After a second-place finish in the Midwest Region of the NISA Independent Cup, Chicago House is set to begin their first-ever NISA season.

House Managing Partner, President, and CEO (and NISA co-founder) Peter Wilt first applied for a Chicago-based NISA team nearly one year ago, and in November of 2020, it was announced that Chicago was awarded a team.

It has been several tireless months to get House ready for a NISA season. The club has had to settle on a team name, hire a manager (Chicago Fire legend C.J. Brown) and other front office staff, and, most importantly, build out a full roster.

The club’s reward for all their hard work? A season-opener against defending champion Detroit City FC.

Detroit City seemed to win every competition during the makeshift 2020-21 season. City won the Fall season, even though they finished 4th in the Eastern Conference. The club then won both the Legends Cup and Phase 2 of the Spring season, sending them straight to the NISA Final. Detroit City beat the Los Angeles Force 1-0 at Keyworth Stadium in the NISA Final last month to win their first ever professional trophy.

The stats all point towards House facing the toughest of tests. City outscored their opponents in the Spring season 21-3, collected 10 clean sheets in 13 matches, and did not lose a game. A player House will certainly need to keep an eye on is Patricio “Pato” Botello Faz. The Mexican striker led Detroit City last season with five goals to his name..

All in all, House will need their best players firing on all cylinders. Some players to keep an eye on will be midfielder Drew Conner, the former Chicago Fire and Indy Eleven player. Conner will certainly be a starter and looked at as a key leader. Michael Kafari, the former Sporting Kansas City player, is the other House player with MLS experience and is expected to be a key contributor. Chicago-area natives Wojciech Wojcik and AR Smith are forwards that House will lean on to put balls in the back of the net, and players such as Seo-In Kim and Nazeem Bartman will be leaned on for their NISA experience.

While certainly the underdog, C.J. Brown and company will simply be looking to stay competitive throughout the match, which will hopefully give them a chance to nick a result against the defending champions.

- Justin Wasik