MWPL Contributor Rich Schenck took some time to speak with Matthew Alcala, President of the new Chicago Ghost FC, about the history of the club and why the MWPL was the right step.

Could you explain your background in soccer before Chicago Ghost FC?
I have been playing since I was four years old and competed at youth, club, high school and now currently at the college level.

How did Chicago Ghost FC start?
I would say during my high school times, there was at 11 of us who wanted to try and make a way to play since we were all friends but didn’t play at the came club level. About four or five of us play college currently, so we’re like “What are we going to do with no adult/amateur clubs around us?”. From that moment on, five of us began to work on something that will not only help us but help other players and the community around us because we probably aren’t the only ones looking for it.

Is this club a one-man operation?
I would say it is a six-man operation, right now I am the CEO/Club President. Nolan Ehlers is the Chief Financial Officer and choosing him for that position was due to his current field in college. Our General Manager, his name is Kristopher Selega, We chose him for that position because he currently interns with a company in Illinois. Matt Bassier is our Community Relations and Advisor, we chose him for that position due to the fact that he knows a lot of companies, so he is able to give us a good span of sponsorships and partners in the area. Clayton Mobile is the Director of Communications because he is majoring in marketing in college, so we chose something within his field. Alexis Diaz is our Director of Gameday Operations, and he is a freak at the game of soccer. I chose him because he has the equipment, knowledge, and the skills to run it.

What was the inspiration for the Chicago Ghosts?
Back in high school when we had our rec team, we were named “Class on Grass FC”. We wanted to change the logo when we got to last year, but we weren’t sure if we wanted to keep the “C”, “G”, or “O” so we did some exploring. We chose Chicago for “C”, the “O” we could not think of, so we just left that out. For the “G” we just thought of random names that could be unique.

What was your impression of the MWPL and why is this league the best choice?
With our first year being in the National Soccer League (now known as the Greater Chicago Soccer League) we really wanted to take a step up. From winning the championship in the U-23 Division, 22 goals, seven wins and no losses…we really thought we could challenge ourselves because we didn’t feel there was enough. The MWPL is probably the next step we could take so we decided to get the recruitment going and take that next step.

How has the launch gone with the new branding?
It’s definitely been an adjustment. Honestly nothing has changed since the beginning. We still use our pink uniforms that have been used for about eight years probably.

Can you describe the personality of your club?
We are young professionals trying to reach a certain goal for one whole community. I know many players in our community and outside that have nowhere to play. I think the sport of soccer is getting an increase, look at the MWPL Heartland Conference.

Do you have specific on or off-the-field goals for 2024?
One goal of ours is to finish in the top three. In terms of other goals, I would say being financially stable. I know when joining a big league like this, it can be hard not to spend money on cool stuff, but finances are one of the most important factors at the club.

Want to know more or get involved?
Follow Chicago Ghost on Instagram HERE
And give them a shout on X/Twitter HERE