Chicago Machine to make its debut at Soldier Field
Things are already looking up for John Combs, who has collected a 6-18 record in two seasons as head coach of Chicago Machine.
Chicago's pro team is 1-1 after two good road tests in the Major League Lacrosse season, defeating Colorado and losing to Toronto. Now the club is preparing for its home opener Saturday at Soldier Field, the first time a professional lacrosse team has played in Chicago. The Machine hosts Boston at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 at chicagomachine.com and Ticketmaster.
The Machine, which normally plays at Toyota Park, returns with the familiar faces of all-stars Mike Gabel, Libertyville native Steven Brooks, and Kevin Leveille, who looks to extend his 48-game goal streak. But the team has a lot of new faces since the MLL contracted from 10 to 6 teams.
Q: What can you tell me about Kenny Nims, your top draft pick?
A: He was one of leading scorers in the nation in Division 1 this year, MVP in the Final Four tournament this past weekend, and he scored the tying goal for Syracuse. He's a very three-dimensional player, good vision, and good skills, kind of a quarterback- type person for us.
Q: How is your team coming together with 4 new starters?
A: With the contraction, every team got better as we did. A lot of good players are not playing, and a lot of really good players are on all of these teams. We got better all over the field, not just one area.
Q: What did you learn from your first two road games?
A. It's not easy to win on the road, it's not easy to win in this league. We don't get a lot of practice time together, so we are all kind of learning each other's style, and everyone is developing their role. We're learning that we need to play as a team and we need to go after it 100 percent.
Q: Which of the new players should fans look out for?
A: Matt Striebel is one of the best players in the world and in this league. Bill McGlone is a fantastic player, and so are Chris Rotellei, Chazz Woodson, Brendan Loftus. Defensively, DJ Driscoll, Greg Bice, Steven Holmes, Kyle Guadagnolo all play the game well.
Q: With playing at Soldier Field and Toyota Park, how long will it take until you get that home-field advantage?
A: Soldier Field is huge, and for the game of lacrosse it is history in the making, a real big event for our team. Our guys are going to be really excited. But it will take a while to get that home-field advantage.
Q: What teams are you going to measure progress against?
A: All of them. There are star-studded lineups everywhere, and you really need to take it game by game.
For more on the Machine, its roster and schedule, visit www.chicagomachine.com.