“Midnight” Soccer: The Bright Light of UChicago’s Sports Scene Shrouded in Darkness (Literally)

As I prepared to take a goal kick, I saw a hand raise high above others, a clear indication of who I should aim for. The ball initially made its way in that direction, but soon appeared to have a mind of its own, moving in the opposite direction as intended. Instead of going towards the other goal, the ball seemed to be returning to its starting point, meaning only one thing: I had mistakenly passed it to a player on the other team.

As the opposing player bore down upon our goal, I tried to sprint into position, serving as my team’s last line of defense after my disastrous error. Yet, three steps into this sprint I found myself sprawled on the ground, bested by a moist mud patch. Having just joined my team five minutes earlier in true pickup soccer fashion, my claims of being a ten-year veteran of the sport became moot as my blunder allowed the other team to score. 

My first touch of the ball at the University led to an errant shot-in-the-dark pass, a not top ten montage-worthy slip, and worst of all a goal for the other team. A true midnight soccer introduction. I refused to look at my teammates, preparing for the well-deserved criticism scheduled to come my way. Yet, the humiliation never came. My teammates, who I had known for all of five minutes, hoisted me up and we continued to play; an atypical reaction for a less-than-ideal showing in the sport. 

Before midnight soccer’s nuances can be appreciated, a better understanding of the typical expectations for the sport is necessary. Take a professional soccer game for instance. Each game’s highlights feature a tense atmosphere, two well-rounded starting elevens competing head to head, and a bellowing group of ultras (over the top supporters of a soccer team) looking on from the stands.

However, these qualities are not solely exclusive to the world’s most competitive leagues, with UChicago’s Varsity soccer teams, including the reigning NCAA Division III Champions, embracing the sport’s awe-inspiring nature for a local Maroon audience. Moreover, even as the University’s winter quarter intramural indoor soccer league deviates slightly from the rules and customs of the aforementioned fixtures (5v5 competition), the tactical and organizational components of the game still reign true. 

That leaves midnight soccer as the last variation. A comparatively hectic jumble of the game’s best components that molds into perfection every single time.

Granting midnight soccer the status of “hectic jumble” is perhaps slightly generous. After all, this classification almost levels the playing field between midnight soccer and its more organized soccer counterparts; an ironic happening given the fact that the midnight soccer pitch is notorious for not being remotely level. Yet, the hectic jumble makes every game, a very flexible term for this version of the sport, a masterpiece.

Unforgiving, high-flying tackles at every end of the pitch, a dewy mud patch with more goal contributions than any of the players, and an invisible referee who always makes the wrong call are just a few of the captivating qualities that midnight soccer offers to its participants. Yet, above all, where the pitch falters in evenness, it makes up for in leveling the competition.

Even the best soccer players are reduced in skill by midnight soccer’s unpredictable playing conditions, displaying UChicago’s special take on the classic British adage, “but can they do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke.” This quality, along with weekly intra-house games ranging from 5v5 to 16v16 affairs, gives midnight soccer an inclusive reputation among other sports on campus. An inclusivity that extends to both soccer lovers and new students trying to connect with housemates or, more often than not, other students.

In the case of Andy Cheng, a second-year student at the University and goalkeeper of the prolific Salisbury House, a team that has unofficially “not lost a single match” since Cheng put on the gloves, he knew that midnight soccer was perfect for him from the start. In an interview with the Maroon, Cheng discussed a personal history with the sport dating back to his high school years. 

While Cheng acknowledged that “UChicago has always been my dream school,” the appearance of midnight soccer as the “first thing that popped up on the housing page” during his research into the school motivated him, a goalie on his high school’s varsity soccer team, to pursue the sport upon matriculating. 

Fortunately for Cheng, he was not the only Salisbury House resident eager to take to the Midway. Cheng’s goalkeeping experience complemented the house’s formation, an irregular display of organization in midnight soccer, perfectly as he filled out a team complete with players that “had been on soccer teams in their high schools,” but had never encountered the Midway’s one of a kind playing conditions. Of course, Salisbury House’s resume stood out amongst other teams at the time, but the team still had a long way to go from a chemistry standpoint.

Luckily, the non-existent pressure of the occasion enabled the complementary beneficial components of the game to shine through. The team’s pairing of success with fun was both “great for house morale” and a “great way to vent some stress” in Cheng’s experience, supplemented further by the similar enjoyment of a special group of onlookers. While a house cheer squad is a regular site at most midnight soccer games, Cheng fondly recounted a special appearance by UCPD officers this past fall.

What started as an inquiry into the raucous match, including a spotlight directed towards the otherwise dark field, soon became an enjoyable relief from a patrol for the officers. The officers, like the other students on the field and sidelines, took a break from their duties, stopping to support a group of unknown students by “cheering on from afar,” per Cheng’s recollection.

Spontaneous, unpredictable moments such as these are the true essence of midnight soccer. As Cheng emphasized, “midnight soccer is best when it is most chaotic.” In fact, the cold nights, overcrowding, and a lack of light are some of Cheng’s favorite aspects of the sport. Even midnight soccer’s supposed shortcomings still uphold the true spirit of the beautiful game. 

For Cheng, and every player who enters the hallowed Midway, “having fun” is the best end result anyone could ask for.