July 2007

Aston Villa Signs Eric Lichaj

07/31/2007 -- Aston Villa has signed Magic standout Eric Lichaj. The 18-year-old former University of North Carolina player is expected to initially train with the Premier League club's academy squad. Aston Villa, which was bought at the start of last season by Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner, played two exhibition games against MLS teams to prepare for the new season. It beat the Columbus Crew 3-1 Saturday and defeated Toronto FC 4-2 last Wednesday.

Several Magic Teams Qualify for Nationals

07/31/2007 -- Several Chicago Magic teams can already book their plane tickets for SYL Nationals in Tampa , Florida . The North American Finals will be held November 15-20 th . Teams that have qualified are the U13B, U15B, U17B, U15G and U16G. Also, the Magic participated in the U20B division for the first time and won their respective division qualifying them, too, for Nationals in New Hampshire on Aug. 2-5 th . Unfortunately due to collegiate conflicts, they are unable to attend this event.

Rickman Awarded Golden Glove

07/30/2007 -- Pat Rickman received the 'Golden Glove' Award as outstanding goal keeper at USYS Nationals in the U19 boy ' s age group. This is the second year in a row that Magic keeper Pat was so honored. The Chicago Fire have asked Pat to kick out the ceremonial match ball this Saturday at Toyota Park as the Chicago Fire face the Columbus Crew with Magic alum Ned Grabavoy.

U19's End 'Magical' Career

07/29/2007 -- The Chicago Magic U19's and the Dallas Texans have met many times before, including last year's USYS championship match. The games were always hard fought with both sides leaving all they had on the field. Today's national championship game was just what you would expect of a national final. Both sides filled with best in class players all dripping with sweat, sidelines packed with emotional spectators and the match showing soccer quality that coaches dream of for their own teams. Both sides would see chances go by, but it was the Dallas Texans who took advantage of the Magic while playing a man down due to injury. "They gave it their all," said head coach John Hannan. "I saw a lot of hard work, concentration and camaraderie amongst these boys over the years and today I am just as proud." The Chicago Magic 87/88 Boys concluded their Magic careers with seven Illinois State Cup Crowns, five Regional titles, two finalist medals, two Super Y-League Championships, one SYL finalist medal and international victories in England and Belgium.

Register for the 2007 Fall Season

07/23/2007 -- Additional Fall registration dates have been added. Please make sure to visit the customer service desk at the Hallmark Sports Club. Parents are required to register with their player. Please complete the needed forms to speed up processing. All forms are available on the website under the "Join the Magic" link. Dates are as follows: Tuesday 7/31 and Tuesday 8/7 from 3:00 until 6:00; Tuesday 8/14 and Thursday 8/16 from 11:00 until 1:00.

U17 US Women's National Team Heads to Europe

07/16/2007 -- The U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team, lead by head coach Dean Duerst, traveled to Germany and England this past week for two difficult matches against European Under-19 sides. This trip prepares the side for the UEFA U-19 Women's Championships which will be held on July 18-29 in Iceland . The young U.S. team includes Chicago Magic stand-out, Casey Short.

Not an Ordinary Day

07/14/2007 -- Now August 25, 2007 might seem an ordinary day to many of us. Maybe a Saturday filled with weekend activities of mowing the lawn or cleaning out gutters. For one Magic player this date will mean so much more. To Perry Kitchen this will be his first day at the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Men's National Team Residency Program. The program has become a symbol of U.S. Soccer's dedication to increasing the development opportunities for players and the success of youth National teams. Perry will be among the top 40 nationwide players who will live and train on campus under the guidance of Coach John Hackworth. Congratulations to Perry who joins a long line of talented Magic players who have been at residency.

88/89 ODP Invitation Camp

07/13/2007 -- Standout Magic girl players Kelly Butler and Carley Samp will be participating in an invitation only camp hosted by Region II ODP. "They are very talented and hard working players that will represent themselves, their families and the club very well." said Girls Coach Scott Fonfara, "The camp will bring out their natural instincts as soccer players, so I can see them both doing very well."

Magic Pre-season Camp Reminder

07/12/2007 -- The Chicago Magic will again have their pre-season soccer camp. The camp will take place at the Hallmark Sports Club in Frankfort, Illinois from August 13 through August 17. This team camp is for all of our Chicago Magic Soccer Club teams to train hard together for one full week before starting the Fall Season. This team camp cannot be made mandatory; however, we encourage all players to attend as we prepare for the upcoming Fall season. This camp is very important to our club's success by keeping us one step ahead of the rest.

Magic Goes to Germany

07/04/2007 -- The Super Y-League regular season scouting process and subsequent SYL ODP National Camps comes to a head Tuesday, July 10 when the Super Y Select '90's and 92's leave for Germany. The teams, made up of the top players from the Super Y-League, will face the professional youth academies of TSV 1860 Munich (Germany), Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic) and SSV Jahn Regensburg (Germany). Chicago Magic coach John Hannan will head the 1992 squad which also includes Magic players: Billy McGuinness, Matt Ducci, and Mitchell Albrecht. On the 1990 squad are Magic players: Milan Tica, Jordan Maman, and Jesse Ortiz.

adidas ESP Camp

07/02/2007 -- adidas ESP demonstrates one aspect of adidas' commitment to player development and one of the many reasons why adidas is the world's leading soccer brand. Since being founded in 1997, adidas ESP has served over 1,000 of the finest youth players from across the United States and become the most recognized development camp in the country. Participating in this year's camp in Magic's very own Kevin Bick. Also invited but unable to participate were Brendan King and Josh Lambo who are on National team assignment.