Chicago House AC took home its first-ever National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) win during its match versus Stumptown AC in Matthews, NC on Saturday, August 14th 2021 by a final score of 1-0.

The game was scoreless for a full 89 minutes before House forward Wojiech Wojcik received a centering pass from forward Derek Huffman, heading the game-winning goal into the back of the net behind Stumptown’s goalkeeper, Kevin Gonzalez. The play was set up by a cross field pass from midfielder Matteo Kidd.

Following the match, Wojcik explained the club’s game plan going in, and how important it was to capitalize on what they worked on during the week leading up to their first win. “We knew Stumptown was a team with a possession based approach to their game. Our plan was to stay organized in our press/defensive shape and find the right moments to capitalize on our opportunities through the run of play/transition,” says the Chicago House AC forward. “These are things that we have worked on since preseason, and will continue to build on until we get it right. It was going to be a battle, maybe at times a little scrappy. We got the result, and we want to carry that momentum into this weekend’s home opener.”

Thanks to his team’s efforts in carrying out his game plan and timely subs, CJ Brown recorded his first ever win as Head Coach and Technical Director of Chicago House AC.

“I don’t look at things as ‘me’ – I look at everything as a club. I’m super proud of what the club has accomplished up until this point, from the Front Office to especially all the hard work the players have put in,” says Coach Brown. “It wasn’t our prettiest soccer, but to go one the road and get a win in our second NISA game, that is something to be proud of, as a team.”

Coach Brown credited Chicago House AC’s first NISA win to individual defending and gave special credit to his goalkeeper and defensive group.

House Goalkeeper, Mike Novotny, recorded his first clean sheet as a member of the House, helping Chicago take home its first three points in the league. “It’s a good feeling to get our first league win and a clean sheet,” said Chicago’s starting goalkeeper. “The guys grinded and worked for 90 minutes to get this result and couldn’t be more proud of them. The first of many!”

Chicago’s defense played a solid match in front of Novotny, contributing to the club’s first shoutout of the season. House defender and Chicago-native, David Abidor made his season debut on Saturday night after battling a lower-body injury for the majority of the preseason and Chicago’s first match against Detroit last week. He and his teammate’s efforts did not go unnoticed by Chicago’s backstop.

“Our defense was very hungry and determined to keep that shutout all night long, added Novotny. “Players were putting their bodies on the line to block shots and crosses. As a goalkeeper, there is not a more beautiful sight to see than having defenders that are willing to do that.”

The match included another “first.” During Saturday’s match, Joliet, IL product Damon Almazan made his professional soccer debut, entering the game in the 72nd minute of the match. Almazan signed with the club on June 4th, 2021 and on June 9th, the House announced that the club would be making a training compensation solidarity payment to Almazan’s former club, Steel City FC. This solidarity payment, the first of its kind in American soccer, provided compensation for the signing of the midfielder to the House’s inaugural roster, and intended to aid in the development of Steel City FC and create a relationship between the clubs in hopes of signing future players.

“It honestly feels amazing to have made my debut; it definitely boosted my confidence,” says Almazan, who is 19 years old. “I’m looking forward to seeing all of our fans for our home opener! All of their support has been everything to us.”

Although not a part of the starting eleven on Saturday night, Almazan was ready to make the most of his opportunity, reinforcing what the House looked to do during the competition in Matthews, NC. “We knew [Stumptown] possessed the ball a lot and tried to find the middle, so we tried to force them wide and close off the middle while we pressed,” notes Almazan of the House’s game plan going into the match. “When we were attacking, we focused on trying to play our game and moving the ball trying to find ‘Woj’ up top, and the wingers in behind.”

Chicago House AC will play their inaugural home match on Saturday, August 21st at 7:35pm CST at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL.

“I’m just very excited to get out in front of OUR fans at SeatGeek,” says Chicago House AC goalkeep Mike Novotny. “It’s the start of something special here for the city of Chicago.”

Saturday’s match at SeatGeek Stadium will be a true homecoming for Wojiech Wojcik. “There are not very many firsts, but this home opener is going to be very memorable for the city of Chicago, the club, and myself,” says ‘Woj.’ “It is the first time I will be playing in front of my friends/family in my hometown representing Chicago. We are building something special with Chicago House, and we can’t wait to share this experience with our community!”

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In 1993, LaVelle Sykes was looking for a job. His cousin had just been killed, and he knew he only had two options: Find legitimate work or end up dead on the streets.

But he thought of a local business owner known for giving Black and Brown kids their first jobs: Juan Antonio “Tony” Fernandez, Jr.

When Sykes went to Mr. Fernandez with his dilemma, he was immediately hired as a stock clerk at one of Mr. Fernandez’s Tony’s Sports stores, a local shoe and clothing chain that specialized in streetwear.

“He saved my life,” said Sykes, now the owner of Succezz, a similar business at 2214 S. Michigan Ave. “He taught me everything I know. He did more for me than my own father did.”

Mr. Fernandez died last week in an apparent drowning in Killeen, Texas. He was 54.

On Aug. 11, officers responded to a 911 call about a potential drowning victim at a hotel pool, Killeen police said. Officers attempted CPR on Mr. Fernandez but were unsuccessful in reviving him. An autopsy is pending.

Born Aug. 26, 1966 in Chicago to a Spanish father and Cuban mother, Mr. Fernandez graduated from Senn High School. His parents, Margarita and Juan Fernandez, met in Cuba before moving to the U.S. in 1957, according to an oral history video posted on YouTube.

In the mid-1970s, Fernandez Sr. opened a dress shoe store that Mr. Fernandez began working at when he was 12. His father eventually opened two more stores in the city, he said in the interview.

In 1985, Mr. Fernandez took over the store at 3941 Sheridan Rd., and its $10,000 inventory, to create a hip-hop shoe store. Then, within a six year time span, Tony’s Sports — originally La Moda Sports — established itself as the streetwear store.

By 1989, Mr. Fernandez had expanded to Cabrini-Green. Soon, locations opened in other parts of the city, including Hyde Park, the West Side and Addison Mall. All together, Mr. Fernandez had eight stores, Sykes said.

“Tony is pretty much the founder of streetwear in Chicago,” said Shareef Williams, another former employee at Tony’s Sports. “You knew in the city of Chicago to get fresh in the early 90s, you had to go to Tony’s. You knew Tony had all the newest and hottest clothing at the time.”

Over the years, Tony’s Sports saw major hip-hop artists come through its doors: Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, DMX, Common, Mr. Fernandez said in the interview. It was always a big party at the stores, where a DJ would play music on weekends, Williams said.

“Tony’s was always jumping because everybody from every part of the city — North Side, South Side, West Side — came to Tony’s,” Williams said.

But Mr. Fernandez wasn’t only focused on sales; he was invested in the neighborhoods he served. He would host community events, cover for customers when they couldn’t afford the cost of the apparel and help others looking to jumpstart their career.

“Anybody with passion … he was the platform for their careers, whether it was coming to buy clothes from him or (helping) open their own business,” Sykes said.

Mr. Fernandez moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2003. He ran the stores while he lived in Florida until he closed his last store in 2012.

Even though he no longer lived in Chicago, Mr. Fernandez’s death was met with an outpouring of grief from many locals who shared memories online of back-to-school shopping and bargains at Tony’s Sports.

“His legacy is one that cannot be touched with a ten-foot pole,” Sykes said.

Survivors include Mr. Fernandez’s sisters, his wife, Sandra and their three children, Nina Nicole Wiess, Antonio Joseph Fernandez and Michael Angelo Fernandez.

Services have not yet been announced, but Sykes said that they will be held in Chicago in the near future.

Cheyanne M. Daniels is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.

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One of the main goals for the Cubs over the final two months of the regular season is to get healthy again and slowly, they’re getting closer to that goal.

Right-hander Adbert Alzolay and catcher Willson Contreras played catch before Monday’s game against the Reds. It was the beginning of baseball activity for Alzolay after he landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

“[Adbert] feels good,” manager David Ross said. “He’s gonna work his way back and the trainers are on top of that. He’s just moving around. Doesn’t seem like it was anything very serious and it feels good.”

Contreras did some agility work before the game under watch of the team’s training staff. The Cubs’ backstop has been on the IL with a right knee sprain since Thursday.

Nico Hoerner (right oblique strain) has been traveling with the team as he works his way back to 100%. Hoerner has been adding in more baseball activities on Monday, taking ground balls before the game and hitting in the cage.

The 24-year-old infielder has had a challenging second season with the Cubs and while he’s produced when he’s been on the field, he’s also been on the injured list three different times this season.

“Learning to play baseball at this level is a lot about playing baseball and also just being available,” Hoerner said recently. “When you’re not available then the baseball side of it isn’t an option. No regrets on how I’ve been training or going about it, but kind of just take things that have happened and learn from it as best you can.”

Thompson inching closer to making his return

Right-hander Keegan Thompson is preparing to make his return to the Cubs in a starting role and has been in the process of getting stretched out at Triple-A Iowa. Thompson made his fourth start since being sent down on Sunday and like lefty Justin Steele, Thompson has dominated.

The right-hander threw 4 1/3 innings in Des Moines without allowing a hit and striking out seven batters in the game. It’s only a matter of time before Thompson returns to the big leagues.

“I think success at the big league level should definitely translate to success at the minor league level,” Ross said. “I think that Keegan has proven he can pitch at the big league level. Now. It’s about sustaining that over the course of four, five and six innings when you get to be a starter. That’s why you get stretched out, to see how that stuff plays.

Arrieta lands with the Padres

Less than a week after being released by the Cubs, right-hander Jake Arrieta has found a new home. The 2015 NL Cy Young winner signed with the San Diego Padres on Monday on a minor-league deal.

Arrieta’s return to Chicago wasn’t what he or the Cubs thought it would be and the right-hander struggled mightily over the last two months of the season. He had a 10.44 ERA over his final 10 starts with the Cubs.

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Two men were wounded in a shooting Monday in Austin on the West Side.

About 12:35 p.m., they were in the 5000 block of West St. Paul Avenue when someone opened fire, striking them multiple times, Chicago police said.

The men, 27 and 26 years old, were taken to a hospital in an unknown condition, police said.

No arrests have been made.

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CLEVELAND — Dick Schafrath, a star offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns who blocked for Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell before going into politics after retiring, has died. He was 84.

The team said Schafrath died on Sunday night. No cause of death was given.

“He was a Cleveland Brown and Ohioan to his core,” the Browns said in a statement on Monday. “Schafrath’s unmatched work ethic helped establish what it means to be a Cleveland Brown. … We send our deepest condolences to his family.”

Nicknamed “The Mule” by his teammates for his determination, Schafrath was a four-time All-Pro during a career with Cleveland from 1960-71. After he stopped playing, Schafrath was an assistant coach with Washington on coach George Allen’s staff before entering politics and serving as a state senator in Ohio.

Schafrath played at Ohio State before he was drafted in the second round by the Browns in 1959. He was an integral part of Cleveland’s 1964 team, which shocked heavily favored Baltimore to win the title, and opened holes for Brown, Kelly and Mitchell in their decorated careers.

“I played behind Dick for one season and he was just a pleasure to be around,” said former Browns tackle and broadcaster Doug Dieken. “Not a lot of guys would have taken me under their wing the way he did. He was a great player. His credentials merit the Hall of Fame, but he was also a first class person.”

Schafrath was elected into the team’s Legends Club in 2003.

“Right after I was drafted, I learned about the rich history of the left tackle position for the Cleveland Browns,” said Joe Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowler with Cleveland. “Some of the NFL’s all-time greats lined up in that spot — from Lou Groza to Dick Schafrath to Doug Dieken.

“Dick helped set the standard for left tackles in the NFL, and I am truly saddened to hear of his passing.”

Richard Philip “Dick” Schafrath was born on March 21, 1937, in Wooster, Ohio.

He played football and baseball in high school and considered signing with the Cincinnati Reds before enrolling at Ohio State and playing for legendary coach Woody Hayes.

Schafrath played offense and defense for the Buckeyes and helped lead them to a national championship in 1957.

After being drafted by the Browns, Schafrath enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and due to his commitment hardly practiced with his teammates during his first two seasons.

Schafrath was selected to seven Pro Bowls before his retirement in 1971.

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The Bears leaned heavily on rookie running back Khalil Herbert in their first preseason game. Herbert played 23 snaps, while the team’s other five running backs totaled 29 combined.

“He’s really caught my attention … ” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Monday. “You talk about the word ‘trust’ — he hasn’t made many mistakes as a rookie. He’s very, very smooth. When he gets the football, you can see the burst that he has. …

“I just really like where he’s at right now.”

Training camp is filled with exhibition superstars — just ask fellow Bears running back Ryan Nall — but Herbert put together a well-rounded box score. He ran six times for 38 yards, caught three passes for 11 yards, returned a kick for 16 yards and totaled nine special teams snaps.

At best, Herbert profiles as the team’s third running back — and that’s not counting the injured Tarik Cohen. He figures to make the biggest impact on kicks. Herbert said special teams coordinator Chris Tabor “wants me to learn all parts of different special teams, so I’m able to go wherever he needs me to go.”

That applies to offense, too.

“Just show [coaches] that I’m able to do whatever they need me to do,” said Herbert, who played at Virginia Tech last year after transferring from Kansas. “Whatever you need me to do, I’m going to try to do it to the best of my ability.”

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This should be an easy job for the Bears to fill.

All they need is a reliable outside linebacker to get a modest number of sacks while playing opposite Khalil Mack. With Mack regularly drawing multiple blockers, his partner should be able to feast.

But that second pass-rushing spot continues to be a frustration. After No. 9 overall pick Leonard Floyd fizzled, general manager Ryan Pace tried to correct his error by throwing $70 million at Robert Quinn shortly before his 30th birthday. Quinn was on and off the injury report from the start of training camp and gave the Bears just two sacks in 548 snaps.

And now, just when there were finally some signs that Quinn was regaining the prowess that made him a dominant pass rusher, he’s injured again. He hurt his ankle on one of his seven plays in the opening preseason game against the Dolphins — he looked fast in his stint — and was out of practice Monday.

While coach Matt Nagy didn’t specify the severity of Quinn’s injury or how long he’d be out, it’s yet another setback at a position of high concern. Of all the things on the Bears’ to-do list leading up to this season, getting Quinn back on track was one of their highest priorities.

“We want to get that right,” Nagy said when Quinn began missing time during training camp. “It’s been a really good start. … A really, really good thing.”

Quinn was still steaming over his lackluster debut season for the Bears when he reported for camp and called it “just a terrible year.” The season before, with the Cowboys, he was resurgent with 11.5 sacks — his most since being an all-pro in 2013.

Quinn has been an enigmatic personality and player throughout his decade in the NFL, and the Bears were well aware of that when they signed him. He had five sacks as a rookie for the Rams, then erupted for 40 over the next three seasons.

His production dipped as he played just 17 games over the next two seasons, then struggled to adapt when the Rams switched from their 4-3 defense to a 3-4. That meant Quinn had to move from defensive end to outside linebacker, which he hated. That made it an extremely strange decision when he picked the Bears and their 3-4 defense in free agency, and he alluded to that being suboptimal fit recently.

“If you’ve known my career, if you know me, you know where I like to be,” Quinn said when asked how new defensive coordinator Sean Desai can maximize his skills. “He knows where I’m dominant at. You’ve got to do what best fits the team, but also what best fits the player to get the best out of the player.”

There’s little chance Desai will allow the defense’s success to hinge on Quinn’s health. Veteran outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu is a logical choice if Quinn is out and had five sacks in 13 games for the Broncos last season.

That sack number would’ve ranked second on the Bears last season, trailing only Mack’s nine, as they finished 17th with 35 total. Two seasons earlier, they were third in the NFL with 50.

That’s the key to their entire defense and, by extension, their season. It’s hard for any team to thrive when pours money into an area and doesn’t get a commensurate return on the field. That’s what has happened to them with Quinn, and his latest injury is discouraging.

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A health care worker, known by Belmont Central residents as “Dr. Lou,” was treating patients Sunday when he heard a loud vibration that sounded like a drill going through a ceiling.

When he heard the screams that followed, he ran outside and saw two girls with gunshot wounds lying on the grass.

Lou, who didn’t want his full name used, immediately checked the older girl’s breathing, felt for a pulse and then grabbed her hand, repeatedly telling her, “It’s going to be OK.”.

“I just wanted her to be aware in case she was still conscious that someone was really caring for her while she was dying. I did not want her to … did not want her to feel she was dying alone,” Lou said, his voice quivering.

“And the truth is she did not make it. And I feel sorry I could not do more.”

Serenity Broughton, 7, died from the gunshot wounds she suffered to her chest and torso.

Her sister, identified by family as 6-year-old Aubrey Broughton, was “fighting for her life” at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood with gunshot wounds to her chest and armpit, Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott said Sunday.

A 7-year-old girl was killed and another wounded August 15, 2021 in Belmont Central.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Lou said roughly 20 bullet casings ended up in a narrow alley beside his clinic after the shooting.

“It was a terrible sight,” said Lou who ran back to grab more supplies to help Aubrey just as police and paramedics arrived and took over the blood-soaked scene.

“I never seen anything like this. It was like in movies. I’ve never seen anything like this ever. And it’s happening in real life.”

The girls’ mother was putting Serenity in the backseat of the family’s car when Serenity was shot shortly before 3 p.m. in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Chicago police said.

Aubrey was sitting in the back of the car when the gunfire erupted on the block police described as a “gang-conflict area.”

Neither the girls nor their mother were intended targets, police said.

Lou did not know how the girls ended up in the grass but said there was so much commotion and crying, his goal was to tend to them.

A 7-year-old girl was killed and another wounded August 15, 2021 in Belmont Central.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Mayor Lori Lightfoot Monday described the girls’ shooting as “senseless and brutal” and called for a war against gangs.

“We must unite against our common enemy: the gangs who have no regard for the sanctity of life, even that of young children,” Lightfoot said in a statement.

“We must declare war on these killers and their associates, and we must support our police as they leave no stone unturned as they search for the killers so that they may face justice. These killers have forfeited their right to walk amongst us as free people and we can have no empathy for them.”

Police are encouraging anyone with information on the shooting to file an anonymous tip on the Police Department’s website or to contact Area 5 detectives.

Activist Andrew Holmes is also offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest or conviction.

“It’s not about the money, it’s just about catching these individuals before they strike and hit another child,” Holmes said. “Stop killing our children.”

Serenity and Aubrey’s cousin, Alysha Tolefree, said the family has started an online fundraiser to cover costs related to Serenity’s funeral and the girls’ medical bills.

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