Spring training is underway for the Chicago Fire. Well, almost. The players have arrived in Bridgeview and have had physicals. The team is scheduled to leave for Bradenton, Fla., early Wednesday morning. However, due to weather concerns, their departure may be pushed back slightly.
But for now, the feeling is one of a fresh start. The Fire ended 2007 with a good run, making a trip back to the Eastern Conference Championship, while falling short to New England. That is now the past. And it's time to look to 2008.
"We're very excited this day has finally come," Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said. "We're anxious to get out on the field. We have a good blend of players. It's time to get a look at them and build this team."
The Fire enter 2008 with new coaches, a new goalkeeper and quite a few new faces. It's too early to say who will be here come opening day, March 29, but everyone who was in Bridgeview was ready to get things started.
"We have the core of our team returning, which we can build on," Fire defender Gonzalo Segares said. "We have to rely on the group to get us through a long season. We expect to have a pretty good bench."
Defender C.J. Brown returns for his 11th campaign. He along with Diego Gutierrez will be looked to for guidance. Gutierrez, who started his MLS career with the Kansas City Wizards in 1996, re-signed on Wednesday while also announcing it will be his final season.
"I like to play by example," Brown said. "I don't always s have all the right words. We have a lot of young guys. It's time for us to buckle down and play. We want to see them put that talent to use. It's not easy for the new guys."
Forward Calen Carr will be entering his third year in a Fire uniform. He said the team is ready to erase last year's mistakes and focus on one of their true gems -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco. This time, Blanco's here for the whole season.
"Having a player like Blanco on the field every day is amazing," Carr said. "To train with a player of his caliber does a lot to raise our level of play. He's a great playmaker."
One of the many questions is who will start in goal. Without doubt, the Fire are turning to experience. Jon Busch joined the Fire in 2007. He's been part of the league since 2002, playing with the Columbus Crew. Busch played in three regular-seaosn games for Chicago in 2007. Overall, he's played in 86 MLS contests with 26 shutouts and a 36-26-23 record.
"There's no surprise that we plan on Jon Busch being our No. 1 goalkeeper," Fire assistant coach Daryl Shore said. "He's earned that. He's a solid, proven goalkeeper in MLS. He's coming off of a couple years of injuries. Last year he was healthy. This year we feel his rejuvenated and regenerated."
Busch may be penciled in at this point, but he has competition from some up and coming stars. Nick Noble is back for his second year with Chicago. The Fire also drafted goalkeepers Dominic Cervi (University of Tulsa) and Melford James, Jr. (University of Montevallo) to shake things up a bit. Shore said the team will keep three of the four.
"We've got four good goalkeepers here," Busch said. "You can't start thinking you're No. 1. When you get comfortable, that's when you get knocked off the top of the hill."
The team is scheduled to train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. from Feb. 6-20. While there, they will face the U.S. U-17 national team (Feb. 9), Columbus Crew (Feb. 13), Kansas City Wizards (Feb. 16) and Toronto FC (Feb. 20). The remainder of the preseason has yet to be announced, although, the Fire will return the week prior to their March 29 opener at Real Salt Lake.
Kathryn L. Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
