The Chicago Riot will look to revive their fading playoff hopes but they couldn't ask for a tougher weekend opponent in the Baltimore Blast. The Riot and Blast will square off tonight at 6:35 pm CST in Baltimore and then both teams will fly into Chicago for a Sunday, January 30 match at the Odeum Sport and Expo Center with a 7:00 pm CST kick-off time. The Blast will be looking for revenge for the January 16 game when the Chicago Riot defeated a short squad Baltimore team 14-12 thanks to a Ante Cop three -point goal with 23 seconds left in the game. MISL block leader Mike Lookingland was suspended for the January 16 game and he especially be looking to show his presence was missed by the Blast.
However, the Chicago squad that took the field on January 16 will be very different from the one that rolls out tomorrow. As we reported earlier this week, the Riot signed Major Indoor Soccer League veteran Ptah Myers. Chicago also announced that forward Anthony Maher will be back in action after missing the past couple of weeks. Ptah Myers is a great two-way player that boosts Chicago's attack, defense, and holding patterns. Maher has not had much time to play with his Chicago teammates but Riot fans can look forward to seeing Myers and Maher reunite on the field as both players were with the Philadelphia KiXX from 2008-2010. Goaltender Jeff Richey is still out with a hamstring so Ante Cop will start in goal. Despite Baltimore being 8-3 and Chicago being 2-7, fans should expect a real tight matchup this weekend. The Riot are really coming together as a team and the rotation gets deeper every week.
If that doesn't get you to buy tickets to Sunday's game, don't forget that it is Chicago Soccer Heritage Night. Be sure to check out all the former player names and especially the pictures of all of the old Chicago soccer team banners that the Riot staff has created for tomorrow night. If you don't know anything about Chicago soccer and are curious where to start, the Chicago Riot have prepared an evening where you can advance from a pre-school education to high school education in a matter of a couple of hours. In addition, I have been checking out Twitter and it appears that some of the new Chicago Fire signings will be in attendance too. With Chicago Fire training getting underway tomorrow, many are in town and the players were given Sunday off ahead of time. Could you ask for a better way to learn Chicago soccer past, present and future? The Odeum bar will be rocking before and after the game, trust me, you won't want to hear about how you missed the party. I think they still have a couple of tickets left but they might all be gone soon... You can check out tonight's game on the MISL website. Let's hope they bring a winner back to Chicago.