blundell, Rocky Deehan (if allowed back into Ohio of course) and 5 fingers Betty Palmer with better quality balls than Secretariat ever had. Look for Hayse to dominate as he loves the open expanses and the lad looks fitter than Miranda Kerr right now it must be said.

The only weakness this team may have is the forward line although any line that boasts big Roofy can’t be too bloody bad can it? McKeegan will always be good for 3 or 4 too.. the little bastard. The Jackaroos had quite the answer for Roofy last time (he still kicked a lazy 6 though) but Chet and the boys must remember Oscar and the OBK will need some close checking too.

All up, a great way to start the season with a hard trip to Columbus. I’m picking the United by 5 goals in a close one. I’m also picking Rocky Deehan to be a tad quieter which will leave a vacuum of sorts that needs to be filled. Will Hoyt step up or is he really off the beer? Is it time for Betty Palmer to put his hand up for the Runaway train award that seemed to be his last year before Rockys Ohio shenanigans? Maybe one of the new lads? Hattery is a good Kansas boy and they are drunk all the time down there, just look at the Royals! My pick thoough is Sam Blundell. He has the eye of the tiger on him that boy and hates a beer. With Rocky and Betty egging him on, I predict big things from the Rhino speedster, maybe not stolen mannequins across state lines big but I am picking he’ll at least come back a pound of two lighter then when he went.

CHICAGO, IL- Led by the biggest heartbreaker of them all in Brian “I haven’t had a beer since April” Hoyt, the LS Tigers overcame an early 4 goal deficit to defeat the Rhinos by 4 lousy points in easily the best game of the year thus far.

In front of a huge crowd at the lakeshore, a virtually full strength Rhino outfit came out firing against a very cocky Tiger line up that was missing cult figure Frank Bradley and their talls in Trimberger and new gun Jason Wilhelm. With the aid of a 1 maybe 2 goal breeze that was blowing towards the city end, it was the Rhinos who pounced and finally showed some of the ability that is in this team but as of yet, had not been seen. Drake had challenged several of his runners, in particular Ambrosino, Blundell and Borchardt all of who had barely tasted the leather in the first rounds and it was they that answered in kind, all playing rippers of games. Borchardt and Blundell across half back and Ambrosino in the middle and providing plenty of spark up front. But it was the new Rhino in Ortiz that set the crowd and the scoreboard alight with a lovely mark and goal early. Soon after it was McClamroch who banged one home after some lovely roving with a classic opportunists goal.

The Rhinos continued to attack and the Bradely- less Tiger backline was straining as they were finally asked a few questions. Brennan threw himself into the backline to stem the flow but it was big Kia Forte who presented and took a lovely mark 40 metres out on a slight angle. The Rooster went back and drilled home the Rhinos third to send the crowd in a tizzy. All of a sudden the famous Brennan- Uhlmann- Leibowitz midfield was struggling for possessions as Allen, Deehan and Drake ran riot with big Davey Choi dominating the ruck duels. Ortiz capped off a fabulous opening term for both he and the Rhinos with a great diving mark in front of the bumper crowd which he duly slotted through to send the Rhinos into the first break leading 4.1: 25 to 0.3: 3. This, it should be noted, was the first quarter the Rhinos had won all season thus far!

The Tigers are a force and it is not through luck that they have dominated the competition in recent seasons and it was they, after a big dressing down from Brennan at quarter time, who came out humming like the proverbial hooker. Fish Dhoory, thus far kept very quiet by a close checking John Scher was able to find space and his first mark and first kick resulted in the first goal for the Tigers. With the midfield heating up as Leibowitz and Uhlmann in particular started to get a lot more of the ball, it wasn’t long until the game opened up and both teams started to play some beautiful, end to end football that is a tribute to both Hendries coaching and the effort by so many to get to training. With little manning up by both sides in the guts, players like Uhlmann, Leibowitz, Allen, Blundell and Deehan were getting tonnes of ball and more importantly, the use of that ball was pretty good. Dhoory was able to again mark and goal to cut the deficit in half but a telling mark and goal by Wolfe gave the Rhinos a bit more breathing space. Still, both sides continued to attack and Brennan and especially Hoyt started to wear down the Rhino forwards as Meyer, Fitz and Dhoory became much more active up front for the Tige’s. Fitz, on that magnificent left foot booted home a goal just before the half to bring up the Tigers third as they signalled their intentions for the rest of the game and send them into half time a mere 9 pts down with Wrigleyville leading 5.1: 31 to LS’s 3.4: 22

The old adage that the 3rd quarter is the premiership quarter where games are won and lost has never rang as loud as it did on Friday night. Although the game is played with 16 on the field and is indeed an ultimate example of a team sport, every team needs their superstars and this game will forever be remembered for the ultimate footprint left on it by one David Fitzgerald. Playing out of position on a half forward flank, the dashing mollyduker had basically been unsighted in the first half except for a lone goal and being caught numerous times holding the ball. His next 15 minutes were scintillating however and set the proverbial cat amongst those pigeons. With Jack Thompson all but shutting down Oscar Meyer and Disco Panek playing like one Frank Bradley and marking just about everything coming his way, the Tiger avenues to goal weren’t that apparent but Fitz, roving the pack and breaking a couple of tackles slammed on his second soon after Hayes strated the third stanza. Minutes later, it was he again who outwitted the Rhino defence and in similar fashion banged in his second for the term. When he again saluted the judge the Tigers had hit the front and momentum had completely swung.

Leibowitz and Uhlmann were running riot through the center as Rhino loaners Dallas Moreland and big Nate started to win the ruck duels as Choi battled through a leg injury. Forte, Wolfe and McClamroch, extremely dangerous up until now were stranded in the forward line without access to the pill and despite numerous moves by Drake, still the Tigers attacked. Finally Borchardt was able to goal for the Rhinos to wrest back control of the lead but seconds later and after some more great work by Fitz who by now had 2 Rhinos running with him, Fish Dhoory found space after a kick in mishap by the Rhinos and goaled to bring up his third for the arvo. After a stunning quarter of Tiger football, the Tigers lead by 9 pts but on the siren, a great passage of Rhino football found a strong leading Forte whose huge grab was rewarded with a magnificent kick and goal which cut the Tiger lead and ensured a massive last term. At the orange break the Tigers led 7.6: 48 to 7.1: 45.

Drake threw himself into the ruck, Forte into the middle with Allen, Deehan went on to Fitz and big, bad Wolfey into the goal square to get things moving with some early success. The Rhinos again wrested momentum from the Tigers as Vince Dhoory limped from the ground with an ankle to join Bradshaw as an observer. Repeated forays forward found a stout Tiger defence but a big grab by Wolfe set hearts racing but his shot from 15 out on a tight angle was a shocker and netted the single hand salute from Pat Hoyt. Still the Rhinos came and a long ball in from Ortiz was met by McClamroch who was having a great game. He marked in heavy traffic and inexplicably played on, Ambrosino like, to give his coach a near fatal heart attack but his wobbly punt sailed through to put the Rhinos back in the lead. The Rhinos seemed to have all the running now as Allen, Forte and Deehan threw everything they had at the ball and Thompson, Dorsett, Blundell, Borchardt and Scher gave everything in defence to constantly thwart Tiger advances. Leibowitz and Uhlmann were working tirelessly for the Tigers and big games out of their imports in Dallas, Jeff, Nate (Rhinos) and Pedro (Piranha) were helping. Pat McHale was playing a ripper for them across half back as was Hoyt, Nolan and Art Ortiz. When Ortiz reeled in his 12th mark for the game and handballed to a dashing Forte, the Rhinos looked winners and his long bomb in was again coralled by little McClamroch who had been splendid until now. The little man from Cinci again played on but this shot, much easier than the first, sailed wide and left the door slightly ajar for the Tigers who were having trouble getting through the Rhino defence.

Players all over the field were tiring and when Thompson again spoiled Meyer, it was his dash and handball that sent Drake clear down the wing. Drake found a dashing Toby Allen and all Rhinos pushed forward as they sniffed another goal. A HUGE holding the ball decision against Allen though had the Rhinos and their fans baying for Hayse blood and the Tigers, on the rebound through Leibowitz (I’m getting tired of typing that name… lets call him Matt from now on) found an out of position Thompson ahead of him and a lone Warrick Capper look alike in Oscar Meyer. Meyers mark and goal from 30 in front shot the Tigers back in front with mere seconds left. From the ball up, Matt read the Drake tap and shot the Tigers forward where the game was blown dead by the umpire Hayse to leave 40 exhausted men lying around in front of a crowd of 50 who had not let their eyes wander for a second despite the talent parading along the walkway.

In a game for the ages, the Tigers snatched an unlikely victory to further distance themselves from the pack on the Metro ladder. They will look at this game as a scare to their air of invincibility though and look to Bradley to shore up the defence once again in June when they are due to face Roofy and the Piranhas. As they sweat on Crabs Dhoory’s injury, they will be ecstatic with the efforts of Matt and Billy who were the keys to this victory and with the brilliance of Fitz and Fish up forward, they had just enough in the tank to pull this out. Hoyt and Brennan were solid in defence and some telling spoils by Hoyt on Drake and Dallas Moreland on Forte late in the game showed the value of those one percenters.

The Rhinos however, will rue this one for a long time. For three quarters they were clearly the better team but some absolute clangers in front of goal and some mistakes around the ground left them on their knees in front of the machine that is the LS Tigers. This game could be a turning point for the Rhinos this season though as they got big games out of Gordo, McClamroch, Borchardt and Blundell. Thompson was magnificent on Oscar and the emergence of Ortiz as a legitimate forward was great for all to see, particularly a smiling Hendrie. Panek looks like he is back to his old self and Toby Allen showed the United selectors that he is all class. Choi was excellent until the corky slowed him down and Jeremy Morgan, playing back in defence, showed some of his best form for nigh on three years. Moreland and Creely, the latest Rhino recruits, were both fantastic in their first games but when that game was for the opposition it is hard to crow about it! Both are former American footballers and their athleticism is stuff for the record books and if they can get to training and become a part of this football code, United and the Rhinos will be the better for it.

BURGMANN AWARD:
3- Fitzgerald (LS) 3- Allen (WV)
2- Allen (WV) 2- Fitzgerald (LS)
1- Ortiz (WV) 1- Hoyt (LS)

REPORTS:
Drake (WV) for Rough Conduct in messing up Oscars hair. When asked for a please explain after the game, Drake was quoted as saying “Oscar has never put his head over the ball in 5 years here, the opportunity was too good to pass up”. A ‘groggy’ Meyer said he felt nothing and although waking up with a headache the following morning and a feeling of nausea, a big Irish breakfast and some B- B- B-Berroccas’ fixxed him up ok.

$20 Brownstone Award:
David Ortiz (WV)