Thunder Bay Chill Cools Down On 2025
By When the 2025 USL2 season kicks off, the Thunder Bay Chill are being put on ice, at least for now.
The club has confirmed that it will defer from playing in the league this year due to a variety of reasons, including a weakened Canadian dollar, operational costs for transportation, accommodation, and meals, and league divisional alignments.
This isn’t the first time the Chill have opted out of a USL2 season, having bowed out of the 2021 season due to pandemic-related travel difficulties one season after the league was put on hiatus for a year.
The Thunder Bay Chill are the last remaining Canadian side to remain in the US league, with sides like the TSS Rovers and Calgary Foothills landing in League1 Canada and FC Manitoba (formerly WSA Winnipeg) having left the league as well.
When the next calendar year passes, the USL2 ‘could possibly’ include the Chill in a more Deep North Division that may include new franchises that lower the travel costs.
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However, the move also comes in a time period after Thunder Bay has participated in information sessions for a prospective League1 Prairies, a proposed semi-professional division that could keep things north of the border and reduce costs overall in comparison to the USL2 experience in which the team is now missing out on.
“This decision was not made overnight and we put much thought and planning to ensure that we can continue to operate at a high level and ensure sustainability for another 25 years,” says Executive Director Tony Colistro, who adds that the club will still curate competitive friendly matches and potential cup competition play.
The Chill have played host to former athletes from Canada’s top flight, with Felix N’sa and MacDonald Niba joining the team following their respective spells in the CPL,
