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Kevin Kelly

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US Open Recap

Machine traveled to Aurora, Colorado for the US Open on August 4th-6th. Machine was the sixth overall seed in the Men’s division. This was the second tournament of the year for the team, and the first with almost a complete roster. This was an opportunity for Machine to continue to learn and grow and compete with other high level teams. US Open is an international tournament, yet Machine did not play any teams from outside of the United States.

US Open features pools of three as the tournament format. Machine was fortunate to receive a first round bye, which was a blessing for players who experienced travel issues getting to Colorado. Machine opened the tournament playing PoNY on a showcase field. (Check out the Ultiworld stream!) PoNY had already played a game against Seattle Sockeye and came out hot. After falling behind by a couple breaks early in the first half, Machine recovered in the second half and brought the game within one goal at 11-12, before falling by a final score of 12-15. Machine then regrouped to play Sockeye. The team from Seattle started strong and took an 8-6 halftime lead. Machine’s D-line caught fire in the second half, converting four breaks, and the O-line finished it off for a 15-12 Machine win. Machine finished second in the pool.

The bracket at US Open pits the second seed from one pool against the third seed from another pool in pre-quarters in the afternoon of the first day. Machine drew in-region opponent Omen and started strong out of the gate, jumping to a 4-1 lead. The game was mostly comfortable from there and Machine won 15-11. Machine Crews split up for dinner and then came together for a team meeting. The focus of the meeting was to discuss “why” we play, and team outcome and process goals.

Machine’s quarterfinal opponent was Boston Dig. The first half was incredibly clean, with one total turnover, by Machine. That one turnover was an incredible lay-out block by Orion Cable. Dig converted the break chance and led 8-6 at halftime. Both defenses stepped up their game in the second half. With the game tied at 13-13, Keegan North crossed over to the D-line and threw a score to Andrew Sjogren for the break to take a one goal lead. Dig scored on the subsequent point to force Universe. Machine received and worked the disc across midfield, before a miscommunication resulted in a turnover. Nate Goff appeared to get it back for Machine, but the observer ruled he committed a foul while bidding for the disc. Machine clamped down and made Dig claw for everything, until Paul Arters made a great play to snag a reset pass. This time, the observer ruled in Machine’s favor. A few throws later, Arters ended the game with an away shot to Joe White. White finished the game with 3 goals, 5 assists, and just 1 turnover.

In semifinals, Machine met PoNY for the second time in as many days. Machine’s defense played a great first half and took half 8-5. The second half was much tougher, as Pony scored three straight times to tie the game at 8. The teams traded through 12-12, before Pony was able to break and take the lead. Machine held on a huck from Goff to Malik Auger-Semmar. Tied at 13 on the ensuing point, Jeff Gao had a huge layout block, but Machine turned the disc over and Pony held. Pony then broke to close out a 15-13 win and eliminate Machine.

Machine played the local team, Johnny Bravo in the 3rd place game. Machine trailed by one at halftime, but broke three times to start the second half and never relinquished the lead. Machine won the game 15-13 to finish in third place at the US Open. Machine’s final record was 4-2, with both losses coming to the tournament champion Pony.

Keys to Success:

  • Machine’s O-line played stingy defense after a turnover at US Open, no doubt boosted by the return of Nate Goff from injury. Goff reminded everyone how impactful he can be on both sides of the disc.

  • The D-line’s star was Jeff Gao, who repeatedly took tough matchups and still led the team in blocks. His blocks came at critical times and in a variety of situations. He was just as likely to sky for a block as he was to lay out on an under. 

  • Another key to Machine’s success was the “O Prime” line hold rate. When primarily defensive players were put on the field for an offensive point, they converted nine out of nine times over the course of the weekend. 

Random shenanigans

  • New jerseys. Walden Nelson, Tim Schoch, and Ben Preiss each designed one jersey. Walden’s design (light) features the wristband sayings in kanji. Ben’s design (dark) is a new take on the classic Sear’s Tower jersey. Tim’s “Where’s Waldo” jersey (alternate) is a tribute to Walden Nelson.

  • Crews

  • Shouting “It’s our ball, ain’t it?”

  • Secret Santa: JohnnyDoes, the coconut, Malik’s USA gift

Play of the Weekend: Jace Bruner layout block vs PoNY (see right)

Player of the Weekend: Jeff Gao

Jace Bruner highlight block vs Pony (Ultiworld)

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Machine stars win accolades

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Machine stars win accolades

After the program’s most successful season, many Machine standouts stood atop the Ultiworld’s end-of-season awards podiums. For full 2019 Club Awards, see https://ultiworld.com/tag/2019-club-awards/.

Longtime Machine mainstay Andy Neilson (above) won Coach of the Year.

Captain Nate Goff won Defensive Player of the Year

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“Visor Johnny” Bansfield was DPOTY runner-up

Joe White (left, stretching Kurt Gibson) won Offensive Player of the Year

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Living Legend Kurt Gibson (left, stretching Joe White) was also a First-Team selection.

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Machine's comeback attempt cut short in National Championship Final

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Machine's comeback attempt cut short in National Championship Final

Von Alanguilan with a spectacular block

Von Alanguilan with a spectacular block

In the Program’s first national championship appearance, Machine staged an incredible comeback on the backs of defensive playmakers Von Alanguilan, Nate Goff, and Johnny Bansfield. On double game point, Sockeye held to put the game away.

Machine extends the warmest gratitude to our family, friends, and the entire Chicago Ultimate community, many of whom traveled to San Diego to create the rowdiest crowd in USAU history.

For more media coverage of Machine’s semifinals and finals games, see

https://ultiworld.com/2019/10/27/club-championships-2019-machine-upsets-new-york-pony-advance-first-program-final/

https://ultiworld.com/2019/10/28/seattle-sockeye-wins-first-title-since-2007/


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Machine Comes Up Short of Semi's at USAU Club Nationals

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Machine Comes Up Short of Semi's at USAU Club Nationals

After a week in which the temperature in Chicago swung from 80 degrees to 30 degrees in less than 3 days, Machine was thrown-a-back by the jarring consistency of the mid 70’s weather upon landing in San Diego for the USAU Club Championships.

Unfortunately, the weekend started on unfortunate circumstances. Upon landing in San Diego, Machine coach Andy Neilsen learned his father had unexpectedly passed away. Neilsen would leave the next morning to be with his family, and the team sent all of their love and support with him. Before leaving, Neilsen’s message to the team was simple, to play with joyful energy at all times through the weekend, and at the same time go out and rage on the field. That message would permeate within every huddle and unite the team’s focus throughout the weekend. While his physical presence was not with us, Andy’s spiritual leadership was very much present throughout the weekend despite the very unfortunate circumstances.  

When games started on Thursday, Machine opened the tournament with a live streamed game against Raleigh’s Ring of Fire. After a rocky start offensively, getting broken on two of the first three O points, stingy defensive pressure and some impressive individual plays to generate blocks got Machine back on serve quickly in the first half. From there the offense began hitting on all cylinders, allowing the teams to trade out for an 8-7 half-time lead. Machine would convert another break in the second half, but squandered the few other turns they were able to generate. Raleigh then made a strong final push to break twice after soft-cap, and came away with a 15-14 universe point win.   

The early loss served as motivation going into Machine’s next game with Vancouver’s Furious George. Very tight reset D early in the game put Furious into several high stall situations with no reset options available, and netted coverage sacks for Machine. The D line worked with more assertiveness on the turns, and ruthlessly converted break opportunities. Meanwhile, Machine’s O efficiently scored on less than 4-5 passes per point. After a bit of trading in the second half, Machine closed out the game with a 15-11 victory.

After a bye round, Machine squared off with Atlanta’s Chain Lightning. With the 4 team pool structure, nothing was guaranteed, and a victory was needed to lock Machine into bracket play. Machine came out dialed-in, and worked to disrupt Chain’s small ball rhythm. With mounting pressure, Chain had several turns on drops, while trying to squeeze the disc into tight windows. Machine was aggressive on the turn, and piled on the breaks early en route to a 15-7 win. With the game wrapped up quickly, Machine was able to watch the end of the Furious vs Ring game, in which Furious had a late lead. A Furious victory would have netted Machine a pool victory and bye into quarters, however Ring made a late run to win the game, and push Machine into second place in the pool.

The second place finish moved Machine into pre-quarters against a familiar foe, Michigan’s High Five. The one advantage of a regional opponent in bracket play, is that the short turnaround time for scouting is a less of a concern, albeit an equal advantage for both teams. Machine came into the game absolutely ready to rage. The offense was patient in executing the system, and players stepped up to make big plays at every opportunity. Meanwhile, the D-line was flying around the field, disrupting High Five’s flow and quickly converting on every turn opportunity that arose. Aside from a single second half point that saw two turns on hucks from the O-line, Machine otherwise had no turns for the O or the D. Clean play led to the quick victory, 15-8 Machine.

Next up, Machine would meet New York’s PoNY in quarterfinals, with a trip to semi’s on the line. Early in the game, Machine picked-up right where they left off, with consistent O-line play, and nightmarish D-line play. After early trades, Machine’s D pressure started leading to turns, and breaks on the first few opportunities. Machine mixed up the game-plan using zone looks to generate multiple passes, and it eventually turned into offensive miscues by PoNY. Unfortunately, sloppy play on the turn left several breaks on the field, including three chances to go-to half when the score was 7-4. Instead, the door was left open for PoNY to claw back and push back on serve at 8-7 for half. Machine recovered well and made an early second half surge to get back out ahead, up 11-9 when the soft-cap went off, making it a game to 13. After a PoNY hold, Machine’s offense began pressing, and some close call deep shots would not connect. PoNY did not give the disc back on each opportunity and closed the game with three breaks to win 11-13.

After the tough exit, it is easier said than done to bounce back and play for consolation. Despite great effort, mental miscues allowed Doublewide to run away with an easy win just minutes after the quarterfinals loss to PoNY. The next morning, Machine would again come out flat in consolation, dropping their last game of the weekend to a High Five team playing with more energy.

Machine came into USAU Club Nationals seeded 9th overall, and that is also where they would end-up when all was said and done.

We appreciate everyone’s encouragement and support this season. It was a great feeling to be playing our best ultimate of the season at Nationals, even if we could not maintain it down the final stretch of bracket play. We have learned a lot from this season, which we hope will allow us to build to greater heights in 2019.

We will be back early in the spring to host a GUM ultimate clinic for girls in the Chicagoland area. More to come!

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Machine Preview - 2018 USAU Club Nationals

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Machine Preview - 2018 USAU Club Nationals

Chicago Machine heads to San Diego, CA this week for USA Ultimate Club Nationals. The tournament runs from Thursday October 18th to Sunday October 21st, and features the top 16 teams in the country from the Men's, Women's, and Mixed divisions. 

This season, Machine comes in seeded 9th overall, pitting them in a pool with Raleigh Ring of Fire (#4 seed), Vancouver Furious George (#5), and Atlanta Chain Lightning (#16). Pool play games will take place on Thursday, leading into Pre-Quarters/ Quarters on Friday, Semi-Finals on Saturday, and Finals on Sunday. (Link to USAU Score Reporter Page

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The Nationals tournament format has been adjusted as of 2016 so that the First place finisher in each pool receives a bye directly to quarterfinals. Second and Third place finishers advance to pre-quarters, and Fourth place finishers are eliminated from the championship bracket.

Notes:

  • Machine has played Ring of Fire twice this season, losing in pool play at the US Open and Pro Championships 

  • Machine has yet to play Furious George this season

  • Machine is 1-0 against Chain Lightning, winning a consolation game at Elite-Select Challenge

While a few players are working through injuries, including Alex Champe (knee) who will be out of commission, Machine will have a full roster in attendance.

Machine is not the only Chicago based team attending the tournament. The Chicago women's team, Nemesis, will also be attending, and is also seeded 9th.

Machine's first round game against Ring of Fire is slated to be live streamed via USAU. Depending on performance, Machine may be featured in additional bracket play live steams. Full schedule here: http://tct.usaultimate.org/2018/10/04/39-game-broadcast-schedule-national-championships/

To follow the results over the weekend you can check in on the Chicago rowdy boys through Facebook Twitter for regular updates.

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Machine Wins Great Lakes Regionals - Heading to Nationals in San Diego

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Machine Wins Great Lakes Regionals - Heading to Nationals in San Diego

I was reviewing some old stuff about regionals from some old friends. What comes through more than anything else is how special it is. You've got some happy-to-be-theres, full of college kids. You've got the shoulders full of chips, who scrap and fight regardless of outcome. You have contenders, who look like monoliths from far away, and who close up are full of cracks and flaws. And you have teams on the edge, for whom regionals contains all the potential and worry that you could cram into two days. So what was it like, all these flavors together? 

Well, Machine lined up against BroCats from beautiful Athens, OH. Their squad featured several old Madcow and High Five players, challenged Machine from the start, swarming deep throws and setting a difficult 4 person cup on a turn. The good guys persevered, Suzie Q’ing their way to a 13-3 victory. 

Next up was the Greater Gary Goblins X squad. This team, composed of mostly college players from Northwestern, University of Chicago, and Notre Dame (in order of descending latitude), featured a lot of young grit, heckles for their college teammates on Machine, and at least three Abby Shure Nemesis jerseys. The GGGs fought hard, but couldn't match Machine's defensive intensity, and, even though Alex Evangelides couldn't get a D point to save his life, the Rowdy Boys prevailed, 13-0. Big ups to the young men on playing for a team that prioritizes player growth and competitiveness. We look forward to seeing them at tryouts next year!

After a significant break, the squad took the field against Mango Tree from Ann Arbor for the last game of pool play and a spot in the semis. Mango Tree exhibited strong dedication to both singing the "Bingo" song about Mango Trees all the way to the end and playing an effective clam defense. The Machine O line was broken for the first time all day, and the D had trouble getting turns as Mango Tree cleaned up the trash on multiple tipped disc. The D ratcheted up the pressure and left the O on the sideline, and the Chicago squad took the game and the pool, 13-6. 

Semis. Brickyard. The third place finisher in the region three years in a row, but this time without Machine supercrush Jake Fella, who has been sidelined with a knee injury. Brickyard looked fast and broke first for a 2-3 lead. Machine broke back, and had the rock to take half 8-5, but turned it and got broken on the next point on a popped up under, eventually holding for half 8-7. The theme of the day continue, and increased pressure and team D proved too much for the Indy squad, and Machine earned a spot in the finals, 15-9. 

Saturday afternoon featured college football in hotel rooms, eating a lot of suspect pizza with new arrival Sam Kanner, a predictable outcome to the Credit Card Roulette for the dinner bill, and early bedtimes. On Sunday, a team meeting in the morning, watching the start of Nemesis against Rival in Women’s finals (which Nemesis would go on to win!), and then the warmup. 

 
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Finals. For the sixth year in a row, Machine faced bi-staters High Five in the regional final, this year after two close losses earlier in the season. This time without AJ to beast anyone. Someone else would have to do the beasting. Again, Machine was broken first, and a fired up High Five defense forced turns on each of the first four O points. The O punched it in on the next turn, and the D tied it after a huge run-down deep from Von. After a pair of holds, Machine broke twice to take half with much difficulty and many turnovers, 8-5. The second half featured more pressure as well as the D line's inability to move the disc efficiently, leading to lots of turns, but no breaks. After holds by both teams, High Five got two short fields and quickly broke twice to tie the game at 9-9. A Machine timeout led to a hold and another break as Nate put his man on skates in the endzone set, and Machine led 11-9 as the soft cap went off, game to 13. Some excitement ensued, but netted out in two holds, and Machine won its third regional championship in a row, 13-11. 

 
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Cheers, smiles, and some Mad Dog later, the squad headed back, with two new members set to get their first taste of club nationals. Machine and Nemesis celebrated with an evening of rooftop BBQ’ing, overlooking the city. The faces change, but the flavor doesn't, and we can't wait.The team will head to its annual Sports Day retreat next weekend with a lot to improve on in the lead up to nationals in San Diego. 

 
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