After falling just short of winning a national championship, the players and coaching staff of the Chicagoland United 17U girls soccer team are disappointed.
But it also serves as inspiration for next season.
The traveling team is an all-star team with players hailing from a wide range of areas including Chicago, Frankfort, Orland Park, Bolingbrook, West Chicago and northwest Indiana's Hammond, Dyer and St. John, with several players from Kankakee, Bourbonnais and St. Ann.
The team lost 2-1 to Thorns North FC, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, last weekend at the 2024 U.S. Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup in Wichita, Kansas.
Center back Ella Riordan, 16, of Orland Park, said Sunday she believes she will “come back next year better than ever. We have something to prove this time around.”
“I'm so proud of all the guys and how they played,” she added. “Five games in one weekend is a lot.”
Riordan noted that a heat wave had caused the grass temperature to rise to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Games were rescheduled to beat the heat. Chicagoland United kicked off one game at 7 a.m.
Still, the women's team went 3-0 in pool play from July 12-14 and won the semifinals 3-1 on July 15, but lost in the finals on July 16.
The girls' team beat Thorns North FC 2-1 in their opening pool match but were unable to repeat the magic.
“We tried not to get complacent, but we had a lot of confidence in ourselves going into the game,” said Riordan, who plays football at Sandburg High School in Orland Park.
With the entire squad expected to return next season, Connelly believes Chicagoland United can win the Cup in July 2025.
“I thought we were going to win or go to a penalty shootout,” said Connelly, who has one assist in five games, after Chicagoland United cut the lead in half on a goal from Kankakee native Jocelyn Sanchez.
Coach Jose Smith, who said before the tournament “we should do well,” was pleased with his team's effort.
“Deep down, we know we're the better team. We got upset that day and they stepped up and beat us,” Smith said.
Three minutes into the game, Chicago midfielder Emily Kovar was fouled, fell and hit her head on the turf. She left the game for a concussion test and missed 35 minutes.
“Everything is done in the middle, through her. When she went off we were upset because we had to play centrally and play on the wing. It's a different style we're not used to,” he said.
He replaced Bourbonnais native Ava Brickell, but seven minutes later she was hit in the head by a ball and had to leave for a concussion test, missing 10 minutes.
He said Thorns North caught Chicagoland United on the counter attack and took a 1-0 lead at the half.
“We had a lot of shots, they made goal-line saves, we had more shots than them, we were dominant,” he said.
After a foul on a girls player during a breakaway, Thorns North scored on a penalty kick to take a 2-0 lead.
“There were doubts but that's the reality, it's hard to put a goalkeeper in that position with a penalty at that level,” Smith said.
With 15 minutes left, he was down 2-0 and still didn't give up.
“We ended up getting a free kick and (Sanchez) scored a direct goal to make it 2-1. We had seven minutes and added time left to tie it,” Smith said. “They held on.”
Chicagoland United were perfect in their pool play, winning 2-1, 3-0 and 4-0, then won the finals 3-1, only to lose the championship game 2-1.
Through five games, the women's team scored 13 goals and allowed just four.
“Fates have aligned,” Smith said. “If you play 10 finals, you win nine times out of 10.”
Despite his disappointment, Smith believes he has a chance to win the title again next year.
“Like I told the girls after the game, I’m still so proud of them, I told them the reason they were crying is because they have a passion for the game.
“I told them, 'You guys wanted it, it just didn't work out,'” he recalled. “That makes you hungry for next year.”
Steve Mecchi is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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