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Chicago Machine

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Template:MLL Team The Chicago Machine is a Men's Field Lacrosse team based in Bridgeview, Illinois. Since the 2006 season, they have played in Major League Lacrosse They were the first team to go 0 and 12 in MLL history.

Franchise History

The establishment of a Chicago Major League Lacrosse expansion franchise was announced on August 21, 2005. Along with expansion teams representing Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver, the Chicago Machine became part of the Western Conference of the MLL in 2006. The team played its home games in 2006 at Sports Complex at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.

The Machine finished the 2006 season on August 12. The team became the first MLL team to go the whole season without a victory. The team lead most of game against the Dragons on August 12 only to see the Dragons tie the game at the end of regulation and then win the game in overtime.

File:Chicago-Primary-web.png
2006 logo

After losing their season opener in 2007, the Machine won their first game in franchise history on June 2 defeating Denver. The Machine had lost a league record 13 consecutive games (including all 12 games in 2006). They have yet to place any better than fourth in the Western Conference.

The Machine are committed to both the expansion and improvement of lacrosse in the midwest by running clinics and camps to try and bring lacrosse to the next level.

In December 2006, the Machine announced that its home field for the 2007 season would be Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

For the 2009 season, the Machine will play their season opener and closer at Soldier Field in Chicago on May 30, 2009 and August 8, 2009, respectively.

General Managers

Current Coaching Staff

  • Head Coach - John Combs
  • Assistant Coach - Phil Ryan
  • Assistant Coach - Vince Smith

All-Time Head Coaches

  • Kevin Finneran - (2006)
  • Lelan Rogers - (2007)
  • John Combs - (2008-pres.)

Current Roster

Uniform # Player Position Height Weight (lb) College
1 Stansik, Paul D 6'4" 195 lbs Bucknell
2 Leveille, Mike A 6'3" 204 lbs Syracuse
3 Miller, Adam M 6'0" 180 lbs Denver
4 Smith, Robert D 6’0" 220 lbs Georgetown
5 Pittard, Eric A 5'10" 172 lbs Cornell
6 Bigas, Jeff D 5'11" 205 lb Salisbury
7 Heim, Pat M 5'11" 205 lb Penn State
8 Karweck, Matt A 5'11" 175 lb Notre Dame
9 Gabel, Mike G 6'4" 205 lb Vermont
11 Karweck, Matt A 5'11" 185 lbs Notre Dame
12 Heritage, Brad M 6'3" 215 lb Dartmouth
13 Kallaugher, Dan M 5'10" 175 lbs Yale
14 Falatach, Scott A 6'1" 190 lbs North Carolina
15 Rommel, Greg M 6'0" 198 lbs Syracuse
16 Starker, Matt M 5'10" 185 lbs Villanova
17 Deane, Jake D 6'3" 200 lb UMass
18 Schmidt, Nicholas M 5'10" 185 lbs Rutgers
19 Leveille, Kevin A 5'10" 185 lb UMass-Amherst
20 Hughes, Adam A 6'0" 190 lb Cortland State
22 Bluse, Chris G 5'11" 205 lbs Colorado
23 Deckelbaum, Dan M 6'0" 205 lbs Delaware
24 Whittenberg, Steve D 6'0" 210 lbs Maryland
26 Shanahan, Doug M 6'1" 195 lb Hofstra
34 Clayton, Brian M 5'10" 188 lbs Cornell
37 Hogan, Pat M 5'11" 195 lbs Syracuse
40 Dasinger, Matthew M 5'11" 180 lbs Salisbury
44 Gagel, Zach D 6'0" 220 lb Ohio Wesleyan

Players of note

Both current Machine star Doug Shanahan (midfielder) and former star Todd Rassas (defensemen) were named to the 2006 USA team after competing together in the 2002 World Championships. The 2006 USA team competed in the IFL World Championships in Ontario, Canada from July 13-22, 2006.

Machine attackman, Kevin Leveille, was named to play in the 2006 Major League Lacrosse All-Star game on July 6, 2006 in Boston, MA. Leveille was also named an alternate on the 2006 USA team to compete in the IFL World Championships in Ontario, Canada from July 13-22 2006.

Michael Culver, Machine defenseman, was voted 2006 New Balance Sportsman of the year by both general managers and coaches of each of the ten Major League Lacrosse teams. Culver received this award after starting all 10 games for the Machine and recording 27 ground balls. Culver is a leader both on the field and off. Off the field he helped the community by donating half of his 2006 salary to the Children's Heart Foundation.

In the November 2005 expansion draft, the Chicago Machine drafted Philadelphia Barrage Midfielder Doug Shanahan as their first pick.

The Chicago Machine also drafted Todd Rassas in the 2005 supplemental draft. He is a local product from Northfield, Illinois. He was a three time All-American at Notre Dame, Captain of the 2002 Gold Medal Team USA and part of the 2006 Team USA.

Another Machine draftee, Lyle Shirley, is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at Lake Forest College.

It is not uncommon for retired athletes to become sports broadcasters when they retire. However, the Chicago Machine may be the first team to have a former broadcaster become a professional player. In the December 2005 supplemental draft, the Machine drafted former WCAV-TV anchor Zach Heffner.

Current Season

2009 Chicago Machine Season
Date & Time Away Team Score Home Team Score Game Notes/Scoring Leader
May 16 @ 7 PM Chicago - Denver - -
May 22 @ 7:30 PM Chicago - Toronto - -
May 30 @ 3 PM Boston - Chicago - -
June 6 @ 3 PM Denver - Chicago - -
June 13 @ 7 PM Chicago - Boston - -
June 20 @ 7 PM Chicago - Long Island - -
June 27 @ 7 PM Washington - Chicago - -
July 4 @ 7 PM Toronto - Chicago - -
July 18 @ 7 PM Chicago - Boston - -
July 25 @ 7 PM Washington - Chicago - -
August 1 @ 7 PM Chicago - Washington - -
August 8 @ 7:30 PM Chicago - Long Island - -


Season-by-Season

Chicago Machine
Year W L Regular season finish Playoffs
2006 0 12 4th in Western Conference ---
2007 3 9 4th in Western Conference ---
2008 3 9 4th in Western Conference ---
Totals 6 30 Regular Season Win % = .167 Total Playoff Record 0 - 0
Playoff Win % = .000

References

Evan Bogart, Naperville IL
Chicago Machine Website