Major League Lacrosse (2006-2010)
Tombstone
Born: 2005 – MLL expansion franchise
Moved: November 2010 (Rochester Rattlers)
First Game: May 20, 2006 (L 24-14 @ Denver Outlaws)
Last Game (as a Chicago-based franchise): August 8, 2009 (L 13-11 vs. Long Island Lizards)
Last Game (as a travel team):
Steinfeld Trophy Championships: None
Stadia
2006: Benedictine University Sports Complex
2007-2009: Toyota Park
2009: Soldier Field
2010: None (travel team)
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Joseph Flanagan
Background
The Chicago Machine were an ill-fated operation formed as part of Major League Lacrosse’s 2006 expansion to the Midwest and West Coast. From MLL’s founding in 2001 through 2005, all of the league’s club were clustered in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. During the summer of 2005, the league created a four-team Western Conference by awarding expansion teams to Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
On Field Futility
The Machine got off to a brutal start in 2006. Playing at the no-frills Benedictine University Sports Complex, Chicago posted the first winless season (0-12) in MLL history.
In 2007 the Machine moved to 20,000-seat Toyota Park in suburban Bridgeview, the $100 million home of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire that opened in June 2006. The change of scenery did little for the Machine’s performance. The club post three more last place finishes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Demise
Meanwhile, Major League Lacrosse’s western expansion effort fizzled out. Only the Denver Outlaws found an audience. Los Angeles and San Francisco folded after the 2008 season, wiping out the league’s West Coast beachhead.
The Machine closed up shop in Chicago following the 2009 season. The league kept the team going in name only for one additional summer as a travel team, playing “home” games in neutral sites along the East Coast and the Rust Belt. The franchise moved to Rochester, New York in late 2010 and became the second iteration of MLL’s Rochester Rattlers club.
MLL expanded to Columbus, Ohio in the spring of 2011. The Columbus club took the name “Ohio Machine” but otherwise had no connection to the former Chicago franchise.
Major League Lacrosse disbanded after 20 seasons in late 2020.
Downloads
2006 Major League Lacrosse Comes To Chicago Press Release
2006 Major League Lacrosse Comes To Chicago Press Release
Links
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