In January 2011 MLL voted to grant expansion franchise to Columbus and Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2012 MLL Season.[2][4] The league announced on April 12, 2011, the team name will be the Ohio Machine, continuing the team previously located in Chicago. The Chicago Machine played the 2010 season as a traveling team playing their home games at neutral sites where the MLL did not have franchises. The Chicago Machine franchise that existed from 2006 to 2010 was moved to Rochester, New York and was re-branded as a continuation of the Rochester Rattlers franchise that moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2009. This franchise brought back the light blue and black colors of the Chicago franchise.[5] On May 19, 2012 the Ohio Machine got their first win and first home win in their franchise history against the Rochester Rattlers.
On June 24, 2013, two days after a 19-5 loss to the Denver Outlaws, Ted Garber was fired as head coach and replaced by Bear Davis. Garber had led the expansion franchise to a 3-19 record through its first 22 games and a 1-7 record in 2013.[6]
After putting up only four victories combined in their first two seasons and getting off to a 3-6 start in 2014, the Machine rattled off five straight victories to end the regular season and clinched their first playoff berth.[7] Their streak included wins over the top-seeded Rochester Rattlers and the eventual champion Denver Outlaws. On the road in their first playoff game, the Machine took an early 4-0 lead over Rochester. But the Machine would run out of magic as the Rattlers came back to end Ohio's Cinderella run, 15-11.[8]
