Chicago Hounds
Full nameChicago Hounds
Founded2022 (2022)
LocationBridgeview, Illinois
Ground(s)SeatGeek Stadium[1][2] (Capacity: 20,000)
CEOJames English[3]
Coach(es)Sam Harris
Captain(s)TBA
League(s)Major League Rugby
20236th (Western Conference)
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.chicagohounds.com

The Chicago Hounds are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in Chicagoland. The team was founded in 2022 and is co-owned by a small group of investors including majority owner Peter Bernick and part-owners (and longtime Chicago rugby players) Matt Satchwell and Phil Groves.[4][5][6] Their home stadium is SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. Games are broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.[7]

History

On November 17, 2022, Major League Rugby announced the Chicago Hounds as the newest expansion franchise to begin play in 2023, following the discontinuation of the MLR franchises in Austin and Los Angeles.[8] The Hounds compete in the Western Conference.[9] Their first game was against Old Glory DC on February 18, 2023.[10] The Hounds finished their inaugural season ranked 5th among the 6 teams of the Western Conference and 9th among the 12 teams then in MLR. Of their three wins that season, two were against the Dallas Jackals in a rivalry match dubbed the Dog Bowl.[11]

Home field

The team plays its home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.[12][13]

Players and personnel

Current squad

The Chicago Hounds squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[14]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Sam Faoagali* Hooker Australia Australia
Dylan Fawsitt Hooker United States United States
Guillermo Pujadas Hooker Uruguay Uruguay
Janus Venter Hooker South Africa South Africa
Charlie Abel Prop Australia Australia
Fred Apulu* Prop Samoa Samoa
Mika Felix Prop United States United States
Ignacio Péculo Prop Uruguay Uruguay
Juan Pen Prop United States United States
Paddy Ryan Prop United States United States
LaRome White Prop United States United States
Zurabi Zhvania Prop Georgia (country) Georgia
Ben Landry Lock United States United States
George Merrick Lock England England
Sam Peri Lock United States United States
James Scott Lock England England
Brad Tucker* Lock New Zealand New Zealand
Conall Boomer Back row Ireland Ireland
Mason Flesch Back row Canada Canada
Maclean Jones Back row Australia Australia
Mike Matarazzo Back row United States United States
Tinashe Muchena* Back row Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
Justice Nkombua Back row United States United States
Ethan Parkins* Back row England England
Lucas Rumball Back row Canada Canada
Luke White Back row United States United States
Player Position Union
Michael Baska Scrum-half United States United States
Jason Higgins Scrum-half Canada Canada
Nick McCarthy Scrum-half United States United States
Sidney Shoop Scrum-half United States United States
Luke Carty Fly-half United States United States
Caolan Dooley Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Bryce Campbell (c) Centre United States United States
Cassh Maluia Centre United States United States
Bill Meakes Centre Australia Australia
Clayton Means Centre United States United States
Mark O'Keeffe Centre Ireland Ireland
Nate Augspurger Wing United States United States
Noah Brown Wing United States United States
Daelan Denenberg* Wing Singapore Singapore
Julián Domínguez Wing Argentina Argentina
Michael Hand Wing United States United States
Dave Kearney Wing Ireland Ireland
Adriaan Carelse Fullback South Africa South Africa
  • Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
  • MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Head coaches

Assistant coaches

  • Adam Ashe, forwards coach (2023–present)[16]
  • Dave Clancy, attack, backs coach (2023–present)[16]
  • Jamie Beamish, Head of Performance (2023–present)[16]

Captains

  • Bryce Campbell
  • Luke Beauchamp

Records

Season standings

Season Conference Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
2023 Western5th163013327497-170820------Did not qualify
Totals163013327497-170820------0 postseason appearances

2023 season

The Hounds played 16 games in the 2023 season. Home games were played at SeatGeek Stadium. The Hounds had their first-ever regular season victory on March 18th against the Dallas Jackals.

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 18Old Glory DCAwaySegra FieldLost, 42–27
March 5Utah WarriorsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 14–10
March 11Toronto ArrowsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 34–31
March 18Dallas JackalsHomeSeatGeek StadiumWon, 24–22
March 26Seattle SeawolvesHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 27–5
April 2Houston SaberCatsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 38–21
April 8New England Free JacksAwayVeterans Memorial StadiumLost, 31–19
April 16San Diego LegionAwaySnapdragon StadiumLost, 48–24
April 23NOLA GoldHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 37–24
May 6Rugby ATLAwaySilverbacks ParkLost, 27–12
May 14New York IronworkersHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 21–20
May 20Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire Sports ComplexLost, 35–13
May 27Houston SaberCatsAwaySaberCats StadiumLost, 40–33
June 3San Diego LegionHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 14–36
June 10Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank StadiumWon, 26–24
June 17Dallas JackalsAwayChoctaw StadiumWon, 29–28

References

  1. ↑ Harvey, Joe (December 30, 2022). "Getting to Know the Chicago Hounds with James English & Sam Harris". OurSports Central.
  2. ↑ Pengelly, Martin (November 2, 2022). "Major League Rugby announces new team in Chicago after LA and Austin exit". the Guardian.
  3. ↑ McCarthy, Matt (November 17, 2022). "Chicago Hounds 12th Major League Rugby Team. MLR Expansion Team Details". Rugby Wrap Up.
  4. ↑ "Hounds Announce Plans for Dawg Town Block Party". Chicago Hounds. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Getting To Know The Chicago Hounds With James English & Sam Harris". Major League Rugby. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES EXPANSION INTO CHICAGO". Major League Rugby. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "MARQUEE SPORTS NETWORK ANNOUNCES BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICAGO'S EXPANSION MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY FRANCHISE". Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Austin and LA out for MLR 2023, Chicago set to join". Americas Rugby News. October 25, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Major League Rugby officially announces expansion into Chicago". Major League Rugby (Press release). November 17, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Chicago Hounds Unveil Name, Logo as Major League Rugby's Newest Expansion Team". WMAQ-TV. November 17, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Dallas pushes until the very end". Major League Rugby (Press release). March 19, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Rivera, Mark (November 17, 2022). "Professional rugby expands to Midwest with new team, the Chicago Hounds". WLS-TV.
  13. ↑ "Chicago Hounds Return to Dawg Town for 2024 Season". Chicago Hounds. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Chicago Hounds". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Chen, I-Chun (November 18, 2022). "Meet the Chicago Hounds, Major League Rugby's latest franchise". Chicago Business Journal..
  16. 1 2 3 "Hounds Announce Experienced Staff for 2023 Season". Chicago Hounds (Press release). January 11, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.