Mexican soccer legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco will put pen to paper Tuesday on a deal with the Chicago Fire, the club has announced.
The Fire said Blanco will be in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday for a pair of events. He'll be at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., Monday at 7 p.m. CT to meet fans and sign autographs, and on Tuesday, he'll sign his contract with the Men in Red during the club's media luncheon at the Hilton Chicago at 10 a.m. CT.
Like David Beckham, who agreed to a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January, Blanco won't join his new club until the summer. His contract with his current team, Mexican powerhouse Club America, expires June 30, and Blanco will be eligible to join the Fire immediately thereafter.
Blanco will count as the Fire's designated player, meaning the first $400,000 of his contract will be paid by the league and its investors. The remainder will be paid for by the team and its investor-operator, AEG.
The 34-year-old is the third player to be signed under the designated player rule after Beckham and Claudio Reyna of the New York Red Bulls.
Blanco comes to the Fire after building his legend with the Mexican national team and with numerous teams in the Mexican Primera Division, most notably Club America. Blanco began his career with the Aguilas in 1990 at age 17 and in four separate stints with the club, he's scored 124 goals in 312 games. He has also played for Necaxa and Veracruz in Mexico and Real Valladolid in Spain.
For the Mexican national team, Blanco has made 95 appearances and scored 25 goals. Blanco appeared in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups for El Tricolor, but his brightest moment on the international stage was the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, when he scored a tournament-record nine goals to lead Mexico to the title.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
