Chicago Machine heads to San Diego, CA this week for USA Ultimate Club Nationals. The tournament runs from Thursday October 18th to Sunday October 21st, and features the top 16 teams in the country from the Men's, Women's, and Mixed divisions.
This season, Machine comes in seeded 9th overall, pitting them in a pool with Raleigh Ring of Fire (#4 seed), Vancouver Furious George (#5), and Atlanta Chain Lightning (#16). 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)
The Nationals tournament format has been adjusted as of 2016 so that the First place finisher in each pool receives a bye directly to quarterfinals. Second and Third place finishers advance to pre-quarters, and Fourth place finishers are eliminated from the championship bracket.
Notes:
Machine has played Ring of Fire twice this season, losing in pool play at the US Open and Pro Championships
Machine has yet to play Furious George this season
Machine is 1-0 against Chain Lightning, winning a consolation game at Elite-Select Challenge
While a few players are working through injuries, including Alex Champe (knee) who will be out of commission, Machine will have a full roster in attendance.
Machine is not the only Chicago based team attending the tournament. The Chicago women's team, Nemesis, will also be attending, and is also seeded 9th.
Machine's first round game against Ring of Fire is slated to be live streamed via USAU. Depending on performance, Machine may be featured in additional bracket play live steams. Full schedule here: http://tct.usaultimate.org/2018/10/04/39-game-broadcast-schedule-national-championships/
To follow the results over the weekend you can check in on the Chicago rowdy boys through Facebook / Twitter for regular updates.