Rumble Under the L: DePaul vs. Valpo

I swear, the multiple references to the Chicago public transit system are purely coincidental. While the dilapidated state of the train system is both lamentable, amusing, and a source of constant discussion/ranting in Chicago — especially when it takes you two hours to get to O’Hare — this is very much a blog about soccer.

But it’s hard to ignore the sheer cacophony of the trains when you’re trying to watch a game and a train comes rumbling by every 3 seconds. Such is the case at DePaul University’s intriguingly named Wish Field. DePaul’s men played Valparaiso on Friday afternoon. It was a battle of the old school variety. The din of the train seemed appropriate for the clash on the field. It was just one of those bang em out games, where neither team can really get a handle on the ball. As a result, the middle of the park was a bit of a mosh pit.

There were a few well built opportunities, but the pace of the field turf surface made it difficult for both teams to gather themselves and play a possession game. I figured that a chippy goal was the only way the deadlock could be broken. Instead, it came on a well executed corner that DePaul buried.

It’s been amazing to watch the transition to field turf over the past few years. In 2003, my first year coaching at the University of Chicago, we didn’t play on a single field turf pitch. Three years later, about half of our away games were on field turf. And as of this year, UChicago has its own field turf. As anyone who’s played on a cow pasture can tell you, it’s great to have a flat, consistent, and predictable surface. But there’s just nothing as good as a well kept grass field. Mmm mmm mmm.

One last thing. I’ve gotta send a special shout out to the lone DePaul fan who stood for the entire game, singing legitimate English-style songs that you would expect to hear at a Middlesborough or Wigan game. He was unbelievable.