Pro Report | Sammy Malcolm leads Toronto to win over Hounds

By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer

Sammy Malcolm.

Chicago Hounds fans may remember that name for a long time. And not for a good reason.

Malcolm was not just in the middle of things, he was the whole scoring show for Toronto as he tallied all Arrows points in a 27-26 victory over the Hounds on March 11 at snowy SeatGeek Stadium.

Both teams came into the Major League Rugby game winless, but put on an exciting show. There were nine lead changes on the night and Toronto (1-2-0)  outlasted the Hounds (0-3-0)

Hounds player Luke Beauchamp told majorleague.rugby earlier in the week that his game is “massive.”

After Malcolm’s drop goal with three minutes left for the Arrows for what turned out to be the winner, it was a massive kick in the gut for the Hounds.

Malcolm, 26, entered this season the third highest scorer in MLR history with 320 points.

Week 3 honors
The Hounds made their SeatGeek debut on March 5 and lost a defensive battle, 14-10, to Utah.

Prop Charlie Abel and left lock Duke Krishnan were named to the MLR Team of the Week.

The two combined for 36 tackles for Chicago.

Up next
The Hounds host the Dallas Jackals at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 in Bridgeview.

Could this be the week the Hounds get their first victory? The Jackals are 0-4-0 and dropped a 22-0 decision to San Diego on March 11.

Red Stars to host Mexico
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol and Soccer United Marketing announced the launch of MexTour W, a U.S. tour featuring the Mexican Women’s National Team. MexTour W 2023 will consist of two April matches in its inaugural year in Chicago and Houston.

The Mexican Women’s National Team will face the Chicago Red Stars at 2 p.m. April 8, at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

Tickets for the MexTour W matches went on sale Friday, March 10 via Tickets.com and SeatGeek.com for the Chicago and Houston matches, respectively.

The Mexican Women’s National Team is currently ranked 35th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team is captained by Real Madrid defender Kenti Robles, Mexico’s longest-serving player.

Matthews joins Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars have added veteran forward, Cheyna Matthews, to the preseason roster. Matthews previously played with Racing Louisville FC in 2021.

Drafted seventh overall in 2016 by the Washington Spirit, Matthews played four seasons with the Spirit, making 55 appearances with 33 starts, and scoring 11 goals and recording three assists.

In 2021, Matthews joined Racing Louisville FC in its inaugural season in the NWSL. The forward played 17 matches with Louisville, making four starts and scoring one goal.