So glad to see the Red Stars start the season with a win! Looking forward to the rest of the season. Quick question though. I am planning on heading up to Chicago this summer and taking me niece to a game. She really wants to meet the players postgame so is there a specific section I need to buy tickets for to have a better chance of getting her to them? I was thinking of getting club reserved just for the view but I want her to have the chance to meet the players. Any help would be appreciated! Never been to Chicago so all of this is new for me.
First of all Benedictine Stadium is in suburban Lisle. A nice college campus, area and neighborhood. I find it easy to get to although depending on where you are coming from may take you some extra time. Just do a Google or Yahoo map and follow directions. Of course there's no guarantee of anything but the best place and best chance to meet players and be "among them" during and after the game is in my opinion, to get seats on the field. The Red Stars put comfortable chairs and benches right along the sidelines of the playing field as well as bleachers at the end of each goal. I have my season tickets on the field bench. If you do not have field seating, you cannot go down into the field area, you have to watch the game from up in the stands and wait for players to come up from the field area after the game to get an autograph, picture, etc. Field Side VIP is the best but the most expensive, I believe they are $60 per game. Field Side Benches are the next best and they are I think, $40 per game. Goal side bleachers are $25. What does it mean to get field seating? First of all, you get to see the game and players right up close and personal. Second, after the game the players tend to hang around on the field for a while socializing with the fans who have seats there, signing autographs, talking to them, etc. and that includes the visiting team. Before moving up to the stands area where they sign autographs for kids that wait for them along a rope that stretches as they come out of the playing field on the right side of the stadium. So if your niece wants to see Red Stars players up close and have the best chance to meet them as well as Hope Solo or Alex Morgan then field seating, in my opinion is the best choice. Some players once they get off the field, head straight for the locker rooms, so if you want to "corner" players into meeting them or getting an autograph, field seating is the best before they head up the little hill and off the field. If you choose to sit up in the stands, sure you get a center view of the game in Reserve Club Seating ($20) but your access to the players is the same as sitting anywhere in the stands for $15, you cannot go on to the field seating areas during or after the game. You have to wait till they come off the field along the rope on the right side of the stadium to get an autograph and then you hope your favorite player comes to the ropes to sign autographs. Go on their website and you'll see the field seating I'm talking about. If you are taking your niece to a game that has Hope Solo or Alex Morgan coming to town, then get it as soon as you can. Those tickets sell out especially on the field levels. http://chicagoredstars.com/seating-chart/ Call Jay Adelberg. He is the Ticket Sales Director and a very nice guy. I talk to him all the time. I think you can buy your tickets and pick them up at Will Call the day of the game. - 773-697-8699. This is just my opinions and hopefully a helpful hint. Of course you will have to make a choice that's best for you. I hope this helps.
Congrats to the Chicago Red Stars. This was absolutely Huge in that they "win" (not draw) their match at Toyota Park.
Flat video but KK is the best personality in the league. The video with the cop telling her to get out the street was gold. She should do tours of the city with a bit of comedy relief throughout the season.
Froze my ass off tonight and it was a frustrating game. Red Stars dominated the first half but could not put the ball in the back of the net. In the second half, Washington made two subs, moved Matheson into the attacking center and became a 4-3-3 and they dominated for the first 15 minutes, scoring on one of their very few chances. The Red Stars then poured forward and wasted chance after chance. Very frustrating. For those who were there: "I play basketball. I take all my vitamins."
I was surprised looking at the stats that Chicago had 6 shots with only one on goal and DC had 4 shots all on goal. It seemed to me that once they settled down in the first half, Chicago had a lot more opportunities (I know there was a post in there someplace). It is a shame that foul wasn't called but that happens; you have to keep playing. Fouls were Washington 16 (17 ) to Red Stars 11 with Chalupny being the obvious target having suffered 5. Interestingly DC greatly outfouled Chicago in the first half 10 to 4. Fouls were about even in the second 6 to 7. The only forward that got off a shot was Leon (she had two in 90 minutes). Disappointing result but maybe Chicago can score a pile of late goals at KC.
That's kind of how it looked to me, too. Dunno... wishful thinking? I am not watching again, for sure!
It was so cold at the game Saturday in Chicago that I thought we were still in January. However, the crowd wasn't all that bad considering. I sat in my new seat on the field and let me tell you, it was awesome. But froze my a__ off! I thought the Red Stars had more of the game then the Spirit did. The non-call just before the goal by Washington was bad IMO. There should have been a foul call on Cuellar, I believe it was. The shot Leon took with her left foot that hit the cross-bar was almost reminiscent of the 2010 NCAA championship goal that she score against Stanford for Notre Dame. I got to see Crystal Dunn up front and close and my GOD is she fast...and strong. What a player. Get her in the USWNT camp as quick as possible. One more thing, I want to give huge koodos to Ali Krieger who stayed out in the Chicago cold weather to sign autographs until the last little kid was there, with a smile on her face. She is on my "class-act" players list. I watched while she signed many autographs, took pictures and talked to fans. What a pleasant person.
Any comments from last night's game? I think the Red Stars have a way to go up front. Gotta put some balls in the net. Although they lost 1-0 to a talent loaded USWNT FCKC team, the defense isn't all that bad. We just need to get a strong CD to push up JJ next to Lori and DiBernardo. Once Press and Tancredi get here, we should have a formidable attack.
Pretty much agree with you here. Jen Hoy is a great worker but I have a hard time seeing her as a scoring threat; Bywaters has looked more explosive/unpredictable to me, hopefully she continues getting minutes and tallies, soon. I thought JJ started the game in midfield then moved back?? Agree that getting her in the mix with the midfield would be a good move. I did not understand why Rory Dames tweeted that the first half was unacceptable and felt the need to apologize to fans?? That seemed pretty over the top to me.
I don't understand the system they were they playing. Was it a 4-3-3 with a hold up forward Hoy and Leon/Mautz and Bywater playing as wide forwards? If it was a 4-4-2 who were the forwards? Hoy almost served to be the spoiler in the waning minutes when she toed a cross from the endline just wide. The team missed Quon I think who served to be an offensive spark last game - at least towards the end. She was able to get crosses off which basically didn't happen this game. I am wondering if he is experimenting given the changes in starting status among most of the offensive players - Mautz, Bywater and Leon. Hoy and DiBernardo are his stalwarts. It will be interesting to see what he does next Wednesday. JJ will be gone and there's a good chance Quon and Leon will be as well. I wonder if that is why Quon didn't play - to give the newbie defenders more experience.
Yes Quon very much missed. She seems to pick up a lot of knocks too, probably because of her high level of involvement as offensive spark. Also maybe giving some more defenders minutes to help support JJ moving further upfield.
So callups for the May 8 game are out. For the May 7 game, Red Stars will be missing Julie Johnston, Karina LeBlanc, and Adrian Leon (Christen Press and Melissa Tancredi were also called up.) Quon was not called. Sky Blue will be missing Jill Loydon, Christie Rampone, Kelley O'Hara, and Jonelle Filigno.
I thought Bywaters played really well. With her, Johnston, DiBernardo, Leon, and Quon, Chicago's got a great core of young players. Unfortunately, I feel that Chalupny has been a bit of a let down so far, though. She doesn't seem to have that spark that she had last season. Can you believe that she has 0 shots on goal so far? Chicago's got a lot of quality MFs. I think unless they are going to play a 4-2-3-1 (or a 3-5-2 when Press and Tanc arrive), Johnston will end up in the defense. But it's crazy that she's got the most SOG so far, despite playing D most of the time. Yeah, I did not get that. I didn't think they were playing that bad in the first half. I don't remember many negative comments about it here, either. I liked the first half better than the last 5 minutes, anyway, when they reduced themselves to just long-balling it and hoping for some lucky bounce to go in.
Well, on the bright side: We have still yet to see the Red Stars' full roster potential. Tancredi and Press will be here in about a month or so. And I still believe the Red Stars may do something with that international pick they got from FCKC for Lepielbet. Otherwise why get it at all? I have a feeling this team will get a whole lot better by middle of June. They just need to play solid soccer and stay within striking distance till the cavalry gets here.
I thought they might use an international spot too, until they signed Nikki Read which seemed to me to indicate they hadn't had much luck overseas and wanted to secure a domestic player. She's #21 on the roster but I assume they got relief for Boxx and Hemming. Maybe they can add one more player if those two are further delayed and they have money.