U.S. Soccer recently announced that the USWNT will be playing a friendly in Chicago on July 9 against South Africa in preparation for the Olympics.
Several women’s soccer fans in the National Women’s Soccer League Supporters’ Facebook group have asked for recommendations on where to stay in Chicago and what to do while visiting. I put together a soccer-centric visitors guide that I hope that will be useful to those visiting Chicago in support of the beautiful game.
Exploring Chicago. Photo credit: Nicole Hack
Where to stay?
There are countless hotel options in Chicago and most of these will be close enough to the stadium that you can walk to the game. Here are a few fun, trendy hotel locations that I recommend:
If these hotels aren’t your cup of tea or within your budget, from hip to historic, there are plenty of other hotels to stay at while visiting. Check out Travel + Leisure and Midwest Living for more options.
Neighborhoods:
Chicago is a big city, so you might not be sure what location best suits your needs. Here are recommended areas to stay in based on proximity to Soldier Field:
- The Loop/Downtown
- River North
- South Loop
- West Loop
- Lincoln Park
- Magnificent Mile (Streeterville or Near North Side)
- University Village, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, or Pilsen may be good options for those who like staying outside of the tourist destination locations. Check out Airbnb for options in these neighborhoods.
- The Chicago Neighborhood’s Map might be helpful too.
Transit 🚗 🚇 🚌:
Since Soldier Field is so close to downtown, it’s easy to take public transportation, walk, or take a taxi to the stadium. All public transit (better known as CTA in Chicago) links together in the loop or downtown making it easy to travel in the city.
If you don’t already have an Uber or Lyft app, I’d recommend downloading them before getting to Chicago. Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) app will also be useful.
For the soccer lovers ⚽❤️…
Soccer points of interest:
- The Chicago Red Stars Office is located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Lincoln Park is home to countless parks, Lincoln Park Zoo, and DePaul University. If you decide to visit Lincoln Park, I recommend taking the CTA Brown Line from the loop to the Fullerton stop. Not only does the Brown Line offer some of the best views of the city, you’ll also pass DePaul University’s Wish Field – home to the Blue Demons and alma mater to Sarah Gorden of the Chicago Red Stars and Julianne Sitch (retired Chicago Red Stars player).
In addition to these spots, Lincoln Park has also been home to U.S. Soccer hosted FanHQ watch parties during the 2015 World Cup. If you want to explore the park where the watch parties were hosted, check out this map.
- United States Soccer Federation headquarters, better known as the Soccer House, is located in Chicago’s South Loop or Chicago’s Prairie Avenue Historical District. Not only is the Soccer House a historic building, but it’s also located a short walk away from Soldier Field. Often, U.S. Soccer fans plan their route to the stadium based on walking past the Soccer House and over the 18th Street bridge to Soldier Field. This walk is an easy way to get to the stadium while also giving you an opportunity to explore the city. In fact, American Outlaws Chicago are using this route to get to the stadium for the USMNT’s COPA America game on June 7 after their pre-game festivities (bar recommendations included!).
- Chicago Fire soccer mural: The Fire soccer mural, which was originally painted in the Fire’s inaugural season was repainted in 2010 by the original artist Oscar Romaro. “When Romero painted the mural in 1998, he featured the Fire’s Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos and Polish striker Roman Kosecki playing on the Soldier Field pitch. The addition now features the likes of Fire Original C.J. Brown, Dasan Robinson, Patrick Nyarko and Mike Banner.” The mural can be found at 16th Street and Carpenter Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Not only can you find this Chicago Fire themed mural on 16th street, but several other murals have been painted by local and nationally known artists.
- If that’s not enough, KICK’s A Soccer Fans Guide to Chicago is a great resource for someone visiting Chicago.
Soccer bars 🍻:
- A.J. Hudson’s – Home to Chicago Local 134
- The Globe Pub
- The Atlantic
- Cleo’s
- The Dock at Montrose Beach (They don’t always have soccer on their televisions, but the owner of The Dock is a Chicago Fire fan. Ask if they’ll put a game on for you and enjoy watching soccer while at the beach.)
- Timothy O’Toole’s – Home to AO Chicago
- Heineken Pub 97
- Fado
Soccer shopping:
Traditional tourist locations:
If that wasn’t enough for you, hit up a museum for free, explore hidden Chicago gems, or visit the seven wonders of Chicago.
If you have additional questions about visiting Chicago, I’m happy to help! Leave me a comment below or connect with me on Twitter @nikhak or Instagram @nikhak.
CF97 Sirens 