RWB Adria
 | |
| Full name | Red White Blue Adria Chicago |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1959 |
| Head coach | Sinisa Alebic |
| League | Great Lakes Premier League |
| Website | Club home page |
RWB Adria (full name: Red White and Blue Adria, Croatian: Crven, bijeli, plavi Jadran) is a Croatian American soccer club from Chicago, Illinois. The club currently competes in the National Soccer League, the premier amateur soccer competition in Illinois.
History
RWB Adria was founded in 1959 by Croatian immigrants in the city of Chicago. From its humble beginnings the club has gone on to become one of the most successful soccer clubs in Illinois, and is believed to have won the most trophies of any club in Illinois soccer. The most high profile player to have played for RWB Adria is the legendary Portuguese footballer Eusébio who had a stint at the club in the late 1970s.
The club has been a regular participant in the Croatian North American Soccer Tournament since the competitions inception in 1964. RWB Adria has won the tournament on 12 occasions, second only to Toronto Croatia. RWB Adria has also participated in the U.S. Open Cup, the American equivalent of the FA Cup, five times: in 1991 (where the club was a semi-finalist), in 1996, in 2007, in 2008, and 2014. The club’s main rivals include fellow Croatian-American sides from Chicago, HNK Zrinski Chicago and HNNK Hrvat Chicago.
2015 saw RWB compete in the fledgling Great Lakes Premier League along with teams from Wisconsin and Michigan. RWB won the league with a 100% record in the five games played by the time the final decision went their way with Oakland United's 3-4 home defeat on July 12th.
Honours
- National Amateur Cup: 2011, 2013
- Great Lakes Premier League: 2015
- National Soccer League of Chicago champions (?): 2006, 2007 (Incomplete Record)
- Peel Cup (Illinois State Cup) champions (9): 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
- Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament champions (12): 1966, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007
- US Soccer’s National Amateur Champion: 2014
U.S. Open Cup
- 1996
First Round: El Paso Patriots - RWB Adria 3-0[1]
- 2008
First Round: Rochester Rhinos - RWB Adria 2-1[2]
First Round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds - RWB Adria 1-1 (5-3 p)
First Round: Detroit City FC - RWB Adria 2-2 aet (1-3 p)
Second Round: Michigan Bucks - RWB Adria 0-1 aet
Third round: Pittsburgh Riverhounds - RWB Adria 3-2 aet
First Round: Lansing United - RWB Adria 0-0 (4-2 p)
References
3. Club history