CHICAGO FIRE (SOCCER)

The 'Chicago Fire' is a Chicago area professional soccer club with offices in Bridgeview, Illinois, USA. It participates in Major League Soccer. The team was founded October 8 1997 on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1998, their first season in the league, the Fire won the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup (the "double"). They have also won the 2000, 2003, and 2006 U.S. Open Cup. Their colors are red and white. While the Fire originally played at Soldier Field, the team now have their own stadium, Toyota Park at 71st and Harlem Avenue. Toyota Park is owned by the Village of Bridgeview and operated by the owners of the Fire, Andell Holdings.
The Chicago Fire has had a cooperative agreement with Monarcas Morelia, a Mexican First Division football club, since 2001. The partnership incorporates playing, coaching, and executive personnel, as well as sharing of business and development practices.
The club also has - through its reserves program, the Chicago Fire Premier amateur team playing in the Premier Development League, and the Chicago Fire Juniors youth teams - a substantial youth development system by American standards. It also has a charitable community entity, the FireWorks for Kids Foundation. The Fire also keeps a close connection with its predecessor team the Chicago Sting by holding frequent commemmorative events, reunions, and wearing Sting-inspired shirts.

Contents

History

Club logo and colors

Fans

Players and coaches

Current roster

Notable players

Head coaches

Front office

Club presidents

General managers

Ring of Fire

Honors

Domestic

International

International competition

Club records

Home stadiums

Average attendance

Club system

Television and radio

Radio Show

External links

History

Founded October 8 1997 in a ceremony on Navy Pier, the Chicago Fire Soccer Club immediately tapped into the ethnic makeup of its city, bringing in Polish players like Peter Nowak, Jerzy Podbrozny, and Roman Kosecki, Mexican Jorge Campos, and Czech Lubos Kubik. While all showed their talent while playing for Chicago (especially Nowak, the captain for 5 years) it was the young American players that overall proved most successful and integral to success continuing to this day. They won the "double" in 1998, beating DC United to take the MLS Cup, and a week later the Columbus Crew to win the U.S. Open Cup. They are the most successful club in the modern U.S. Open Cup, winning championships in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006.
The club's first head coach, Bob Bradley, suddenly and unexpectedly left after the 2002 season to lead the MetroStars, the club from his home state. After an extensive search the team selected Dave Sarachan, the top assistant on the US national team, to lead. Chicago qualified for the 2003 league final, after a season that saw them resettle at Soldier Field after being forced to play in west suburban Naperville, Illinois while the stadium underwent massive renovations. Despite this, they amassed the best record in the league and captured the 2003 MLS Supporters' Shield, awarded for the regular season's best record. 2003 also saw team captain Peter Nowak retire and take a position in the front office, only to depart a year later to become coach at DC United. In 2006, the club moved into a brand new purpose-built 20,000 capacity stadium at the corner of 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, on the southwest side of Chicago.
Despite success consistently throughout its history, especially in the U.S. Open Cup, the Fire is anxious to win another MLS title. Coach Sarachan entered 2007, his fifth season in charge, under intense pressure from fans and the club to produce a league championship sooner rather than later. After a 3-0-1 start, the Fire won only one game of their next eight, leading to Sarachan's dismissal, and Denis Hamlett taking over as interim head coach on June 20, 2007.
Chicago's chief rival is FC Dallas. Since 2001, the two teams compete annually for the Brimstone Cup (established by the fans of both teams), which goes to the victor in the season series between them. While FC Dallas remains the most historically heated rival, recent years have fostered venom between the Fire and the New England Revolution with the clubs ending each other's season every year since 2001.
A number of famous players have worn the Fire shirt, including the US internationals Chris Armas, Frank Klopas, Eric Wynalda, DaMarcus Beasley, Josh Wolff, Tony Sanneh, Carlos Bocanegra, and Justin Mapp; and other Americans like Jesse Marsch, C.J. Brown, Ante Razov, Zach Thornton, and Chris Rolfe. Chicago has also brought in established international talent such as Peter Nowak, Lubos Kubik, Hristo Stoichkov, and younger players like Damani Ralph, and Ivan Guerrero.
On April 3 2007, the Fire announced that they have signed Mexican international and América star Cuauhtémoc Blanco to a Designated Player contract. However, Blanco would only join the team by the end of the current Mexican football season (Clausura 2007), around June, depending on his current team's performance. Although the exact salary details were not disclosed per policy, Blanco would be under contract with the Fire until 2009.
On July 6 2007, Club President John Guppy announced that Juan Carlos Osorio would become the new head coach. Osorio most recently led Colombian side Millonarios and prior was an assistant manager of Manchester City FC of the EPL. He also was a past assistant coach/conditioning coach in the league with Red Bull New York^[1].
On September 6, 2007 Andell Holdings, a Los Angeles-based private investment firm with global business and investment interests controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hauptman, announced today the closing of the transaction for Andell to acquire AEG's interests in Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire. The purchase price was not disclosed. ^[2]

Club logo and colors

The Chicago Fire logo is derived from the standard style of a Fire Department's crest (also shown by the Chicago Fire Department). The shape is also known as a Florian's cross, often confused with the Maltese cross, and was picked in part due to the wishes of original GM Peter Wilt to create an image that was both as timeless as those of the NHL Original Six and evocative of European soccer. There is a stylized 'C' in the center representing Chicago, similar to the logos of the Bears and Cubs. The six star points around the center reference the four six-pointed stars in the municipal flag of the City of Chicago. The four stars in the city's flag represent the four monumental events in the history of the city, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the 1893 World's Fair, the 1933 World's Fair, and the Fort Dearborn Massacre.
The original Fire shirts in 1998 were chosen because of their resemblance to a Chicago fireman's coat, featuring broad horizontal stripes across the torso and sleeves. The home jerseys were rendered in red and white with "FIRE" in silver on the front; the away shirts were white and black in this same style. Over the years the look has become more stylized but the core idea of the home shirts being all-red with a white horizontal chest stripe has remained constant, even though the uniform manufacturer has changed from Nike in 1998, to Puma in 2003, and then adidas in 2006. Away/secondary shirts have changed over the years from the aforementioned white/black in 1998, to white/navy, and the white/red style currently used. In 2005 a popular light blue-colored third shirt based on the Municipal Flag of Chicago was worn but discontinued during the change in manufacturer to adidas.
Aside from the badge, jersey style, and colors, the club and their fans frequently use the rich civic symbolism of Chicago in materials they produce. The six-pointed Chicago stars are prominent but the light blue color, municipal device (Y-circle), and skyline appear on the team website, scarves, and banners in the stadium. The Municipal Flag is also favored for display by fans of the club; somewhat akin to the use of the flag of Catalonia for FC Barcelona fans - but without the associated nationalism.

Fans

There is a considerable ultras culture for the club, a phenomenon fairly unique in the United States. Ultras groups and fan clubs occupy an area behind the north goal in the ''Harlem End'' of Toyota Park (Sections 118 and 117) loosely referred to as ''Section 8''. This term stems from both the numbering of the original sector of Soldier Field they occupied, as well as the American military designation of discharged soldiers declared mentally unfit for service. Section 8 Chicago, the Independent Supporters' Association for the Chicago Fire, oversees the activities of the various groups; the largest include ''Barn Burners 1871'' (the oldest group, established before the club was founded), ''Fire Ultras '98'' (a Polish ultras group), and ''Ultras Red-Side'' (a multi ethnic ultras group). Other smaller groups are ''Sector Latino'' (a Latin "barra"-style group), ''Mike Ditka Street Crew'', ''Whiskey Brothers Aught Five'', ''Blitzer Mob'' and ''Arsonists''. Though emulating varied support styles from Chicago and throughout the world, groups as part of ''Section 8'' are allied and generally fall under the ultras designation. Section 8 Chicago ISA is a non-profit organization recognized by the state.
Other than the supporters' groups, the club is recognized for its stadium wide vocal and visual support, especially for important matches. Call-and-response cheering amongst the crowd is commonplace. It is one of the few American sports environments to engage in the acts of tifo, or visual displays put on by fans before the match to show their pride and inspire the players on the field.

Players and coaches

Current roster

''As of August 1, 2007''

★ Players in bold have had senior international appearances for their respective national squads.
:''Source: http://web.mlsnet.com/players/roster.jsp?club=t100''

Notable players

; Bulgaria

★ Hristo Stoichkov (2000–2002)
; Costa Rica

★ Paulo Wanchope (2007–)
; Czech Republic

★ Lubos Kubik (1998–2000)
; Jamaica

★ Damani Ralph (2003—2005)
; Mexico

★ Cuauhtemoc Blanco (2007–)

★ Jorge Campos (1998)
; Poland

★ Roman Kosecki (1998–1999)

★ Peter Nowak (1998–2002)

★ Jerzy Podbrozny (1998–1999)
; Ukraine

★ Dema Kovalenko (1999–2002)
; United States

★ Chris Armas (1998—)

★ DaMarcus Beasley (2000–2004)

★ Carlos Bocanegra (2000–2003)

★ Frank Klopas (1998–1999)

★ Jesse Marsch (1998–2005)

★ Ante Razov (1998–2000; 2001–2004)

★ Zach Thornton (1998–2003; 2005—2007)

★ Josh Wolff (1998–2002)

★ Eric Wynalda (2001)

Head coaches

★ Bob Bradley (1998–2002)

★ Dave Sarachan (2003—2007)

★ Denis Hamlett (interim) (2007)

★ Juan Carlos Osorio (2007–current)^[3]

Front office

Club presidents

★ Robert Sanderman (1997–2000)

★ Peter Wilt (2001–2005)

★ John Guppy (2005—)

General managers

★ Peter Wilt (1997–2005)

★ John Guppy (2005—)

Ring of Fire

The "Ring of Fire" was established in 2003 by the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Fire Alumni Association as permanent tribute to honor those who have made the Chicago Fire a proud and successful club over the course of its history. Aside from the initial member, only "Ring of Fire" members can select new inductees, and no more than one can be selected any year. The names of the "Ring of Fire" are prominently displayed in Chicago's home stadium. On July 22, 2006, the first former front office member, ex-President and General Manager Peter Wilt, was selected for induction into the "Ring of Fire."

★ 10 Peter Nowak (inducted 2003)

★ 41 Frank Klopas (inducted 2004)

★ 3 Luboš Kubík (inducted 2005)

★ GM Peter Wilt (inducted 2006)

★ Former Head Coach Bob Bradley (inducted 2007)

Honors

Domestic

★ 'MLS Cup:'

★
★ 'Winner (1):' 1998

★
★ 'Runner-up (2):' 2000, 2003

★ 'MLS Supporters' Shield:'

★
★ 'Winner (1):' 2003

★
★ 'Runner-up (2):' 2000, 2001

★ 'US Open Cup:'

★
★ 'Winner (4):' 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006

★
★ 'Runner-up (1):' 2004

International

★ 'CONCACAF Champions Cup:'

★
★ 'Third-place (2):' 1999, 2004

International competition

★ '1999 CONCACAF Champions' Cup'

★
★ Quarterfinals v. Joe Public F.C. -- 2:0

★
★ Semifinals v. LD Alajuelense -- 1:1 (Alajuela advance 5:4 on penalties)

★
★ Third place game v. D.C. United -- 2:2

★ '2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup'

★
★ 1st round v. CSD Municipal -- 2:0, 1:0 (Fire advance 3:0 on aggregate)

★
★ Quarterfinals v. CA Monarcas Morelia -- 0:2, 2:1 (Monarcas advance 3:2 on aggregate)

★ '2004 CONCACAF Champions' Cup'

★
★ Quarterfinals v. CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh -- 2:5, 4:0 (Fire advance 6:5 on aggregate)

★
★ Semifinals v. Deportivo Saprissa -- 0:2, 2:1 (Saprissa advance 3:2 on aggregate)

Club records

★ Games: C.J. Brown, 222

★ Goals: Ante Razov, 76

★ Assists: Peter Nowak, 48

★ Shutouts: Zach Thornton, 57
''MLS regular season only, through 2006''

Home stadiums

★ Soldier Field (1998–2001)

★ Cardinal Stadium (2002–2003)

★ Soldier Field (2004–2005)

★ Toyota Park (2006—)

Average attendance

''regular season/playoffs''

★ 1998: 17,887/22,677

★ 1999: 16,016/8,197

★ 2000: 13,387/8,431

★ 2001: 16,388/11,239

★ 2002: 12,922/9,434

★ 2003: 14,005/14,961

★ 2004: 17,153/missed playoffs

★ 2005: 17,238/11,493

★ 2006: 14,088/10,217

★ All-Time: 15,419

Club system

★ ''Chicago Fire'' — MLS (First Team)

★ ''Chicago Fire Reserves'' — MLS Reserves Division (Professional Reserve Team)

★ ''Chicago Fire Premier'' — USL Premier Development League (4th division) (U20 and U23 Collegiate Amateur Select Teams)

★ ''Chicago Fire Elite'' — Statewide (U14 to U18 Youth Select Teams); run in conjunction with Illinois ODP

★ ''Chicago Fire Juniors'' — Local (U8 to U23 Youth Club); satellite clubs in Milwaukee, Western Michigan and Mississippi.

Television and radio

Fire matches are televised locally by Comcast Sports Network of Chicago, as well as WPWR Channel 50. Kenn Tomasch, Kenny Stern and Chris Doran are the announcers on CSN Chicago, with Fred Huebner and Chris Doran as the team on channel 50.
On radio, the Fire have all matches broadcast in Spanish by "La Tremenda" WRTO-AM; Oscar Guzman, Adrian Camacho and Enrique Fernandez handle the announcers duties. All matches are also broadcast in Polish by WNVR with Jacek Zielinski doing the announcing and Leszek Dorosz on commentary.

Radio Show

Recently, the Fire announced that a weekly radio show will be offered every Tuesday at 6:00 PM on WXAV 88.3 FM "The X". The show is called "Chicago Fire Weekly", and is broadcast on the campus of Saint Xavier University in Chicago. The radio station is headed by Program Director Angelo Bonadonna. Promotions Director Kevin Kellam, and Sports Director Terry Bonadonna also co-host the show with Angelo.

External links

★ Chicago Fire Soccer Club Official club website

★ Chicago Fire Soccer Club - History Official club history (with photos and uniforms)

★ Section 8 Chicago ISA Independent Supporters' Association website

★ The Fire Alarm News and opinion site about the Fire

★ Official Fire Message Board, courtesy of BigSoccer

★ Chicago Fire Premier, PDL (amateur) Affiliate Club

★ Chicago Fire Juniors, Chicago-based Youth Affiliate Club

★ West Michigan Fire Juniors, Michigan-based Youth Affiliate Club

★ Elm Grove Soccer, Milwaukee-based Youth Affiliate Club

★ Chicago Fire Juniors of Mississippi, Mississippi-based Youth Affiliate Club