Guaranteed Rate Field/Old Comiskey Park

S 6 | A 10 | E 4 | R 6 | B 8 // Total = 34

Site access? Check. The Red Line, Green Line, Rock Island Metra, and the Dan Ryan are all right next to the area.

Experience with large sporting events? Check. The White Sox aren’t quite world beaters at this point, but they’re still drawing thousands of people out for games. It’s nothing the surrounding area isn’t used to.

Chance to collaborate on additional development? Check, assuming the Sox ever want to do anything else with their sea of suburban parking lots. The chances of that might be slim, but maybe some Mansueto money could get things rolling.

This, to me, is one of the most sensible options, assuming the Fire and the Sox can work out parking and scheduling issues.

While we’re at it, let’s take a little inspiration from the New Comiskey that never was.

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

S 2 | A 10 | E 7 | R 6 | B 7 // Total = 32

This is a very tight fit for a soccer stadium, but it would be fruitful if one could be constructed here. Little Italy and the south West Loop (I’m making that a thing now) would see an infusion of activity, and the club could partner with UIC in a public-private partnership to build out some of the University’s new master plan, possibly even a replacement for the Credit Union 1 Arena.

-Aside- While I’m talking about UIC, allow me to hop up on my soapbox and state my solidarity with the UIC Graduate Employees Organization (GEO). The GEO is currently on strike to protest the University’s unwillingness to provide for a more fair wage and fee structure for its graduate workers. I might fawn over shiny new master plans, but the primary focus for this institution is the education of its students and the discovery and dissemination of knowledge through supporting faculty and graduate work.

Edit — apparently as I typed this a tentative deal was reached (not authorized, however)! Stay strong and push through!

Anywho, stadium. Yeah. This thing would be right next to the Eisenhower and the Racine stop on the Blue Line. It would replace a surface parking lot and enliven the western portion of UIC’s campus and match the ever-expanding construction on the other side of the interstate. But it might not be wide enough for a proper MLS stadium.

East Pilsen (Canal and 18th)

S 3 | A 6 | E 5 | R 7 | B 7 // Total = 28

Am I overly-partial to this option because it’s the closest to my apartment? Probably.

But there’s stuff to work with here! First thing to get out of the way, though— like at UIC, there’s not much room here. If you pine for the era of neighborhood stadium like Wrigley, this would be up your alley. The railroad wye to the north and east, Canal St. to the west, and 18th St. to the south ensures that this would be a cozy little bandbox. But let’s see what other boxes it checks off.

The surrounding neighborhood has the granular, walkable built environment bones to grow into a miniature Wrigleyville, sans Big 10 bros. Constructing a stadium on the fringe of East Pilsen, by wholesalers an a railroad, would likely bring out fewer opponents than if it would be in the neighborhood proper.

A little further out, you have Pilsen, Chinatown, and the new 78 venture, which will come with an additional Red Line station (much to the consternation of some of my snobbier neighbors). I mean, just imagine a march to the match over the 18th St. bridge with views of the skyline in the background.

Oh, and speaking of views, here’s an approximation of the view from the stadium…

Image courtesy of CH Distillery. The stadium site would be a block east.

Michael Reese Hospital (Burnham Lakefront)

S 10 | A 7 | E 2 | R 10 | B 7 // Total = 36

This site is massive. Like 30+ acres massive. Even more if you include the truck marshalling yard across the Metra tracks. The complex, however, is slated for a megadevelopment called “Burnham Lakefront” and was one of the sites pitched to Amazon for HQ2.

Bezos passing on Chicago might bode well for the Fire. As it stands, the Burnham Lakefront proposal hasn’t quite gotten off the ground like the 78 or Lincoln Yards. No TIF district or planning approvals have been established to my knowledge, no primary tenant has been inked, and no construction is imminent. And another huge development concept to the north — One Central — was recently unveiled. At this point, planning is still malleable and could accommodate a new soccer stadium to catalyze development.

In terms of getting there, the 27th St. Metra stop is next door, as are several CTA bus routes. It’d be about a 25 minute walk from either the Cermak-McCormick Place or 35th-Bronzeville-IIT Green Line stations, and the Red Line is a few blocks west of that. The Stephenson (I-55) and Lake Shore Drive are adjacent to the site, too. You can even take the Lakefront Trail and easily bike to a match as well, though it’s a bit more circuitous.

The area is unequivocally dead, though. It’s not dangerous or anything, but there’s just absolutely nothing to do. The site is big enough to support a whole-scale redevelopment, which is what would be necessary to create a year-round draw to the site. And as the Burnham Lakefront plan shows, that’s exactly the idea. In the interim, though, Motor Row and the area around McCormick Place is picking up steam and would be a good place to camp out at pre- and post-match.

Cabrini-Green (Halsted and Division)

S 7 | A 7 | E 6 | R 8| B 2 // Total = 30

If you aren’t familiar with the history of the Cabrini-Green Homes, just know that the thought of putting anything in or near the area would’ve been unheard-of for decades. When you think of the ills of public housing projects, this would be one of the poster children at one time.

The Homes were demolished over the past couple of decades and the land has slowly redeveloped into mixed-income housing and retail. There’s even a Target now, so putting a soccer stadium here wouldn’t be the craziest idea now. But would a region that suffered from violence and improper investment for so long want such an intense revitalization that would arise from 25,000+ fans in a new soccer stadium? I don’t have the answer, but that will be a question for sure.

There’s a couple of spots that would work: one being at Halsted and Division, next to the Target, and one at Hudson and Locust, which would require the taking of a few low-rise buildings and a church, which might be more unpopular. I’m not well-versed on the redevelopment plans of the area, so if something is already proposed at one or both sites, that’s another impediment. It does appear that the housing authority must replace the housing units in the area, and despite delayed plans at the Halsted/Division site, it is still the overall goal. So the Hudson parcel might be the only option right now, if at all.

Looking at the upsides of the location for the club and fans makes this an intriguing possibility. The North/Clybourn area is just to the north, with shopping, restaurants, bars, and entertainment. To the south is River North and even more bars and restaurants. The Chicago (Ave.) station on the Brown/Purple lines and the Red Line are close by, and bus connections will take fans to/from the Blue Line and Metra.

United Center

S 3 | A 10 | E 6 | R 6 | B 7 // Total = 32

Could we see the Madhouse on Madison be paired with an Asylum on Adams?

(I’m so sorry about that)

This site would be more constrained than at Comiskey (though a bit more room than at UIC), but would still offer an opportunity for a hotel/entertainment/office structure in the remainder of that parking lot or surrounding environs. Sure, the aesthetics of the south side of the United Center would be ruined, but some creative design could incorporate the facade into the new stadium design, such as a winter garden concept a la Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.

With the new Green Line station at Damen, there will be another way to reach the site along with the Ashland stop, the IMD Blue Line station, and the Eisenhower. And since the area is used to concerts, hockey, basketball, etc., there would be relatively little blowback against adding another team here. Although, like with the Sox, the club would need to coordinate over scheduling, parking, and joint development.

Bronzeville (Rhodes and Browning)

S 10 | A 5 | E 3 | R 7 | B 4 // Total = 29

We now move back down to the South Side, this time to Bronzeville. This is a large area of nothingness, but once was the site of public housing. That’s a trend for several of these sites; former projects that were razed and suffered from disinvestment since.

This site is similar to the Michael Reese one, except further from downtown and McCormick Place and closer to existing neighborhoods. There’s less room here to develop but still plenty with which to work. The possibility to integrate into the community through an academy, service projects, investment, and playing fields here instead of being another piece of a giant development up at Michael Reese (although that wouldn’t be precluded) would be 1) almost assuredly required to achieve stakeholder buy-in, and 2) just a good thing that should happen.

I’m bullish on Bronzeville as it is, and, in an ideal world, the Fire and the community could forge deep bonds and create something special in MLS and American sports. Then again, when was the last time ideal was used to describe the operations of the Fire?

Washington Park (Garfield and MLK)

S 2 | A 7 | E 1 | R 5 | B 4 // Total = 19

This wouldn’t even be an option if the Obama Foundation had chosen Washington Park over Jackson Park for the Presidential Center, but I digress.

Washington Park, like much of the South Side, has had a rough go of it in the last several decades. The actual park separates the neighborhood from the affluent and polarizing University of Chicago and Hyde Park. Public transit access is decent, with the Garfield Green Line stop right next door.

Beyond that, though, there’s not much else. You could argue that this could draw some interest from Hyde Park/UChicago, and the opportunity exists for some additional economic development as a result of a new stadium, but the club would have little room to create their own and, regardless, it would be hard to make this an off-season destination.

Robert Taylor Homes (State and 45th/49th)

S 8 | A 8 | E 1 | R 4 | B 3 // Total = 24

Another former housing project that has been slow to redevelop. In short, it’s closer to the Dan Ryan and the Red Line than the Bronzeville or Washington Park sites, but fewer opportunities than Bronzeville (existing and potential) for value-added activities. Being further away from Hyde Park and the University doesn’t help, either.

Pilsen/Cermak

S 8 | A 4 | E 2 | R 6 | B 7 // Total = 27

The dirty, unhealthy Fisk Generating Station could be shut down, which will make the air a little easier to breathe here. There are also plans to construct a riverfront park nearby. It’s not the easiest to reach, though the Pink line is less than a mile away and the interstates are also close-by. But one can’t escape the fact that this is predominantly an industrial area bordered by the lower-income portion of Pilsen.

On the other hand, Pilsen is the confluence of Hispanic families and hipster influx, hence the uproar over gentrification and loss of cultural identity here. Could a soccer stadium, replacing otherwise low-density and industrial land uses, even in a little way ease these tensions and create some unity? Historic pollution probably prevents residential development here, so a stadium might actually be an acceptable use for the land. Like Bronzeville, this would be a prime opportunity — and likely requirement — for the club to be a legitimate neighbor and community institution and not an intrusion.

A distributor and brick company occupy the site as of now, and it is unknown what terms they would accept to vacate the site. The area to the north needs a little work, too. But in the words of Elle Woods, “she’s not completely unfortunate looking.” Also, if the stadium was built here, the Warshawsky Tower/Pilsen Industrial Center makes for a stately neighbor.

Wait, did I really quote “Legally Blonde?” And not even one of the good quotes? I’ll do better next time, I promise.

Pilsen/18th St.

S 3 | A 5 | E 7 | R 9 | B 1 // Total = 25

Yeah, this one ain’t happening. I mean, yes, I rated it, but it’s not happening. Either it gets developed with affordable housing or the community kills a stadium here dead in the water over fears of displacement. The former alderman for the neighborhood nixed the original plans for this site. After some interesting revelations, his political career ended and his newly-elected replacement is an even harsher critic of gentrification in the neighborhood.

If we get a Pilsen stadium, it’s along Cermak or in East Pilsen.

Illinois Medical District (IMD)

S 10 | A 7 | E 2 | R 7 | B 8 // Total = 34

The Illinois Medical District is currently advertising this assemblage of parcels for development. Whether a new soccer stadium is on their list of preferred interested parties remains to be seen. From the perspective of the club, this could be an interesting option. It’s between two Pink Line stations (Polk and 18th St.) and is a few blocks away from the Eisenhower.

Unless you fancy a trip to the hospital or are wondering what the FBI is up to at the Chicago Field Office, there’s not much in the way of entertainment here outside crossing off your shopping list at Jewel and Costco. But with the IMD pushing for redevelopment and other proposals throughout the District and nearby offerings in Little Italy and Pilsen, this could certainly be a workable site, especially if the club acquires additional land to dictate more desirable land uses.

Cubs Green Lot (Racine and Grace)

S 1 | A 7 | E 9 | R 5 | B 1 // Total = 23

You know, I added this just to have a North Side location away from the river. It’s small, would require demolishing residences, and require coordination with the Cubs on events, not to mention eliminating a parking option for the team.

There’s plenty to do in the area, but few prospects for the club to build additional revenue streams of their own. It’s a nice thought, but there’s almost no way this is realistic.

Avondale (Elston and Roscoe)

S 7 | A 6 | E 6 | R 7 | B 7 // Total = 31

I chose the western site, which appears to be a storage yard as the ComEd regional headquarters, due to the chance to locate next to the heart of another gentrifying neighborhood. Is that a good thing for the community? Maybe, maybe not? Is it good for the club? Almost definitely.

And the Fire have a pitch across the river!

The stadium could also go where the community field is, relocating Talman Ave. and removing aged light industrial buildings. This latter location places it a little further from the Blue Line, but regular bus access along Addison and Irving Park can shuttle fans to and fro the match. And while NIMBYs abound everywhere, this is another case of replacing low density commercial/light industrial uses which might limit any outcry against a stadium.

If you want a North Side stadium, this is probably the most viable site based on my rough observations.