Chicago Machine - 2018 US Open Preview

Machine ascends north this week, heading to Blaine, MN for the US Open.

USA Ultimate Tournament Page: http://usopen.usaultimate.org

Schedule: The US Open runs from Friday (8/3) through Sunday (8/5), and features several top US and International teams. The tournament is run in conjunction with the USA Ultimate convention, a series of speakers and seminars on a variety of ultimate related topics from leading figures across the US, and coincides with the youth YCC US Open tournament.

Machine comes in seeded 5th overall, and shares a pool with Raleigh’s Ring of Fire, Denver’s Johnny Bravo, Minnesota’s Sub Zero, Japan’s Loquitos, and England’s Fire of London. After two days of round-robin pool play, the top two pool finishers will move onto semi-finals.

Full Schedule: http://play.usaultimate.org/events/TCT-Pro-Flight-Finale/schedule/Mens/Club-Men/

Video: Select games will be live streamed by USA Ultimate (including Machine's Friday's 10:30am CT game vs Ring of Fire, and Saturday's 10:45am CT game against Bravo). Select bracket play games will be live streamed on ESPN3. Full Schedule: http://usopen.usaultimate.org/watch-live/

Roster: Machine newcomers Ross Barker and Kurt Gibson will be making their season debuts. The tournament will serve as a homecoming for Barker, a native of St Paul, MN. Unfortunately, additional newcomer Nate Goff will be out with injury, and Machine defensive vets Andrew Sheehan and Stephan Mance will be out with pre-existing conflicts. Coach Andy Neilsen will be doing double duty, supporting Machine, while coaching the Chicago Boy's YCC team also competing in Blaine. 

To follow all the action, check out Machine's Twitter for in-tournament updates: www.twitter.com/machineultimate

Highlights from our most recent tournament (the Pro-Elite Challenge in Denver, CO)

Machine Joins Girl's Ultimate Movement as Ambassador Team

http://gum.usaultimate.org/2018/07/30/introducing-the-gum-ambassador-team-program/

2018 Pro-Elite Challenge Highlight Video (Chicago Machine)

Machine vs THE WORLD - Three International Scrimmages This Week

Chicago Machine is excited to announce three upcoming scrimmages with international opponents from Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland respectively. The games will be played this Wednesday and Thursday night, and spectators are encouraged to attend!

Chicago Machine vs Australia’s Heads of State

• Wednesday, July 11th 2018 at 7:00pm
  • Schiller Park Woods
    • N East River Rd, Chicago, IL 60634
    • Field Map (Targeting Field 2)

Chicago Machine DOUBLE HEADER vs Switzerland’s Flying Angels Bern followed by New Zealand’s Wildcats

• • Thursday, July 12th 2018 at 7:00pm and 8:15pm
    • Columbus Park, Chicago, IL

These international opponents are coming through Chicago on their way to Cincinnati for WUCC, the World Ultimate Club Championships, hosted by the World Flying Disc Federation.

Heads of State has competed at the World Ultimate Club Championships in 2010 and 2014 and has also claimed the Australian Ultimate Championship title in 2015 to add to its pair of Australian Youth Ultimate Championship titles from 2006 and 2008. Heads of State [currently fields](/teams) four teams in the Open division, two teams in the Women's division, and two teams in the Mixed division to compete at different levels from local Victorian Ultimate League competitions through to WUCC at the international level.

Heads of State Website

Since 1984, the Flying Angels have developed into one of the largest Frisbee Clubs in Switzerland and today have around 150 members. These include juniors, active women and men who train and play in meanwhile five teams, but also passive and honorary members. Right from the start, the Angels also cultivated the social as well as the training and tournament operation. The atmosphere in the club is relaxed and friendly.

Flying Angels Website

The Wellington Wildcats are the regional team and current National Champion's for Men's Ultimate Frisbee in New Zealand.

Wildcats Website

Follow along on Machine's Facebook & Twitter for updates as we get closer to the scrimmage! 

Chicago Machine - 2018 Pro-Elite Challenge Recap

Whoever said a tie is like kissing your sister had some pretty weird ideas about stuff I guess. Machine’s 5th place finish after a quarterfinals collapse, on the other hand, seems a bit more apropos. Whatever. Let’s take a look. 

Machine tipped off against Guerrilla, the Bay Area squad we last met at Pro Championships last year, and got outlasted and outran. This time was different, though it started the same. Guerrilla broke on two of the first three O points. Machine’s D was equal to the task, breaking on their first D point and then three more times for a 7-4 halftime lead. Breaking twice out of half could have been enough, but the Rowdy Boys added another for a 13-7 win. 

Game two saw a revamped Philly Patrol, and the Machine O line cleaning things up. The O line would hold 8 of 9 possessions, and the D line, whose hot first half saved a lackluster second, cruised to a 13-7 win. Highlights include the only O line turn being immediately snatched back on a Kyle Rutledge Callahan. 

A third round bye sent Machine to cheer on Nemesis against Underground, but the fellas had to leave too early to warmup for game three against Truck Stop to see the Chicago sisters’ epic comeback. 

The Truck Stop game started auspiciously, with holds and D pressure, but the DC crew got the first break. Machine broke back and held for a 7-6 halftime lead. The temps were spring and the turf was HOT, but the D got a short field turn and punched in the break out of half to widen the lead. The game turned into a slog with long points but less D pressure. Machine had chances for more breaks, but couldn’t convert, as sloppy O line play led to two breaks in the final three points to give Truck Stop the 11-10 win. Fortunately the format granted Machine a bye to he quarterfinals against regional rival High Five. 

After La Crewx shotgunned some La Croix's, the Rowdy Boys took to the Boulder Creek to cool off after a long day. Highlights include Wets with the gentlest jump into a creek that has ever existed. 

Lighting delays in the last round Saturday pushed start times forward, but the squad looked sluggish arriving at the fields. Up 12-10 in a game to 13, the Rowdy Boys saw this one slip away 12-14. I don’t want to talk about this one so here’s a picture of the last few points.  

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After the L, Machine faced off against WUCC hopefuls Doublewide, with Kurt playing no favorites and cheering on both squads. Machine ratcheted up the D pressure in a big way and found turnovers and breaks in bunches. The O brought things back by the second half and the squad prevailed in a capped game, 12-9. 

That left only Dig to play for 5th. Former Machine friend and current Dig friend Noah Backer and his Ironside transplants couldn’t figure out the D line’s bucket of looks and the Rowdy Boys took half 7-2. Great handler D and zone discipline continued to frustrate, and the teams traded to a 11-6 Machine win capped by a huge AJ Nelson layout from Travis Carpenter for the final goal. Other highlights include two shade tents blowing onto the field during a point. Scary. Hug someone you love, folks. 

So okay. 5th. Missing some friends. And we could use them for this extra large helping of Humble Pie. And so how was it? The Cup, the wins, the Ls? The pie? What else can we do but repeat the quiet words of a legendary Alaskan cannery cook. 

“Good though.”

Chicago Machine - 2018 Pro-Elite Challenge Preview

Chicago Machine will kick off the 2018 club season with the Pro-Elite Challenge this weekend in Denver, CO. (Tournament Details: http://play.usaultimate.org/events/TCT-Pro-Elite-Challenge-2018) 

Machine's first opponent of the season will be Oakland Guerrilla, who wasted no time taking to Twitter to commence the trash talk. The pool also features games against Philadelphia Patrol and Washington DC Truck Stop.

Full Schedule: http://play.usaultimate.org/events/TCT-Pro-Elite-Challenge-2018/schedule/Men/Club-Men/

Ultiworld will be on-site recording tape delayed footage of select PEC games. Though Machine is not slated to be filmed as of yet, if they advance into bracket play, it is possible they may be recorded on Sunday, or live streamed via USA Ultimate’s coverage of the finals.

Machine will be sending a roster of 21 players along with coach Andy Neilsen. Five players will be missing due to various reasons (Pawel Janas and Jack Shey will be missing Saturday due to their commitment as captains of the Chicago Wildfire, Ross Barker and Nate Goff will be missing both days, and Kurt Gibson will be in attendance, but competing with Austin Doublewide as a pre-requisite for his eligibility to play with Doublewide at the World Championships later this month).

To follow along for live updates: http://twitter.com/machineultimate

Check back after the tournament for a recap, highlight video, and much more throughout the season.