The 2008 season officially got underway for the Chicago Fire on Tuesday afternoon when the club kicked things off with its annual FireWorks for Kids Foundation Season Kickoff Luncheon at the Hilton Chicago. The fans came out in big numbers and again sold out the luncheon with a record of over 700 attendees.
"We would not be able to do what we do if it was not for the heartfelt support from everyone here today and many, many more people," said Donald Ortale, the Fire's senior director of community relations and CEO of the FireWorks for Kids Foundation.
Fans witnessed flashback videos of last year's season and the historic 1998 campaign, which saw the Fire win the U.S. domestic double -- MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Television personality Brian Davis, defender C.J. Brown and midfielder Diego Gutierrez then took the stage as the center of attention for a look back at the Fire's inaugural season. Davis, a play-by-play announcer for the Fire in 1998, wore his 1998 MLS Cup ring proudly.
"The 1998 season was an amazing event," Davis said. "Winning the championship as an expansion team hadn't been done before 1998 and hasn't been done since."
Gutierrez said teamwork had a lot to do with the special season.
"We all bought into an idea -- the concept that we wanted to make this a successful team in every aspect," he said. "Excellence doesn't come cheap, and in 1998 we were excellent."
Brown reflected on his first start as a Fire defender. He was a rookie who had no intention to start. Lucky for him, Francis Okaroh was running late.
"Coach [Bob] Bradley asked me to get dressed and warm up because Francis was running late," Brown said. "Somebody forgot to pick Francis up. I came with my roommates Chris Armas and Ritchie Kotschau. To be honest, that was the best thing that was the best thing to happen to my career."
As for the upcoming season, both players are optimistic.
"We have a terrific group of players," Gutierrez said. "We have a great combination of talented veterans and talented rookies. The preseason was a matter of putting it all together."
Brown said the team is striving for nothing but a championship season.
"We always have a chance to compete for MLS Cup," Brown said. "It's a matter of whether or not we choose to play to win come game time."
The Fire begin the season on the road, traveling to Real Salt Lake for Saturday's opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They'll return home Thurs., April 3 to face the New England Revolution.
"We have a full house today," Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said. "We're very excited you're all here and we're looking forward to getting the season started."
Kathryn Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
