Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Hounds have released their 2025 preseason schedule as they prepare for the upcoming Major League Rugby season. The team will be playing matches in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Houston, Texas over two consecutive weeks.

On Saturday, February 1st, the Hounds will face off against Anthem in Charlotte. Last season, the Hounds had a perfect record of 2-0 against Anthem. However, this year’s matchup may prove more challenging due to Anthem's new additions to their roster. Erich Storti was selected as the first overall pick in the 2024 Collegiate Draft and is expected to be closely watched by fans. Sam Golla, who was the first overall pick in the 2022 Collegiate Draft, has also joined Anthem for this campaign.

Fans can look forward to seeing these teams compete again during the regular season on Sunday, April 13th when Chicago hosts Carolina. The teams will meet once more at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 24th.

The following week on Saturday, February 8th, Chicago travels to Houston for a preseason game against the Sabercats. This match serves as a prelude to their regular-season opener just one week later on Sunday, February 15th in Houston. Historically, Chicago has struggled against Houston with an all-time record of 0-3 and aims for its first victory regardless of it being a preseason encounter.

Despite being from different conferences, Chicago and Houston will meet twice this season. Their second matchup is scheduled for Wednesday Night Rugby on June 4th.