BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Sept. 7, 2007) - The race to the playoffs heats up Saturday night as the Chicago Fire (7-10-5, 26 pts.) take to the road to face the Columbus Crew (6-7-10, 28 pts.) at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The "Men in Red" enter their second-straight Eastern Conference road contest, dropping a 1-0 decision to the New York Red Bulls last Saturday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Columbus has seen crucial points slip away as of late, going winless in their past five games with three ties, including a 1-1 draw in Ohio's capital versus the Colorado Rapids last Sunday. Kick-off for Saturday's match is 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live nationally on the Direct Kick package and broadcast over the airwaves locally on Chicagoland radio station WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish).
Chicago Fire/AthletiCo "Recovery Room": September 7
Curtin, Jeff - R groin strain - PROBABLE
Curtin, Jim - R shoulder labral tear - OUT FOR SEASON
Guerrero, Ivan - L ankle sprain - QUESTIONABLE
Gutierrez, Diego - R heal contusion - PROBABLE
Mapp, Justin - R ankle sprain - OUT
Pickens, Matt - groin strain - PROBABLE
Russolillo, Jordan - R hip labrum tear - OUT FOR SEASON
Telesford, Osei - L groin strain - OUT
Fire History vs. Crew
This Saturday will be the third of three 2007 regular season meetings between Chicago and Columbus, with the Fire winning the first contest in a 3-2 shootout at TOYOTA PARK (6/3). The "Men in Red" couldn't find their offense against the Crew in their second meeting this season (8/4) in Bridgeview, as a scoreless draw in front of a capacity crowd of 20,358 marked the MLS home debut of Cuauhtémoc Blanco. The Fire split the 2006 season series 1-1-2, with unlikely scorer C.J. Brown's first goal in 201 regular season games proving to be the game-winner in a 2-1 win at Columbus (9/9). The Fire and Crew dueled to a pair of draws earlier in the 2006 season, a 1-1 stalemate in Columbus (4/15) and a 0-0 tie in the Crew's TOYOTA PARK debut (7/29). The lone Fire loss came in a heavy 4-1 defeat (10/07) at TOYOTA PARK in the 2006 season finale. Chicago have compiled a 16-10-8 mark in regular season play against "America's Hardest Working Team," with a 7-5-4 record in games contested in the Buckeye State.
Columbus to Date
With an emphatic 3-0 win over FC Dallas in the inaugural Pioneer Cup on March 11, Columbus looked like a much different team than the previous two seasons' Eastern Conference last-place finishers. What followed was a string of three-straight draws for the Crew, including crucial points at home against the New York Red Bulls (4/7) and New England Revolution (4/19). "America's Hardest Working Team" notched their season-first win, a 1-0 victory over D.C. United at Crew Stadium (4/28), but would then go winless throughout the month of May and well into June, including a 3-2 loss to the Fire on June 3 at TOYOTA PARK. The Black & Gold rebounded with strong form through mid-June and July, going 5-1-1 in a stretch that began with a 2-1 win at home against the Kansas City Wizards (6/20). The Crew have slumped as of late, going winless through the month of August and posting a 0-2-3 record into September, including the team's 1-1 draw at home against the Colorado Rapids (9/02) in their last regular season outing. The Crew have won more than they've lost at home, boasting a healthy 5-2-5 mark in games at Crew Stadium.
Chicago Fire Sold to Andell Holdings, LLC.
On Thursday, Sept. 6, the Chicago Fire announced that Andell Holdings, LLC., a Los Angeles-based private investment firm with global business and investment interests controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hauptman, closed of the transaction for Andell to acquire AEG's interests in Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire. The purchase price was not disclosed.
About Andell Holdings
Andell Holdings, LLC. (www.andellinc.com) is a Los Angeles-based private investment firm and family office with global business and investment interests. Founded in 1998, Andell's current activities are divided between investments in private companies, core holdings in publicly traded companies, and partnerships with best-in-class investment managers. The firm acquires and builds ownership stakes in established, well-managed, profitable businesses with solid market positions and strong growth potential. Andell focuses its direct investments in the following industries: Consumer Products and Services, Sports Related Businesses, Health/Wellness, and Media and Entertainment.
Conde Cleared to Play
Recently-signed Fire defender Wilman Conde has been cleared to play for Chicago this Saturday against Columbus. Conde, 25, signed with the "Men in Red" on Aug. 20, and has been with the team awaiting his work visa and transfer clearance. He will be with the squad in Ohio's capital city on Saturday. The Cali, Colombia native will fill the fourth and final Senior International roster spot on Chicago's 28-man roster.
Quick Kicks vs. Columbus
• The Fire lead the regular season series with Columbus in shots (475), shots on goal (196), and fouls (565). Both sides are tied with 53 goals apiece in the series.
• Fire goalkeeper Nick Noble celebrated his 22nd birthday on Saturday, Sept. 1.
• Both Crew defender Chad Marshall and rookie midfielder Brad Evans have been placed on Columbus' season-ending injury list.
• Columbus Crew and U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team midfielder Danny Szetela signed with La Liga's Racing Santander on Friday, Aug. 31.
• The Fire's active leaders against Columbus are: Games Played & Started - C.J. Brown (30), Goals - Chris Rolfe (5), Assists - Chris Armas (6), Fouls Committed - Chris Armas (43), Fouls Suffered - C.J. Brown (29), Minutes Played - C.J. Brown (2,690), Shots - Justin Mapp (22), Shots On Goal - Chris Rolfe (14).
• Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch holds the Crew's Fire-Crew regular season series single game record in saves with 11 (8/13/03), and hold his former team's records against Chicago all-time in wins (5), shutouts (3), and saves (49).
• Caution Watch - Chad Barrett (3c), C.J. Brown (7c), Calen Carr (4c), Jeff Curtin (3c, 1e), Diego Gutierrez (7c, 1e), Logan Pause (1c), Dasan Robinson (3c), Gonzalo Segares (4c, 1e), Bakary Soumare (4c, 1e).
