Fire Insider:
What has been your favorite Chicago Fire moment so far?
John Guppy:
It must have been when the players walked onto the field for the Grand Opening of TOYOTA PARK. Banners went up and the streamers came down, it was incredible.
FI: What is your favorite team to play against and why?
JG: D.C. United, because I love to beat Kevin Payne.
FI: What other soccer leagues do you follow?
JG: English, Spanish, Italian, and now Mexican.
FI: How long were you in talks with Blanco before he officially signed with the Chicago Fire?
JG: Real conversations began the first week of February, so we had two months of real discussions.
FI: What does Blanco's arrival mean as far as the rest of the roster is concerned?
JG: We have been building this roster since the beginning with a view to sign a Designated Player, so from a salary cap standpoint we don't have to make any moves to accommodate him. On the field, Dave has to worry about how to put the best players on the field.
FI: Chris Armas has quietly announced that this will be his last season. What does that mean for the team?
JG: A big part of the value that Chris brings to this club goes well beyond what happens on the field - his value in the locker room is very important and it's going to be impossible to replace those qualities. We'll go on, but it will be a different organization without Chris here.
FI: Have there been any team issues since the MLS Players Union released the players' salaries publicly?
JG: I think the players in the locker room have a pretty good sense of those numbers anyway. Obviously it was a decision the Union made to release it publicly but I haven't had to have any conversations with players about that. Especially in terms of Blanco - which is a significant number - I think everyone in the locker room appreciates the value he brings on the field as well as off.
FI: What do you do in your very limited free time?
JG: Most of my free time is spent with my family. Now my kids are into every sport there is. I'm either at soccer games or swim meets now that the summer is coming.
FI: Do you coach your kids?
JG: No, so far I have avoided coaching and try to be inconspicuous on the sidelines. I've run my own soccer camps before and I've coached kids at every age group, but I don't really want to get involved in that at this young age. Maybe when they get a little older we'll see, right now its good to just be an observing dad.
