Photo credit: Chicago Union
July 15, 2024
By Grant Loehrke
The Chicago Union’s playoff push was hindered Friday night when the team was handed a divisional loss by the Madison Radicals. The final score deficit was greater than any the Union have faced this season (13-21), and comes as the team seeks a much sought-after playoff spot with just one game left to play in the 2024 regular season.
Madison excelled on defense, and as a result, Chicago trailed in nearly every UFA metric. The Union recorded a rather high number of turnovers (17) and failed to get the disc back on many of them. The team did not experience this problem last week in Minnesota, so many Union players are left looking for areas to improve going into a potential postseason run. Throwaway passes had been an issue earlier in the season, but Madison’s crafty blocks were their key to success Friday evening. Once Madison was on offense again, 5 of the team’s goals came from local product Anthony Gutowsky - who also led in points played for Madison - and he was often assisted by the likes of Vic Luo and Max Sample. The cost imposed on the Union from the Radicals’ defense was most apparent in the second quarter, where the Union were only able to find the end zone once in 12 minutes of play.
Critical pitfalls for the Union included break percentage (13% compared to Madison’s 50%), hucks (56% completion rate), and red zone conversion (9/13). Jack Shanahan’s presence at this game altered team morale, but did not sway the score compared to the Union’s previous matchup with the Radicals earlier this season, which Shanahan did not take part in. Three of Madison’s top performers in Kelsen Alexander, Kai Marcus, and Gabe Vordick were all inactive Friday night, but it didn't affect their fervor, and ultimately did not affect the final score.
The Union will head back to the drawing board at Martin Stadium for their last game of the regular season, which will take place on Sunday, July 21, at 5:00 p.m. The theme for the home game will be Heroes Night! Prior to Sunday's contest, the Indianapolis AlleyCats will play in Madison on Friday night. If the AlleyCats fall, the Union will seal the final spot the Central Division playoffs. If they win, the Union will head into a must-win game on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
