Results tagged “espn2”

The Chicago Rush will kick off their eighth season in the Arena Football League with a primetime Monday Night Football match-up with the San Jose Sabercats. The League picked a great match-up for the first Monday Night Football game of the year. The game features the last two Arena Bowl Champions as the Sabercats took the title in 2007 and the Rush earned the title in 2006. The AFL "pre-season power poll" ranks San Jose first and the Rush second out of 17 teams. That same poll predicts that the Rush will take back the Arena Bowl title in 2008.

Two of Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player finalists will meet on the pitch tonight in a winner-plays-on playoff game. The Chicago Fire hold a single goal advantage in the two-game series that is based on aggregate scoring. The two league MVP candidates are sure to play important roles in the game. The Fire will look to the leadership of team MVP Cuauhtémoc Blanco to help them knock off DC United, who finished the 2007...

The Cubs aren't the only Chicago franchise fighting for the playoffs; The Chicago Fire are narrowly holding on to a playoff berth. With just six games remaining, the Fire are currently in the 8th and final playoff spot, with Colorado and Columbus hot on their heels. The Fire will continue their hunt for valuable points tonight when they take on FC Dallas on ESPN2 at Pizza Hut Park. The "Big D" has not been friendly...

Chicagoans are in for another soccer treat this year when the United States National Team hosts Brazil at Soldier Field on September 9. Originally the 'Nats were slated to play Mexico in Mexico in what would have been a rematch of the 2007 Gold Cup final that took place earlier this summer in Chicago. Due to financial problems that game has been called off, though Chicagoist thinks it might have something to do with the...

Toyota Park will host two international sporting events this summer. The first on Sunday, July 22 when the Chicago Fire host Scottish Premier League side Celtic FC. Celtic FC had a remarkable season last year where they went unbeaten in 31 of 34 games, leading them to a repeat as champions in the Scottish Premier League. The club has won five of the last seven championships and has racked up 41 domestic titles in their...

The Fire will be looking for a win tonight when they return home after dropping the last two of a three game road run. The Fire helped make history in their last match, but not the good kind, when they became the first franchise to be scored upon by expansion franchise Toronto FC and then went on to be the first team to lose to the Canadian club. The Fire host FC Dallas in tonight's...

This week's match-up between the Chicago Rush and the Dallas Desperados has been moved into the prime Monday night slot. The decision could not have been a tough one, as many predict this could be a preview of ArenaBowl XXI. The Rush (8-1) and the Desperados (9-1), along with the Georgia Force (8-1), are the only teams in the league with less than three losses.

The United States Women's National Soccer Team has scheduled a series of international friendlies this year to help them prepare for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup that will be held in China this fall. At noon on August 12, the U.S. Women's team will take on New Zealand at Soldier Field, a game that will also be broadcast live on ESPN2. Soccer fans can start buying tickets as of today. The U.S. squad is...

The DePaul Blue Demons (20-13) are flying high after defeating Kansas State 70-65 last night in the second round of the NIT tournament. The Blue Demons were led by Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia, each netting 18 points en route to the victory. But the Blue Demons have their work cut out for them as they are being targeted by the number one seeded team in the West Region, the Air Force Falcons. Air Force...

Sometimes Chicagoist feels like we just can't watch any more college football or basketball. Yet even with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, etc., the vast majority of collegiate athletics fails to appear on-air. Maybe we'd love to change things up and watch that Northwestern vs. Minnesota tennis meet, or that heated Purdue-Indiana volleyball rivalry, or the Big Ten Cross Country Championships. And now we'll be able to, as the Big Ten Conference has announced the launch of a television network, which will be based here in Chicago.

ESPN saw its NFL ratings jump with their move from Sunday night football last year to the "Monday Night Football" slot this season. ESPN will look to keep up the momentum and offer football fans almost year-round "Monday Night Football" action. The Arena Football League and ESPN entered into a five-year agreement for television rights earlier this week. The course of the Arena Football League season runs from March, just a month after the Super Bowl, right up to the start of NFL training camp in July.

The Northern Illinois Huskies have accepted a bid to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. This bowl holds the honor of being the first bowl game of the year in addition having the longest and most ridiculous name of any bowl. The NIU Huskies will take on the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs on December 19 at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Although the Huskies lost five games during the 2006 campaign, four of...

United States National Soccer Team Manager Bruce Arena plans to announce the 23 player roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup tonight at 5pm on ESPN's Sportscenter. Arena is announcing the squad 13 days before the official roster submission date, when the rosters for all 32 teams will be finalized. We feel there are 13 players who can rest easy today as their place on the roster is a sure thing (denoted in italics below)....

Chicagoist is going to make a prediction. The next big, quasi-sport in the U.S.? Sumo! Those strong man competitions just aren't that much fun unless watching them drunk, and aren't we all getting a little sick of watching Texas Hold 'em? Come on, it's OK to admit it ...

It is way too early to say the Chicago Fire are in a must win position this weekend but the combination of starting the season with a loss and a tie and seven straight games on the road ahead, a victory against division rival Columbus Crew is very important. Saturday's game against the Crew represents the Fire's best opportunity to earn three points during the first half of this long road trip. The Columbus Crew...

There's a lot going on in the world of sports, and we're busy working on our baseball season preview, so we'll just give you the quick shots:

Few things in life are certain but death, taxes and Ohio St. beating Northwestern on the gridiron. Until Saturday night, that is! In front of a national audience on ESPN2, the Wildcats upset the 7th ranked Buckeyes 33-27 in overtime. It was NU's first victory against Ohio St. in 24 meetings -- since 1971, when Chicagoist's dad was a Northwestern senior.