The 2nd placed Chicago Hounds host 3rd seeded Old Glory DC at SeatGeek Stadium in the first of two Eastern Conference Semifinals!

The Chicago Hounds finished 3pts behind the Free Jacks in 1st place with a matching 11-5 record, the best in franchise history. They qualify for the postseason for the 2nd year in a row after advancing to the Conference Final last season, when they were defeated by the New England Free Jacks. The Hounds face the 3rd seed Old Glory DC, who were also eliminated by the Free Jacks last season. They qualify for the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season with a 8-8 record, 8pts back of the Hounds.

These teams have met 4 times in the past, with the Flags holding a 2-1 lead with 1 draw. They have never met in the postseason. The most recent meeting between these sides went to the Hounds with a 30-26 home victory back in Round 5.

The Chicago Hounds host the Houston SaberCats for a rare Wednesday night clash at Seatgeek Stadium. The Hounds are coming off a tight turnaround, having also hosted the NOLA Gold just 5 days ago on Saturday May 31st. The SaberCats are fresh off an extended bye, but will be flying back to Houston to host Anthem RC at the weekend, on a 4 day turnaround.

Heading into this game, the Hounds sit 2nd in the East and just 2pts back from 1st place following a strong win over the NOLA Gold last week. They only need a point to secure a home semifinal as the 2nd seed, but will want to pressure the Free Jacks in 1st. In the West, the Houston SaberCats are in a 3-way fight for the top seed, and will want as many points as they can to try and secure home advantage of their own with two games remaining, both in Round 17. These teams have met 4 times in the past, with the Houston SaberCats holding a 3-1 series lead. Who will take the 5th installment of the Cats v Dogs clash!?

With the rain coming down in Chicago, both teams struggled to handle the ball early on but it was the Hounds who adjusted faster. A yellow card to the SaberCats gave Chicago the perfect opportunity off of an attacking lineout, and Jackson Zabierek rumbled over at the back of the Hounds rolling maul to open the scoring with his first MLR try. In his first start of the season, Zabierek would score almost a carbon copy try just 7 minutes later to give the Hounds a 0-12 lead just after the first water break. Chicago would receive a yellow card of their own just before half-time due to a high tackle from Hamish Bain, and the SaberCats would strike back through Pita Anae-Ah Sue. Alatimu’s conversion pulled the score back to 12-7 at the break.

When the 2nd half began, the Hounds were almost immediately shown another yellow for another high tackle, this time by Matt Oworu. With Bain still in the bin, Chicago were down to 13 men for roughly two minutes, but held firm. The second half was characterized by handling errors and strong defensive stands, and the first points of the half didn’t come until the 65th minute when AJ Alatimu trotted over unopposed in the corner from short range following another yellow card to Chicago, this time Ollie Devoto. He was unable to convert however, so the score sat at 12-12 with 15 minutes to play. With just over 10 minutes remaining, the Hounds were awarded a penalty and opted to go for points. Hilsenbeck stepped up and nailed a long distance, but relatively straight, attempt to give the Hounds a narrow lead. They looked like they would extend their lead in the 77th minute as the Chicago forwards barrelled over the try line but it was deemed held up, and the SaberCats had one last chance to take the victory. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, Matt Oworu won a superb turnover and the Hounds kicked the ball out to take a 15-12 victory despite 3 yellow cards throughout the match.

Chicago take the lead in the Eastern Conference and record a 11-5 record for the 2025 regular season, meaning that the Free Jacks need a victory to claim the number 1 spot for the 4th year in a row. Coming off of a bye week, the Houston SaberCats have 1 game remaining this year to fight for home advantage in the Western Conference.

The NOLA Gold travel to Illinois to face the Chicago Hounds for an Eastern Conference clash at SeatGeek Stadium! The Hounds are coming off of a road victory over Anthem RC where they clinched a playoff spot for the 2nd season in a row, and are not fighting for home field advantage. The Gold’s comeback attempt fell just short against the Utah Warriors last week, and need a victory here to keep their slim playoff chances alive. A Miami Sharks win would eliminate NOLA, but they need a victory for any chance of making it.

These teams have met 5 times in the past and split the all-time regular season series 2-2, but the Hounds hold the lead thanks to their big post-season victory last year. Chicago extended their all-time season series lead with a 38-17 bonus point victory over the Gold in this one. Although the scoreline looks comfortable, the Gold took a 7-0 lead in the first 10 minutes through a JP du Plessis try and held this until the half hour mark, when Ollie Devoto struck for the Hounds to even things up. Oti Pifeleti doubled up the Hounds score just before half time, and Chicago never looked back. With 8 points in this game, Chris Hilsenbeck’s 2025 total now sits at 84pts. This is a new Chicago Hounds single season scoring record!

The Hounds take the lead in the Eastern Conference and will be hoping that the Free Jacks slip up against Seattle tomorrow. The NOLA Gold, already eliminated, now have one last chance to play for pride this season.

The Chicago Hounds host Rugby FC LA in a cross-conference, Monday night affair at Seatgeek Stadium, sporting their 2025 city edition jerseys. This is the first of the Hounds’ two mid-week games in 2025, and they will travel to face Anthem RC at the weekend on a 5-day turnaround. The visiting RFCLA have an even tighter schedule, as they will fly back to LA to host the Miami Sharks in just 4 days time.

The Chicago Hounds are looking to bounce back after a defeat at the hands of the New England Free Jacks in Quincy, and capitalise on the Free Jacks’ loss to Miami this week. RFCLA are still fighting for their playoff lives after a big win against Anthem RC, and look to stay ahead of the surging Seattle Seawolves. These teams have only met once before, with the Hounds taking a 54-31 victory back in Round 8 of the 2024 season.

The Miami Sharks travel to the windy city to face the Chicago Hounds at SeatGeek Stadium in an Eastern Conference clash! The Sharks have put together a team-best 3 wins in a row after a comfortable 31-5 victory over Anthem RC in Round 11, while the Chicago Hounds are on a 2 game losing streak following a remarkable comeback by the Utah Warriors, and are looking to reassert themselves at the top of the East. These teams have met 3 times in the past with the Hounds currently undefeated by the Sharks, after they took the last meeting in Round 4 of this season with a 18-31 road victory.