2nd Quarter News

9th Annual Banquet is Hypnotic!

04/25/2007 -- The Chicago Magic Soccer Club had their 9th Annual Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction with over 200 people attending. Steve Simmons, NIU Head Soccer Coach spoke on the excellent training the Magic coaches give their players and the long lasting benefits of playing for our club. Chicago Fire player, Dasan Robinson spoke about his life in club soccer as well as his time with Coach Matkovich while playing for him on the Fire PDL side. Robinn Lange, " America 's Premier Comedy Hypnotist" entertained the crowd and everyone left with tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. The evening had many awards including the Inaugural "Golden Heart" award which was awarded to Jason Obermeier. The Golden Heart award is so named because it recognizes a player who demonstrates that he has the "heart" to make a difference. In addition, the Golden Heart name encourages us to keep Alex Dombrowski, whom we lost unexpectedly, in our memory.

U-17 Head Coach John Hackworth Names Two Magic Players to 20-Player Roster

04/24/2007 -- United States Under-17 Men's National Team head coach John Hackworth has announced the 20-man roster that will represent the U.S. at the CONCACAF Under-17 Final Round Group B Qualifying Tournament from April 28-May 6 in Kingston, Jamaica . Included are Magic standouts: Josh Lambo and Brendan King both from U.S. Soccer's Under-17 Residency Program based in Bradenton , Flordia.

Chicago Magic Banquet This Monday

04/19/2007 -- The Chicago Magic Soccer Club will have their 9 th Annual Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction this Monday. Over 200 people will attend an evening filled with awards and special guests.; Special guests include: Steve Simmons, NIU Head Soccer Coach, Dasan Robinson, Chicago Fire Player and Robinn Lange, "America's Premier Comedy Hypnotist" . Banquet attire is business casual, please no jeans or t-shirts.

U13 Boys and Girls Are Champions!

04/18/2007 -- The Chicago Magic Soccer Club sent five teams to the tournament held in Des Moines, Iowa. Included were U11, U12, U13 boys and the U13, U14 girls. All teams performed admirably in what was for many their first foray to the outdoors. The U13 boys and girls both took home the championship trophy. The U13 girls only allowed one goal the entire weekend, while the U13 boys came back to claim victory after going down two goals to KCFC.

Dallas Cup Recap

04/08/2007 -- The Chicago Magic's U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 boys teams all participated in the Dallas Cup, an international youth soccer invitational with traditional Texas hospitality. All five teams headed into their third games with chances to advance as none of the Magic teams lost a match in the first two days of competition. The U16's advanced to the quarterfinals, missing 4 of their starters, while the U18's playing in the U19 division advanced to the semi finals with 7 of their starters missing. These sides demonstrate the capabilities of all players with the teams. Congratulations to them both!

The Grass is Greener in Indiana

04/07/2007 -- The Magic's Spring Kick-Off Invitational tournament was held at the Hallmark Convention and Sports Complex this past Friday and Saturday. Six fields of the planned largest soccer complex in the Nation were used for the Invitational. All participating teams saw first hand the great size and condition of the first set of fields. All six fields are 120 x 75 with plenty of thick green blades to cover them. The complex becomes the center for the majority of Midwest Regional League (MWRL) games beginning this Saturday.

Metro Showcase Update

03/30/2007 -- The weather cooperated this past week when the Magic teams descended upon the St. Louis area. The U13 boys played a series of friendlies and came on top with a 2-1 record with their only loss to a U14 Scott Gallagher side. The U14 boys played well even though the scores did not show it. They were playing a year up and only lost to Lou Fusz 1-0 The U16 through U18 boys finished with a total record of 7-3-2.

U-20 MNT Victorious Over Haiti's Full Team

Lewis Fields get their First Use

03/19/2007 -- The Magic 89/90 U17 boys' team lost to Lewis University 1-0 on Sunday, March 18th. The lone goal was scored in the 42 nd minute on an own goal. "We struggled in the first half with the physical nature and athleticism of the match. After some halftime adjustments, we showed we were more than equal to the challenge", said John Hannan, "It was a terrific opportunity for our players to test themselves against collegiate players and for them to see what area's of their game needs work before joining the college ranks themselves."  Former Magic players Cory Mastey, Craig McIntosh and Art Rodriguez were among the Lewis University players that participated in this match.

1991 Illinois ODP Captain Scores Winning PK

03/18/2007 -- The 1991 Illinois ODP team won the ODP National Championship in Dallas beating the 1991 California-South ODP side.  After two overtimes, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.  Ryan Foreman, team captain, sealed the penalty kick victory with the game winner.

Magic Banquet - Save the Date!

03/16/2007 -- The Chicago Magic Soccer Club invites everyone to attend the 9th Annual CMSC Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction. The banquet will take place at Georgio's in Orland Park on Monday, April 23rd. An open bar begins at 6:00 with dinner beginning promptly at 7:00. You will not want to miss this year's special guests and events. Please join us!

Magic Alum Brad Guzan called into National Team

03/15/2007 -- U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has called 24 players into training camp to prepare for the team's upcoming friendlies against 2006 World Cup finalists Ecuador and regional rivals Guatemala. Magic's Brad Guzan joins Tim Howard and Kasey Keller in duties between the posts. With the matches falling on consecutive international fixture dates, Bradley was able to call upon a full complement of players based both domestically and abroad.

ODP National Championships are Magical

03/14/2007 -- US Youth Soccer released the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program 1991 rosters for this week's US Youth Soccer ODP National Championships at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco , Texas. Representing the Chicago Magic on the 1991 team are Tom Serratore and Ryan Foreman. They will play in a semifinal match on Friday, March 16 and a possible championship match on Sunday, March 18.

Chicago Storm Youth Soccer Day Welcomes the Magic!

03/14/2007 -- April 7th is the Storm's last home game and official Youth Soccer Day. They will have a youth soccer parade before the game, and can recognize your team on the field. Join in the fun as ALL Storm players will be available for a post game autograph session.

Vardar Friendly Results

03/13/2007 -- Our Chicago Magic U13 and U14 boy's teams did very well at this past weekend's Vardar Friendlies. The U13 side was victorious over a nationally ranked 3 rd in the nation, Grand Valley side with a score of 4-1. The U14 team beat Vardar 2-1 who is also nationally ranked 6th in the nation. This is a great start to their spring season.

Dust Off the Rust Recap

03/12/2007 -- The U13 and U14 girl's teams competed this past weekend at Ohio Elite's, Dust off the Rust tournament. The girls faced stiff competition with teams such as Ohio Elite (OH), Michigan Hawks (MI), Warren County (OH) and Speedway Fire (OH). "Getting outdoors is great and attending this early tournament helps our teams," said Coach Todd Bailey "I was proud of our girls' efforts this past weekend."

Region II ODP 1990 Roster

03/08/2007 -- Region II ODP staff have selected their roster for the upcoming overseas trip. The team will visit Loches , France as part of a 1- day tour set for April 1-10, 2007.  Included on the roster are Chicago Magic players Kevin Bick, Keith Mach, Andrew Menendez and Tim Zimmer.

U-18 MNT Holds Camp at IMG Academies  

03/07/2007 -- The U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team kicked off a weeklong camp on Sunday (March 4) at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla . The camp is the third domestic camp for the U-18s this year, and the fourth camp overall.  Head coach Bob Jenkins invited in 26 players into camp including Magic standout Andrew Duran. The U-18s will play three games against the University of Virginia , which also includes another Magic standout in Ross Labeaux, the University of Connecticut and the U-17 '90 MNT.

U-17 '90 MNT Heads to Honduras and Guatemala

03/06/2007 -- The U.S. Under-17 '90 Men's National Team will travel to Honduras and Guatemala this week for a 10-day camp that includes two matches against the Honduras U-17 MNT. The U.S. will leave on Thursday, March 8 for Tegucigalpa , Honduras , where they will go up against the hosts on Saturday, March 10 and Monday, March 12. Head coach John Hackworth will take a 24-player roster for the trip including Magic keeper Josh Lambo.

Ohio Elite Boys Recap

03/05/2007 -- Ohio Elite College Showcase is fast becoming a major event for players throughout the region to advance their position with collegiate coaches. And our boys teams U15-U18 got to showcase their talent to top coaches from Div. I, I-AA, III and NAIA. John Hannan said. "It was ice cold with periods of slashing snow, but the boys showed their toughness in playing good soccer and showcasing their talents to some of the areas top college scouts."

U15 Boy’s National Team Conducts Camp at The Home Depot Center

02/23/2007 -- The U.S. Under-15 Boys’ National Team started a weeklong training camp on February 17th at The Home Depot Center in Carson , California .U-15 BNT head coach Jim Barlow named Chicago Magic player, Perry Kitchen co-captain of the 24 player team. Tough, smart and humble, Perry Kitchen is fast-becoming a player to be watched.

U23 Men’s National Japan Tour

02/23/2007 -- The U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team is undefeated on their tour. The first match was a 0-0 result against Japan ’s U22 Men’s National Team. Today’s match also ended in a draw, this time with a 2-2 score against JFL side Rosso Kumamoto. Playing from the opening whistle in both matches was Magic standout Quavas Kirk. The draws keep U.S. head coach Bob Bradley undefeated at the international level, combining two draws on this trip with victories against Mexico and Denmark as the head coach of the senior team.

Magic U17's National League Recap

02/20/2007 -- The Red Bull League is comprised of top teams from across the country and this past weekends play certainly showed that to the numerous college scouts and coaches on hand in Atlanta, Georgia. Our U17 boys played in a 1-0 victory over CASL Elite, a 2-2 tie with Delco, and finally a 3-2 loss to the Concorde Fire. The loss to last year's national finalist came on a corner kick near the end of the game. The last group games and playoffs will be held in conjunction with the Magic's Spring Best of the Midwest tournament at the Naperville Polo fields.

Hallmark Convention and Sports Complex Inaugural Opening

02/17/2007 -- The Magic's Spring Kick-Off Invitational tournament will be held at the Hallmark Convention and Sports Complex. This complex will become one of the largest soccer complexes in the Nation. Travelers of I-65 will be able to see Hallmark's new facility as they pass the Route 2 (Lowell exit). The Hallmark Convention and Sports Complex is located off the interstate which makes it very convenient and accessible for teams traveling to play for both season and event games. Besides the many activities which will be held, this Spring the complex will become the center for the majority of Midwest Regional League (MWRL) games.

Spring Best of the Midwest

02/15/2007 -- The 2007 Spring Best of the Midwest will be held at the Naperville Polo Grounds in Naperville , Illinois . The tournament held over four days (May 25-28) has become known for its outstanding team participation and its manicured single location fields . The tournament is open to Boys U8-U19 and Girls U8-U14. Don't miss the action. Look for upcoming registration information on our website by month's end.

Happy Valentines Day!

02/14/2007 -- "Love the game. Love the game for the pure joy of accomplishment. Love the game for everything it can teach you about yourself. Love the game for the feeling of belonging to a group endeavoring to do its best. Love the game for being involved in a team whose members can't wait to see you do your best. Love the game for the challenge of working harder than you ever have at something and then harder than that. Love the game because it takes all team members to give it life. Love the game because at its best, the game tradition will include your contributions. Love the game because you belong to a long line of fine athletes who have loved it. It is now your legacy. Love the game so much that you will pass on your love of the game to another athlete who has seen your dedication, your work, your challenges, your triumphs... and then that athlete will, because of you, love the game." -Unknown

Spring Kick-Off Invitational

02/13/2007 -- The 2007 Spring Kick-Off will be an invitation only event. The event will be held at our new tournament facilities in Lowell , Indiana on April 6-7. Thirty six teams will be invited, covering Boys from U13 to U18.

Super Y-League ODP National Camp Recap

02/12/2007 -- The following is a recap of the Magic players that were selected to their respective National Select Teams during the various camps held in Cocoa , Florida during January and February: 1988/89 Boys: Andrew Duran, Raphael Martinez and Cody Stanley; 1990 Boys: Kevin Bick and Milan Tica ; 1991Boys: Jordan Maman and Jesse Ortiz ; 1990 Girls: Erin Beck and Jill Dunn; 1991 Girls: Nicole Read.
The boys will be invited to participate in the SYL ODP Select Team foreign trip this summer. These teams will be going to Germany to an event hosted by the German National Team Program. John Hannan served as the Technical Director of the girl's camps and as the head coach for both the 1988/89 and 1991 boy's teams. Mike Litvack served as a staff coach for the 1993 boy's camp.

Super Y-League 1991 ODP Select Teams Announced

02/05/2007 -- The Chicago Magic Soccer Club continues to have their players placed on Super Y-League ODP Select teams. In addition to the seven boys and two girls previously selected, three more candidates were added to round out the list of twelve. Representing the 1991 SYL ODP Select Team were Jordan Maman, Jesse Ortiz, and Harrison Petts.