Chicago Hounds (rugby union)

The Chicago Hounds are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in Chicagoland. The team was founded in 2022 and is co-owned by a small group of investors, including a minority share by local residents Matt Satchwell and Phil Groves. Their home stadium is SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. Games are broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.[4]

Chicago Hounds
Full nameChicago Hounds
Founded2022 (2022)
LocationBridgeview, Illinois
Ground(s)SeatGeek Stadium[1][2] (Capacity: 20,000)
CEOJames English[3]
Coach(es)Sam Harris
Captain(s)Bryce Campbell
League(s)Major League Rugby
2023Western Conference
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.chicagohounds.com

History

On November 17, 2022, Major League Rugby announced the Chicago Hounds as the newest expansion franchise to begin play in 2023, following the discontinuation of the MLR franchises in Austin and Los Angeles.[5] The Hounds compete in the Western Conference.[6] Their first game was against Old Glory DC on February 18, 2023.[7] The Hounds finished their inaugural season ranked 5th among the 6 teams of the Western Conference and 9th among the 12 teams of the MLR. Of their 3 wins on the season, two were against the Dallas Jackals in a rivalry match dubbed the Dog Bowl.[8]

Home field

The team plays its home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.[9]

Players and personnel

Current squad
For player movements before and during the 2024 season, see List of 2023–24 Major League Rugby transfers § Chicago Hounds.

The Chicago Hounds squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season was as follows:[10]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Mason Koch Hooker United States United States
Steveni Lombard* Hooker Tonga Tonga
Hugh Roach Hooker Australia Australia
Lindsey Stevens Hooker Canada Canada
Charlie Abel Prop Australia Australia
Fred Apulu Prop Samoa Samoa
Mika Felix Prop United States United States
Timmy Ohlwein Prop United States United States
Paddy Ryan Prop United States United States
Juan Pen Prop United States United States
George Thornton Prop Scotland Scotland
LaRome White Prop United States United States
Zurabi Zhvania Prop Georgia (country) Georgia
John Cullen Lock United States United States
Duke Krishnan Lock Malaysia Malaysia
Ben Landry Lock United States United States
Justice Nkombua Lock United States United States
Sam Peri Lock United States United States
Luke Beauchamp Back row Australia Australia
Michael de Waal Back row United States United States
Maclean Jones Back row Australia Australia
Mike Matarazzo Back row United States United States
Tinashe Muchena* Back row Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
Luke White Back row United States United States
Dacoda Worth Back row United States United States
Player Position Union
Michael Baska Scrum-half United States United States
Nick McCarthy Scrum-half United States United States
Sidney Shoop Scrum-half United States United States
Sean Yacoubian Scrum-half United States United States
Luke Carty Fly-half United States United States
Noah Brown Centre United States United States
Bryce Campbell (c) Centre United States United States
Josh McAdam* Centre South Africa South Africa
Bill Meakes Centre Australia Australia
Clayton Means Centre United States United States
Mark O'Keeffe Centre Ireland Ireland
Daelan Denenberg Wing United States United States
Julián Domínguez Wing Argentina Argentina
Dave Kearney Wing Ireland Ireland
Matai Leuta Wing United States United States
Caleb Strum Wing United States United States
JP Eloff Fullback United States United States
Chris Mattina Fullback United States United States
Nick Taylor Fullback United States United States
  • Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
  • MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Head coaches

Assistant coaches
  • Adam Ashe, forwards coach (2023–present)[12]
  • Dave Clancy, attack, backs coach (2023–present)[12]
  • Jamie Beamish, Head of Performance (2023–present)[12]

Captains
  • Bryce Campbell
  • Luke Beauchamp

Records

Season standings
Season Conference Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
2023 Western5th163013327497-170820------Did not qualify
Totals163013327497-170820------0 postseason appearances

2023 season

The Hounds played 16 games in the 2023 season. Home games were played at SeatGeek Stadium. The Hounds had their first-ever regular season victory on March 18th against the Dallas Jackals.

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 18Old Glory DCAwaySegra FieldLost, 42–27
March 5Utah WarriorsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 14–10
March 11Toronto ArrowsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 34–31
March 18Dallas JackalsHomeSeatGeek StadiumWon, 24–22
March 26Seattle SeawolvesHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 27–5
April 2Houston SaberCatsHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 38–21
April 8New England Free JacksAwayVeterans Memorial StadiumLost, 31–19
April 16San Diego LegionAwaySnapdragon StadiumLost, 48–24
April 23NOLA GoldHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 37–24
May 6Rugby ATLAwaySilverbacks ParkLost, 27–12
May 14New York IronworkersHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 21–20
May 20Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire Sports ComplexLost, 35–13
May 27Houston SaberCatsAwaySaberCats StadiumLost, 40–33
June 3San Diego LegionHomeSeatGeek StadiumLost, 14–36
June 10Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank StadiumWon, 26–24
June 17Dallas JackalsAwayChoctaw StadiumWon, 29–28

References
  1. Harvey, Joe (December 30, 2022). "Getting to Know the Chicago Hounds with James English & Sam Harris". OurSports Central.
  2. Pengelly, Martin (November 2, 2022). "Major League Rugby announces new team in Chicago after LA and Austin exit". the Guardian.
  3. McCarthy, Matt (November 17, 2022). "Chicago Hounds 12th Major League Rugby Team. MLR Expansion Team Details". Rugby Wrap Up.
  4. "MARQUEE SPORTS NETWORK ANNOUNCES BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICAGO'S EXPANSION MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY FRANCHISE". Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  5. "Austin and LA out for MLR 2023, Chicago set to join". Americas Rugby News. October 25, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. "Major League Rugby officially announces expansion into Chicago". Major League Rugby (Press release). November 17, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  7. "Chicago Hounds Unveil Name, Logo as Major League Rugby's Newest Expansion Team". WMAQ-TV. November 17, 2022.
  8. "Dallas pushes until the very end". Major League Rugby (Press release). March 19, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  9. Rivera, Mark (November 17, 2022). "Professional rugby expands to Midwest with new team, the Chicago Hounds". WLS-TV.
  10. "Chicago Hounds". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  11. Chen, I-Chun (November 18, 2022). "Meet the Chicago Hounds, Major League Rugby's latest franchise". Chicago Business Journal..
  12. "Hounds Announce Experienced Staff for 2023 Season". Chicago Hounds (Press release). January 11, 2023.
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