CHICAGO - The Chicago Fire today announced that the club and Head Coach Dave Sarachan have agreed to terms of a new contract that will keep Sarachan as the team's head coach. Per team guidelines, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am excited to have Dave continue as the head coach of the Fire," said Fire President/CEO John Guppy. "Under Dave's leadership we have assembled a nucleus of very talented players, and we believe last season ended prematurely for us in the Eastern Conference Championship. The club is hungry to go one step further next year, and Dave is the right person to lead us forward."
Sarachan led the Fire back to the MLS Cup Playoffs during a 2005 campaign in which the "Men in Red" finished with a record of 15-13-4 record and 49 points, good for third-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings during the regular season. Thanks to a 4-0 aggregate goals victory over defending MLS Cup champions D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series, the Fire reached the Eastern Conference Championship for the second time in Sarachan's three-year tenure, marking the fifth time in club history that Chicago had reached the semifinal round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, Sarachan helped the Fire reach the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the third consecutive season, and sixth time in team history, guiding the squad through three successful results on the road in the competition before falling at FC Dallas 1-0 in the semifinals.
"I'm glad that, from the business side of things, this part of the job has been settled. John Guppy has been easy to work with and has stepped in and hasn't missed a beat. His professionalism is a tremendous asset to the club," said Sarachan. "I feel that in the past three years we've built and established our roster and believe we are continuing to head in the right direction. I'm excited to build on where we left off in the 2005 season and look forward heading into 2006 and beyond. I'm especially excited about next season not only because of what we feel will be an excellent returning roster, but also from the standpoint of moving into our stadium in Bridgeview, where we are looking forward to showing and sharing our product in an environment that will be unparalleled in this league."
In his three years in Chicago, the 51-year-old Sarachan has guided the Fire to a 38-33-21 record during regular season play, giving him a winning percentage of .523 which ranks ninth in MLS history among coaches that have put in at least one full season in the League. Sarachan's three-year tenure with the Fire is the third longest amongst active coaches with the same squad, putting him behind only Bob Gansler's six-year run with the Kansas City Wizards and New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol's three-and-a-half seasons in Foxboro. Sarachan's MLS Cup Playoff record of 4-2-1 places tied for the sixth best postseason winning percentage (.643) in League annals.
Since being named only the second coach in Fire history on Nov. 4, 2002, Sarachan has guided the squad to its third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup crown in 2003 in addition to appearances in MLS Cup 2003 and the 2004 Open Cup Final. The Rochester, NY native was named the MLS Coach of the Year in 2003 after leading the "Men in Red" to several accolades in his first year as an MLS head coach, including the club's first Supporters Shield title as the League's top regular season team and its lone Eastern Conference Championship crown.
The Fire's appearance in MLS Cup 2003 led to an invite to the 2004 CONCACAF Champions Cup, during which Chicago registered a combined 2-2-0 record against San Juan Jabloteh of Trinidad & Tobago (quarterfinals) and Costa Rican powerhouse Deportivo Saprissa (semifinals).
Prior to joining the Fire, Sarachan served two years as an assistant coach under current U.S. Men's National Team Manager Bruce Arena during the team's historic run to the quarterfinal round of the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2002. The stint with the U.S. National Team reunited Sarachan with Arena for a third time, having previously served as his assistant at D.C. United (1998-99) and the University of Virginia (1984-88). Sarachan also served as the Head Coach at his alma mater, Cornell University, from 1989-97, where he directed the Big Red to a 64-63-16 record and the 1995 Ivy League Championship. After graduating from Cornell in 1976, Sarachan spent two years with the Rochester Lancers of the North American Soccer League from 1976-77. Following his stint in the NASL, Sarachan played for four teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League before retiring from professional soccer in 1982.
Born on June 7, 1954, in Rochester, NY, Sarachan is married to Cherie. The couple resides in Gurnee, IL with their two children, Ian and Alexa.
