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It’s a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final on Sunday afternoon, but this time at Chicago’s stomping ground. The New England Free Jacks return from a bye week looking to claim another road win while the Hounds are seeking redemption not just for the result in July but also the disappointing loss to Utah in last week’s home opener.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
1-1-0 (L1) East 4th
1-0-0 (W1) East 5th
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 3 | Paddy Ryan | Charlie Abel |
| 11 | Julián Domínguez | Nate Augspurger |
| 15 | Michael Hand | Ben Pollock |
|
IN | OUT |
| 8 | Wian Conradie | Jed Melvin |
| 10 | Jayson Potroz | Harrison Boyle |
| 15 | Killian Coghlan | Simon-Peter Toleafoa |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(12) – Pifeleti, Fawsitt, Ryan, Campbell, Brown, White, Baska (USA), M Flesch, Rumball, N Flesch (Canada), Devoto (England), Péculo (Uruguay)
(11) – Quattrin, von Dadelszen, Olson, DeWitt, Keith, Keys, Baillie, Webster (Canada), Geiger (USA), Conradie, Malan (Namibia)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(2) – Hand, Hilsenbeck
(1) – Webster
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Charlie Abel (TH), Tim Swiel (FH), Mark O’Keeffe (CE/WI)
– Jone Koroiduadua (TH), Simon-Peter Toleafoa (FB)
| PREDICTION |
It won’t be windy but it will be cold. That may favor the home side, with their forwards noted for their strength in the maul. Chicago have also recalled top finisher Julián Domínguez on the wing, but the Free Jacks have star playmaker Jayson Potroz back at the helm and welcome back outstanding loose forward Wian Conradie from long-term injury. Notably both teams field fullbacks who have never started there before in MLR. New England are slight favorites on the road.
| LINEUPS |
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Faka’osi Pifeleti, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 James Scott, 5 Hamish Bain, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 9 Mitch Short, 10 Adriaan Carelse, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Ollie Devoto, 13 Bryce Campbell, 14 Noah Brown, 15 Michael Hand
Replacements: 16 Jackson Zabierek, 17 Liam Fletcher, 18 Ignacio Péculo, 19 Conall Boomer, 20 Luke White, 21 Michael Baska, 22 Christopher Hilsenbeck, 23 Noah Flesch
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Kaleb Geiger, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Sam Caird, 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara, 7 Joe Johnston (capt.), 8 Wian Conradie, 9 John Poland, 10 Jayson Potroz, 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Le Roux Malan, 13 Wayne van der Bank, 14 Isaac Olson, 15 Killian Coghlan
Replacements: 16 Foster DeWitt, 17 Tevita Sole, 18 Cole Keith, 19 Conor Keys, 20 Kyle Baillie, 21 Oscar Lennon, 22 Harrison Boyle, 23 Brock Webster
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, March 2
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
Kickoff: 13:00 local (11:00 Pacific, 14:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 34°F (1°C), wind W 6-9mph (10-14km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Fox 13+ Chicago, NBC Sports Boston, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Shanda Assmus (Canada) & Miles McIvor (USA)
TMO: Mike Kelly (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (4) – New England 3, Chicago 1
2024-07-27 – New England Free Jacks 23, Chicago Hounds 17 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2024-05-05 – New England Free Jacks 20, Chicago Hounds 26 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2024-03-24 – Chicago Hounds 17, New England Free Jacks 22 (SeatGeek Stadium)
2023-04-08 – New England Free Jacks 31, Chicago Hounds 19 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
