Fire to host press conference Wednesday at Harry Caray's to announce special activities for Sept. 17 match
"Men in Red" return to the road Saturday for Eastern Conference showdown at Columbus Crew
Midfielder Pascal Bedrossian could be available for Fire this weekend in Columbus
Forward Andy Herron plays off the bench in Costa Rica's 2-2 draw against Austria
Fire to host press conference Wednesday at Harry Caray's Restaurant to announce events surrounding Sept. 17 match
The Chicago Fire has announced that the club will host a press conference tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Harry Caray's Restaurant, located at 33 W. Kinzie St. in downtown Chicago, beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT. Fire President/CEO John Guppy will be on hand along with Lee B. Stern, owner of the NASL's Chicago Sting, former Sting Head Coach Willy Roy and former players Rudy Glenn and Mark Simanton to announce events surrounding the Fire's Sept. 17 match against Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United at TOYOTA PARK in Bridgeview.
Fire and D.C. United square off Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup Semifinal at TOYOTA PARK
The Chicago Fire (9-8-8, 35 pts. in MLS play) will look to advance its seven-game overall undefeated streak (6-0-1) this Wednesday, Sept. 6, when the red-hot Chicago squad will host MLS's top side, the Peter Nowak-led D.C. United (14-3-8, 50 pts. in MLS play), in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal tilt at TOYOTA PARK, with kick-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT. All tickets for Wednesday's Fire-United Open Cup Semifinal are available for $20 on a first-come, first-served basis (Club Seating excluded) and can be purchased by calling TicketMaster at 312-559-1212 or by visiting www.TicketMaster.com. Tickets are also available at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office, located at 7000 S. Harlem Ave., in Bridgeview, open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT and on the day of the event. Fans that can't make it out to the corner of 71st & Harlem can also follow the action live on Chicagoland radio station WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish) and via an audio webcast on the Fire's official website, www.Chicago-Fire.com.
Despite combining for four championships and a dozen semifinal appearances in the U.S. Open Cup, Wednesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Fire and United in the tournament. The Eastern Conference's top two teams have met twice this season, with D.C. holding a 1-0-1 advantage after notching a 1-0 victory at RFK Stadium on June 21 and registering a 1-1 draw in the first-ever match between the sides at TOYOTA PARK on July 22. The Fire is 14-11-6 against D.C. in all competitions (including MLS regular season, MLS Cup Playoff and CONCACAF Champions Cup play), a mark the "Men in Red" will have a chance to improve not only on Wednesday, but also in regular season contests on Sept. 17 in Bridgeview and Oct. 15 in the Nation's Capital.
Media Can Use Full Season Credentials for Parking at Wednesday's Open Cup Contest
The Chicago Fire Media Relations Department would like to remind media members that their 2006 Full Season Fire credentials will allow them access to the East Parking Lot for Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal contest against D.C. United (7:30 p.m. CT). Media members are advised to enter the East Parking Lot via the "S2" entrance off of 71st Street. As has been the case with previous U.S. Open Cup matches this year, all media and fans will be allowed entrance to TOYOTA PARK only through Gate C on the stadium's northeast side.
Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Semifinals
Wednesday, Sept. 6 @ 7:30 p.m. CT: TOYOTA PARK
TV/Satellite: None
Audio: WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish); www.Chicago-Fire.com (English)
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quick Kicks
The Fire enters Wednesday's match with a staggering 22-5-2 (.793) record in U.S. Open Cup play, which includes an 11-2-1 (.821) mark under Head Coach Dave Sarachan since he took the reigns prior to the 2003 campaign.
Wednesday will mark the seventh U.S. Open Cup semifinal round appearance for the Fire in its ninth year of play in the tournament. The "Men in Red" have collected a 4-2-0 record in their previous six semifinal appearances.
The Fire will be minus its leading active goal scorer in Open Cup play, as forward Andy Herron will be representing his native Costa Rica against Switzerland on Wednesday in the final match of the Four Nations Tournament taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Herron has scored three of the Fire's four goals in its two previous Open Cup wins this year over the Kansas City Wizards and New England Revolution, bumping his career scoring total in the tournament to five tallies.
The Fire is looking become the ninth team from the City of Chicago to win the U.S. Open Cup in 2006, which marks the 93rd year of the country's oldest soccer tournament. Besides the Fire's three titles (1998, 2000 & 2003), four other teams have brought the hardware back to the Windy City: Chicago Sparta A.B.A. (1938 and co-champions in 1940), Chicago Vikings (1946), Chicago Falcons (1953) and Chicago A.A.C. Eagles (1990).
Chicago Fire/Performance PT "Recovery Room"
Barrett, Chad - R fractured fifth metatarsal - OUT
Capano, Craig - L knee derangement - OUT (Season Ending Injury list)
Curtin, Jeff - R adductor strain - OUT
Montz, Jared - L adductor strain - OUT
Thornton, Zach - R quadriceps strain - QUESTIONABLE
Fire puts five-game MLS undefeated streak on the line Saturday at Columbus
No matter what happens to the Fire on Wednesday, the League's hottest team will still carry a five-match MLS undefeated streak (4-0-1) into the heart of Ohio as the "Men in Red" will resume League play this Saturday, Sept. 9 against a Columbus Crew (6-12-8, 26 pts.) side desperate to make up points in their chase for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Kick-off from Columbus Crew Stadium is now set for 5:00 p.m. CT (changed from its original time of 6:30 p.m. CT) for a match that can be heard live on Chicagoland radio station WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish). The Fire will look to forward Chris Rolfe to continue his hot homecoming streak, as the University of Dayton product and Kettering, OH native has scored four goals in three games at Crew Stadium, helping the Fire to a 2-0-1 mark in the team's last three visits to Columbus.
The Fire and Crew have battled to a pair of stalemates in their first two of four contests in 2006, bringing the Fire's advantage in the all-time regular season series to 14-9-7. The two squads kicked off the season series on Apr. 15 in Columbus, with goals from Fire forward Chris Rolfe and a penalty kick conversion by Crew midfielder Sebastian Rozental canceling each other out in the 1-1 draw. More than three months would pass before the two rivals met again on July 29 at TOYOTA PARK, with neither side able to break through in a 0-0 tie. April's draw upheld the Fire's advantage in Columbus, bringing Chicago's record on the road against the Crew to 6-5-4 in regular season play.
Fire Reserves return to action Sunday in Columbus
The Chicago Fire Reserves (2-4-2, 8 pts.) will look to snap their six-game winless streak this Sunday, Sept. 10, when the squad travels to central Ohio for a contest against the Columbus Crew Reserves (2-6-0, 6 pts.) at 9:00 a.m. CT at the Crew's training center in Obetz, OH. The Fire Reserves are looking for their first win since a 4-2 triumph over the New York Red Bulls Reserves on May 14 and will face a Crew Reserves side that has won their last two matches after going winless in their first six games of the 12-game Reserve Division slate.
Midfielder Pascal Bedrossian returns to France for work visa, could be available by weekend
Recently acquired midfielder Pascal Bedrossian returned to his native France over the weekend and is expected to receive his work visa around midweek. The Fire is hoping to have the services of the 31-year-old playmaker in time for the squad's visit to Ohio this weekend for its MLS regular season and Reserve Division contests against the Columbus Crew on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Fire acquired the former French first and second division veteran on Aug. 23 via a partial MLS player allocation.
Forward Andy Herron sees time in Costa Rica's 2-2 draw with Austria; could start Wednesday vs. Switzerland
Chicago Fire forward Andy Herron officially made his return to the Costa Rican National Team on Saturday by playing 23 minutes off the bench in a 2-2 draw against Austria last Saturday in a Four Nations Tournament contest at Ernst Hoppel Stadium in Geneva, Switzerland. The substitute appearance marked Herron's 18th career appearance for the "Ticos" and his first since March of 2005. Reports out of Costa Rica have the 28-year-old Herron starting Costa Rica's second and final match of the exhibition tournament this Wednesday, Sept. 6 against host Switzerland.
Fire to host Argo-Reavis high school boys soccer rivalry as part of Sept. 17 doubleheader at TOYOTA PARK
The Chicago Fire has announced that the club will host the high school boys soccer match between Chicago Southland rivals Argo and Reavis as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, Sept. 17 at TOYOTA PARK. The Fire will play host to D.C. United at 3:00 p.m. CT (live on ESPN2), with the Argo-Reavis showdown set for approximately 5:30 p.m. Supporters of both Argo and Reavis have the chance to purchase a special $10 Firehouse seat for the doubleheader in advance of game day, which Argo fans can purchase by calling Eric Dumais (708-496-6787) and Reavis fans can get by contacting Bill Sixsmith (708-496-6777). The special $10 tickets will also be on sale at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office, located at 7000 S. Harlem Ave., in Bridgeview, open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT. Students from Argo and Reavis can also purchase their tickets on the day of the game by presenting their student ID card at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office ticket windows.
2006 Pepsi Showdown high school tournament kicks off today with TOYOTA PARK the Final destination
The Third Annual Pepsi Showdown boys high school soccer tournament kicks off today with 32 teams in action in the Midwest's largest non-state association sanctioned soccer tournament. The Pepsi Showdown will continue this week with Round of 16 play at campus sites this Thursday, Sept. 7 and the four quarterfinal round winners' bracket showdowns at Lyons Township High School this Saturday, Sept. 9 (1000 S. Brainard Ave. in LaGrange, IL). The Fire is proud to announce that the club will host the Final of the 2006 Pepsi Showdown as part of a doubleheader with the Fire's regular season contest against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Pepsi Showdown final will be held at 3:00 p.m. CT, with the Fire and Galaxy kicking off later that evening at 7:30 p.m. For more information on the Pepsi Showdown, including the full tournament bracket, visit www.pepsishowdown.us.
Etc.
The Chicago Fire and Rose Paving Company are continuing their 1st Annual Steamroll Hunger Food Drive. Both organizations are collecting non-perishable food items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository through Sept. 25, with the goal of collecting 1,000 pounds of food for the GCFD by the end of the drive. Donations can be dropped off at Rose Paving's Headquarters (7300 W. 100th Place) or at TOYOTA PARK (7000 S. Harlem Ave), where the Fire will also be collecting donations at entrance gates during the team's remaining home contests in September.
