What are the larger implications of Nike taking such an active interest in Chicago and, especially, soccer in Chicago? more ›

Now that we're past the Chicago 2016 failure, attention can now turn to the next major sporting event bid: the World Cup. While the U.S. men's national team has secured its spot in South Africa for next summer's World Cup (woo! CONCACAF Hexagonal Champs!) and Rio prepares to host the 2014 World Cup as a tune-up for the 2016 Olympics, bidding is underway for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. And, of course, the U.S. has thrown its hat in the ring for both. The U.S. joins a bevy of countries competing for 2018 and 2022 including England, Russia, and Australia. more ›

After a less than stellar performance against Costa Rica earlier this week, the U.S. Men's Soccer team rolled in to Soldier Field last night for a match against Honduras in front of over 55,000 fans. In spite of falling behind early, the U.S came back and won 2-1 to advance to 3-1-1 overall in the Hexagonal standings, good enough for second place at the halfway point of qualifying. Carlos Costly got Honduras on the board first with a goal in the fifth minute. It wouldn't be until the 43rd minute that Landon Donovan got the equalizer courtesy of a penalty kick after a Honduras player was called for knocking the ball down with his hand inside the box. The game-winner came in the 68th minute when Donovan's corner kick sailed to Clint Dempsey, who headed the ball down, and Carlos Bocanegra headed the ball in for the go-ahead goal. Next up for the Americans is a break from qualifying so they can head to South Africa to participate in the FIFA Confederations Cup against Egypt and soccer heavyweights Italy and Brazil. more ›

Chicagoist is issuing a World Cup Challenge. Pick the winners of the games most accurately and earn a Chicagoist T-Shirt (High stakes we know). The World Cup begins tomorrow morning so visit the ESPN Pick ‘Em Challenge page today and select the Chicagoist group(Group number 54837) enter password "chicagoist" to join. You don't need to provide your selection for each game when you register. You can enter your pick for each game up to an... more ›