Chicago House AC Fall 2023 US Open Cup Qualifying Recap
On Saturday, November 18, 2023, House will meet Valhalla FC of Ohio in a fourth round Men’s U.S. Open Cup qualifying match. The winner will earn a spot in the Open Cup proper, and House hope to return to the longest running national men’s soccer tournament in the USA. Let’s take a look back at that 2022 qualifying campaign to get to last year’s Open Cup proper.
Chicago House AC submitted paperwork on August 8, 2022, to enter the men’s US Open Cup for the first time in team history. CEO Peter Wilt had quite a bit of Cup success with another Chicago soccer team, and it seemed logical that his new team would follow in the Fire’s Open Cup participation footsteps. That entry did not happen in the team’s first year of existence, but coaches, players and staff were ready and eager for the 2023 tournament.
October 16, 2022: House AC 1 Ft. Wayne 1927 SC 1 (4-3 PKs)
House was fortunate to get an opening round bye, and hosted Ft. Wayne 1927 Sport Club in a second round qualifying match on October 16, 2022. It was great to have an opportunity to host, but the question of where to actually play the game was among the initial challenges. House’s home for matches of the 2022 Midwest Premier League at Illinois Institute of Technology was not available, and other fields were either in use, or beyond the budget for what was a fledgling operation. Fortunately, the stadium at recently closed Hales Franciscan H.S. in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood checked all necessary boxes.
For almost 90 minutes of that second round qualifying match, it seemed the House run would end in Bronzeville, before it ever got off the ground. Ft. Wayne had scored an 8th minute penalty and looked to be holding on for an away win. Then, a moment of Open Cup magic: Seo-In Kim took the ball across the top of the box, and was clearly fouled as he beat his defender. Kim, a holdover from House’s 2021 NISA team, stepped up and calmly buried the stoppage time PK.
After an uneventful Extra Time-House’s other PK hero that day, Goalkeeper Tony Halterman stepped up. House had missed their first penalty kick, so they were on the back foot from the start. That did not impact Halterman though, as he saved a couple late round Ft. Wayne PKs, then stepped up to finish his own, and earned House a trip to the third round of qualifying.
November 19, 2022, House AC 2 Metro Louisville FC 1
Technically, the Woehrle Athletic Complex is in Indiana, but Jeffersonville, where the complex is located, is just across the river from Louisville, and it played host to House in the third round qualifying match.
Metro Louisville FC, of the UPSL, would be House’s opponent in Jeffersonville. In an Open Cup preparation match, Louisville defeated third division professional team Chattanooga FC in Tennessee and they had also defeated Valhalla FC (House’s opponent on November 18, 2023), in a second round Open Cup qualifying match, where they had no substitutes, so House were prepared for a quality team.
The match started off dramatically, as Louisville’s keeper clobbered House forward Nico Williams, resulting in a trip to hospital for Williams, and an early penalty kick for House. Once again, it was Seo-In Kim who stepped up to the spot, and put House up 1-0 in the 9th minute.
That lead though, did not last long as Erbin Trejo equalized in the 29th minute. Things began to look even worse for House when defender Daniel Hayes was shown a straight red card in the 40th minute. In some ways, though, that red card was a wakeup call for the visitors, and when Louisville’s #10 received his 2nd yellow card, House was prepared for a 10 v 10 game.
In the 71st minute, House’s Jed McCloud was credited with the game winning goal as his goal bound shot was deflected into the Louisville net for a 2-1 House lead. They held on for the final 19 minutes, plus nine minutes of stoppage time, and House was on to the final round of 2023 qualifying.
December 17, 2022, House AC 1 Brockton F.C. United 1 (8-7 PKs)
The match became known as the Brockton Blackout game (though it was actually played in Randolph, Massachusetts). House had to travel a long way east to meet our final opponent and earn the right to compete in the 2023 Open Cup proper.
For some people, 13 is not a lucky number, but for the 2022 House team, this would be their 13th straight game without a loss. Brockton, who jumped out to an early lead, seemed quite comfortable to play out the game with a 1-0 win. House, on the other hand, seemed to be pressing hard for an equalizer, which resulted in some frantic, late first half play. Coach Matt Poland’s halftime talk emphasized calm and patience, and that attitude paid off, as AR Smith tied the match in the 81st minute.
As darkness began to set in Randolph, and it became clear no lights were going to be turned on at the field, referees shortened extra time to 10-minute periods, which did not break the deadlock. Penalties, in what House Historian can confirm was total darkness, ensued. Standing in the press box, I was unable to see an actual ball, and thus relied on noise of the ball hitting the net, or glove, combined with player reactions to determine spot kick results.
Fortunately, it was again Tony Halterman (who had his nose severely injured just two minutes before the end of extra time) who stepped up at the crucial moment, and saved Brockton’s final kick, and enabled House to grab one of the nine open slots and qualify for the U.S. Open Cup proper.
Fall of 2022 was an exceptional run to the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, and Chicago House will be doing everything they can on November 18 to repeat that success and qualify for the 2024 Open Cup proper.