Chicago Machine will head to Frisco, TX next week for the USA Ultimate National Championship tournament. The tournament features the top 16 teams in the country from the Men's division, and takes place over the course of 4 days (October 1-4).
Machine comes in seeded 8th overall, pitting them in a pool with San Francisco's Revolver (#1 seed), Philadelphia's Patrol (#12), and Madison Club (#13). Pool play games will take place on Thursday, leading into Pre-Quarters/ Quarters on Friday, Semi-Finals on Saturday, and Finals on Sunday. (Link to USAU Score Reporter Page)
Depending on placement in Thursday's pool play, Machine will cross over with one of the team's from pool D in Pre-Quarters on Friday morning.
Notes:
- Machine has played Revolver twice this season, both times in pool play at TCT events, with a 1-1 record.
- Machine has yet to play Philadelphia Patrol in 2015.
- Machine is 1-0 against Madison Club this season, with their only match-up occurring in early July. Both teams are very familiar with each other, having played multiple times in the past three seasons between club and the professional ranks. Additionally, Machine borrowed Madison Club players Dave Wiseman and Pat Shriwise for the 2014 campaign.
While a few players are coming off of minor injuries, Machine will have their full roster in attendance for the first time this season (a statement that is true for many of the team's attending Nationals this season).
Machine is not the only Chicago based team attending the tournament. The Chicago women's team, Nemesis, and the Chicago Mixed team, UPA, will also be attending for their respective divisions. All three teams will be staying in the same location, creating a Chicago home base in the Lone Star state.
None of Machine's game's are currently slated for filming/ live streaming, but select Semi-Final matches, and all Finals games will be streamed by USAU through ESPN3. Additionally, Machine will be traveling with former Machine player (on injury recovery), Jonathan "Wego" Hatcher, who will be filming games to be used for a post-tournament highlight video.
To follow the results over the weekend you can check in on the Chicago rowdy boys through Facebook / Twitter for regular updates.