Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The first of three matchups begin on May 11 between the Minnesota Wind Chill and Chicago Union when Minnesota travels to the new home field of the Union in Evanston, IL.
Martin Stadium is the new home of the Union located on Northwestern University’s campus, right on the lake. It’s not only a new stomping ground, but it’s the debut of the new stomping ground for Chicago as Minnesota comes into town in attempts to spoil their home opener. The Wind Chill are coming off of a bye week after notching their first win against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
“We hope to be a part of the fun atmosphere there. Their new venue and with Union bringing their fans out to the game for their first game of the year. We're excited to get back after it after a week off and work to get our second win of the season,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
Historically, this is one of the most even-keeled matchups between division rivals in all of the UFA. Dating back to 2013, the Wind Chill have a record of 15-16-1 against the Union, with recent history leaning slightly towards Minnesota as they took two of three games last year.
“Chicago has always been a big test. We've dropped games, we've won games there. But they're a good opponent, they're well coached and we know it's going to be a tough game,” said Feldman.
It’ll definitely be a test for the Wind Chill as they are going into Chicago without some key players. Will Brandt, Paul Krenik, rookie Thomas Shope, Dylan DeClerk, and Bret Bergmeier will all be absent for the second game of the season. On the other hand, Chicago will be without powerhouses in Henry Goldenberg and Joe White.
“This is maybe our lightest roster of the season in terms of availability with the college postseason in swing and people gone for other obligations,” said Brandon Matis. “Our depth has been one of our strengths the last couple of seasons, so it’s truly “next guy up” mentality for us. We have a lot of young players who work really hard, are super engaged, and care a lot about getting better. We’ve got a lot of defensive creativity and the more we all play together, the better it’s going to be. Will be nice to have an early test on the road against a tough opponent to learn on the fly!”
Both teams only have one game under their belt, and both have dominant wins with Minnesota winning their first game 18-11 against Pittsburgh, and Chicago taking down Detroit 24-9 in their first game of the season. Statistically speaking, both teams looked identical as neither of them allowed a break, both sat 91-92% in completion percentage and are sitting within five percent of each other on red zone conversion.
“We're going to have to carry a very similar effective offensive performance. I think our carryover from Pittsburgh to be successful will be a big key. They have a pretty talented group of offensive players that we know it's going to be harder to get takeaways and generate breaks. We’re hoping our offense will keep our defense on the field and put us in a position to create a lot of pressure,” said Feldman.
The Wind Chill are going to have to lean on their veterans to be able to break the pattern of dropping the last three of four matchups when traveling to play the Union. Players like Matis, Tristan Van de Moortele, Bryan Vohnoutka, and Josh Klane will be carrying the brunt of the work, as the last three named are all coming off 295+ total yard games, along with Matis accruing four blocks in the season opener.
“Even with them beating up on Detroit, I don’t think they played particularly clean. The big thing for us is that we’ve traditionally not played well in Chicago, so we’ll want to make sure we come out with energy right away and stay stride for stride early,” said Brandon Matis. “If we limit turnovers, it gives us a chance to let the defense do what we’re best at. They’re a big team with athletic receivers on their O-line, but have had a bit of a revolving door with their throwers. If we can disconnect the throwers from their downfield layer, I think they’ll have a hard time converting,”
It’ll be a dogfight out by the lake this upcoming Saturday between two incredibly experienced teams. Minnesota will need to come out swinging early and force throws like they did back in Pittsburgh two weeks back. If they can force another near 400 throws out Chicago, mistakes will be made, and it could be the key to seeing them take home their second win on the season at 7 p.m. CDT.
You can watch here!.... or head to Pocket Square in New Hope to take in the game with your fellow Wind Chill fans at the official watch party!
