The Midwest Region is wide open this year, with the only professional side being the expansion side, Chicago House AC. There’s so many unknowns around this new club and very little concrete information about the roster. In fact, when I contacted the club about their current team, I was told 9 players were signed, but the rest of the roster for the Independent Cup would be trialists. That leaves tons of questions and some doubt as to whether Coach Brown’s squad will dominate this region, particularly with two NPSL sides in top form and hungry for a win against a pro side. Med City and Torrent should be fierce competition in this Region, while I’d expect Union Dubuque to struggle, given its current record in the MWPL. Should be fun to see multiple scrappy teams going at it in the Midwest Region!

Chicago House AC

What do we know about this roster at this point? Not much. The Independent Cup will be the first glimpse of this club in action, but we have some ideas. The most recent signings were defender Rodolfo Sulia and Goalkeeper Joel Serrano both of whom play for the Puerto Rican National team. That brings the current (known) roster to 9 with forward Wojciech Wojcik, midfielders Damon Almazan, Drew Conner, Michael Kozielek, Keegan Thompson, defender David Abidor, and goalkeeper Mike Novotny.

Most experienced on this roster is Wojciech Wojcik, who has plied his trade across the lower leagues, with time at Indy Eleven, Oklahoma Energy, Hartford Athletic, and Forward Madison. In his career, he’s amassed 29 goals and should be expected to be the center of the attack unless more formidable pieces are added to the team. Defender David Abidor is also well-traveled in the lower leagues and will bring a wealth of experience to the backline of the newly-founded club. Just announced this week before the competition kicks off, the team added three more to the permanent roster, Jacob Bevan, Leo Acosta, and Matteo Kidd.

The team is coached by Technical Director and Head Coach, CJ Brown. CJ was a centerback and team legend for the Chicago Fire before moving into the coaching ranks. He’s made the rounds as an assistant coach throughout the league before coming to House, which is his first head coaching position. While it’s hard to guess what the team’s style will be so far, it would be safe to guess that defense will be a focus, given Brown’s background as a player.

Med City in NPSL action against LC Aris. Photo credit: Med City

Med City FC

Med City has had a great season this year in the NPSL North. Unfortunately, they play in the same division as MPLS City, who have had a PERFECT season so far, overshadowing the rest of the clubs. Med City has played a strong schedule in the highly competitive division and is holding on to second place, with a record of 7-3-0 with two matches to play. If the club can maintain its grip on that position in the division, it would be the second consecutive finish in the second-place spot in the North.

General manager of Med City, Frank Spaeth, sees the Independent Cup as a chance to develop talent. “We wanted to get more games, especially at home, and we also wanted to test ourselves against higher level competition. The NISA Independent Cup helps us achieve both goals.” The club, led by Coach Neil Cassidy, has a variety of scorers who have been productive throughout the 2021 campaign. Midfielders Toby Millward and Jack Hilton-Jones have been consistent scoring threats all season. The scoring has come in bunches this year, with Med City scoring 3 or 4 goals in multiple matches.

Med City should come into this tournament red hot, given the depth of their roster and the level of success in the NPSL. It will be interesting to see the team tested against a pro team without much experience, another amateur side from the NPSL, and an amateur side who plays in a “theoretically inferior league” (at least in public perception). Could be the favorites…if you’re rooting for “mayhem!”

Union Dubuque

Originally a UPSL club, Union Dubuque has become a cornerstone club in the newly-formed (2 years is new, no?) Midwest Premier League. The NISA Nation-affiliated league was set to launch in 2020, but had to delay due to COVID and is now in full swing in 2021. What the level of play in the league is, so early in its development, is hard to say. The roster of clubs is strong, with names like Detroit City, Milwaukee Bavarian, and Livonia City, so, in theory, the league seems strong and rolling.

After saying all that about the MWPL, the bad news is that Union Dubuque is currently in third to last place in the West Division. Owners of a 1-2-7 record and a rough-looking -14 goal differential, UD comes into this region the obvious underdog to the rest of the teams who seem to be clicking in their respective leagues. The point of attack for this club is Jonathan Velasquez, who is heating up late in the MWPL season, but the team has struggled to score goals all season.

I know it probably sounds like I’m down on this Union Dubuque, but if you like member-owned clubs who focus on connecting with their local community, you couldn’t go wrong rooting for this club.

Milwaukee Torrent

After one very successful season in the NPSL, followed by a couple of less than successful seasons, the team announced it would play in the 2019 NPSL Members Cup and finished 4th out of 6 clubs. That same year, the club went into hiatus from the NPSL. In 2021, the team returned to the NPSL and has absolute dominated the Great Lakes Conference, currently sitting in first with a 7-1-0. This is a team in form and ready for this competition.

Torrent is very much a fully developed and functioning club, with a women’s side and a youth program. The team recently navigated a rebrand that was received positively by the public, further solidifying its standing. And the success on the field in the NPSL is only furthering that narrative. How the team does once qualified for the NPSL playoffs will cement the progress being made, but a good showing in the Independent Cup wouldn’t hurt! Especially against a pro side.

- Dan Vaughn