Photo by Daniel Cohen
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
It’s the third time around for the Chicago Union and Minnesota Wind Chill this season in this week’s UFA’s Game of the Week. This Saturday, on July 6, Minnesota hosts the Union at Sea Foam Stadium in an attempt to go for a season sweep of the Union.
With the Central Division title clinched, the Wind Chill are still wanting to walk away with this one. After all, they ideally are fighting for seeding for championship weekend in Salt Lake. Despite the security of the division title, the lead they have in the standings, the focus has not changed at all.
“There are no changes to our focus. Every week we focus on the same two things: how are we going to get better and what do we need to do to win the game. We've never talked about winning the division as our focus. That was certainly an important goal that we've accomplished, but it's not our motivation nor something we really think about. It's just a byproduct of our preparation and work ethic. These next three games are some of the most important of our season. We're fighting for seeding if we are fortunate enough to make it to Salt Lake. Our weekly routine hasn't changed a bit,” said assistant coach Max Longchamp.
The first two games between these two have been dog fights. Both teams have incredible defenses that make it difficult to move the disc up the field smoothly. The first game ended in a two-point win for Minnesota, while the second was a one-point win for Minnesota that was clinched by Noah Hanson’s layout block with seconds remaining just last week.
However, there could be a bit of a different plot in the third game. The reason for that is that both teams don’t seem to be loaded with their normal rosters. For Chicago, there will be no Henry Goldenberg and no Joe White. For Minnesota, they might be missing a good amount of guys. No Quinn Snider or Dylan DeClerk, along with Thomas Shope and Will Brandt being listed as questionable.
One guy that will be returning to the field for the Wind Chill after a three game absence is Matt Rehder. Rehder has paid dividends in his first year with Minnesota, accruing 14 goals, eight blocks, and four assists in just six games played. More namely to Rehder, has been his high impact plays that change momentum in a heartbeat.
“Our team is just loaded with competitors who don't know any way to play this game besides all-out. We're fortunate as leaders that the team effort and competition level isn't something we have to fuel. It's automatic. We don't even think about winning that much really. We're constantly focused on the things that we need to do in order to win,” said Longchamp.
Three guys that will look to continue their success against the Union this year will be Hanson, Josh Klane, and Gordon Larson. Hanson has gotten six blocks in the two matchups this year, one of them being that game-sealing one mentioned earlier. Klane has posted five assists and over 700 total yards in the two games. Finally, Larson has gotten six goals and over 650 total yards versus the Union in 2024.
“Momentum has a lot more to do with how we play the game than the end result. Players can feel when things are working versus when we're struggling, and both of those tend to be feedback loops. We've had games this year where we've managed to win, but didn't play very well that have hurt our momentum. We're just focused on going about our business the right way,” said Longchamp.
A win is still the goal. Nothing has changed for the Wind Chill. They want to start off their three-game home stand the right way, and go into the playoffs with gas poured on the fire underneath them.
To watch the third matchup between the two at 6.pm. CDT this Saturday, click here!
To get tickets for the white out UFA Game of the Week, click here!
