Which Open Teams are in Sunday's Bid Hunt at Windy City?

Let's get those bids.   I was fortunate enough to join the flurry of Windy City action for Saturday's Round 2 pools, and we saw all the intensity you'd expect from teams vying for a bid. With only Sunday's finale left before us, we can paint a clear picture of the Open teams in contention for those coveted tickets to Nationals.   Here's the overview of squads I'll be watching in 15 Open, 16 Open, and 17 Open.     17 Open   Previously Qualified Teams in Gold: Boiler Jrs 171E Gold, NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, KC Power 17 Black, 1st Alliance 17 Gold   Here's the 17 Open quartet that won't be competing for a bid in Chicago--but could still sit atop the leaderboard by Sunday's end.   There's some nice regional flair among these previously qualified teams. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami continues to look sharp after swiping a bid at Big South. The Triple Crown NIT champs have had their share of tough tests in Chicago, but the clutch factor is still there with 17-1 Tsunami.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644788954644791297?s=20 </div></figure>   NKYVC's close neighbor, Boiler Jrs 171E Gold, also appears in this group with its Mideast bid already in hand. Still, this squad remains a championship threat.   KC Power 17 Black and 1st Alliance 17 Gold also loom large in this group as previous qualifiers. KC Power just had its breakthrough last weekend at Show Me, while 1st Alliance is another MEQ bid holder in 17 Open. Fittingly, this duo occupies the same Gold group and could realistically stir up some trickle-down scenarios.     In the Hunt   Pool 1: MKE Sting 17 Gold, MAVS KC 17-1   Pool 2: AVC CLE 17 Red, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, FC Elite 17 Navy   Pool 3: HJV 17 Elite, Miami Hype 17N Emilio   Pool 4: Mintonette m.71   A diverse group of teams will spar for three available bids in 17 Open. Good luck trying to call your shot here.   I'd say a few of these squads are finding their stride at the right time. One of those has to be AVC CLE 17 Red, which rolled through Saturday's pools en route to the final pool. An enviable collection of high-flying hitters could give AVC one final boost into the Nationals field.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644775569807032322?s=20 </div></figure>   However, 17 Red will still have to contend with two teams that I've enjoyed watching at several qualifiers already. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite and FC Elite 17 Navy both know what it's like to be on the cusp of a bid, and this is another chance to capitalize.   MKE Sting 17 Gold and MAVS KC 17-1 will be fascinating follows in the first Gold pool. You can expect plenty of energy when these two squads face off in a match that will have so many bid implications.   Or perhaps you'll throw your support behind HJV 17 Elite or Miami Hype 17N Emilio in the third group. Houston Juniors is joining a host of other Texas teams in the bid hunt this weekend, Meanwhile, you may recall the giant slayer that was Miami Hype at Triple Crown NiT. 17N Emilio is back at it again for this qualifier.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644710514323324929?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644743331086229505?s=20 </div></figure>   And don't forget about the lone ranger with Mintonette Sports m.71 facing two qualified teams in its group. After a 3-0 Saturday stretch, it would be wise not to count out the Ohio team in its tough pool.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644765060265304065?s=20 </div></figure>     16 Open   Previously Qualified Teams in Gold: 1st Alliance 16 Gold, MKE Sting 16 Gold, Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal, HPSTL 16 Royal   A Windy City championship could surely come from a team that has nothing to lose and no bid to gain.   1st Alliance 16 Gold has more than backed up its top-overall seed in Chicago. This local group is holding down home territory well after winning the NLQ title just two weeks ago. We'll keep talking about 16 Gold's star-studded lineup for a while.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644776910709301252?s=20 </div></figure>   MKE Sting 16 Gold is sitting on a MEQ bid, and the duo of Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal and HPSTL 16 Royal got the job done at Sunshine. Events like Windy City offer an extraordinary opportunity to keep developing, and these two squads have done that.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644717034125631488?s=20 </div></figure>   In the Hunt   Pool 1: Austin Skyline 16 Royal   Pool 2: Houston Skyline 16 Royal, OT 16 T JP, HJV 16 Elite   There are some serious heavy hitters still looking to snag a bid this weekend. Buckle up.   It's hard not to be drawn to Houston Skyline 16 Royal, which has been in this position so many times in 2023. The Triple Crown NIT runner-up has seen the finish line at qualifiers just like this. Is this the long-awaited triumph?   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644787954651471879?s=20 </div></figure>   Austin Skyline 16 Royal and HJV 16 Elite join the fray to form a formidable Texas trio in 16 Open. Physicality and firepower are in seemingly infinite supply here, and that can make all the difference in high-pressure Gold pools.   Don't count out OT 16 T JP, either. The Florida squad made a huge splash at Triple Crown NIT earlier this year, and that was just a continuation of prior success at the Open level. The stakes get even higher now.     15 Open   Previously Qualified Teams in Gold: Mintonette Sports m.51, Legacy 15-1 Adidas, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami, Austin Skyline 15 Royal, Boiler Jrs 151E Gold, Elevation 15 Tony   What's this? Everyone?   I've made a list and checked it twice. All six of the teams in 15 Open's Gold pools are previously qualified. This yields a wild trickle-down scenario that we'll address in a second.   But first, here's a shoutout to the teams in the top group. It features some of the region's biggest names and most notable rising stars.   Legacy 15-1 Adidas got its Nationals bid with an NLQ championship a couple of weeks ago, and this group hasn't let off the gas since. Michigan is doing just fine.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644712947103481856?s=20 </div></figure>   Then, there's the Ohio Valley representation with Mintonette m.51 and Elevation 15 Tony making the top Sunday group. This duo got its bids at different places, though, with Mintonette's coming at Sunshine and Elevation breaking through at MEQ. We'd love to see these two match up, but it would have to be in the Gold finale.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1644695129477857282?s=20 </div></figure>   Austin Skyline 15 Royal carries the torch for the Lone Star Region after clinching a Sunshine bid alongside Mintonette. With their 16s counterparts also in the mix, this is becoming a banner weekend for the Texas club.   And, once again, the neighborly duo of NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and Boiler Jrs 151E Gold enters the conversation here. A championship from either of these teams would be a popular result for these groups that don't have to travel far to reach Chicago.     In the Hunt   HPSTL 15 Royal, Michio Chicago 15 National, TVC 15-Black, AVC CLE 15 Red, Jupiter Elite 15E, Iowa Rockets 15R   The Silver redemption bracket!   So, here's the deal. With every Gold team already having a bid, we have to go further down the finishing order to find potential bid winners. That places us in the Silver bracket, which is comprised of teams that were in Gold contention on Saturday but were then ousted by virtue of that day's pool results.   The USAV Manual indicates that bids can trickle all the way down to eighth place in an Open division. Having six teams in the top group means the teams that finish 7th and 8th will receive bids Sunday. That constitutes the two teams that make the Silver bracket finals.   15 Open's 23-team field at Windy City reduced the number of available bids from three to two. That reduction is effectively meaningless now that we're trickling all the way down to the eighth-place threshold.   So, there's the meta-discussion. Here are the competitors. HPSTL 15 Royal and Michio Chicago 15 National are meeting in the opening round on one side of the bracket, while TVC 15-Black and AVC CLE 15 Red will face off on the other side. Keep an eye on that Ohio Valley battle.   But if you're betting on a bid triumph here, it might be safest to go with Jupiter Elite 15E or Iowa Rockets 15R. These squads earned first-round byes in the Silver bracket thanks to their prior seeding and performance. That reprieve, when combined with the scenario we've just described, places these two teams just one win away from a bid and a spot in the Silver championship. Win and get in.

Let's get those bids.