Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare has been added to the 2009 MLS All-Star Team roster as a replacement for Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching. Soumare joins the Fire's Wilman Conde and Cuauhtémoc Blanco on the All-Star roster.
Soumare, a 23-year-old defender from Mali, will replace Ching on the roster, as the Dynamo star striker is being given rest after a grueling stretch of games with the U.S. National Team. Ching has played in four of five Gold Cup games as the U.S. men advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final where they will face Mexico on Sunday, July 26. Now in his third MLS season, Soumare has become one of the League's most outstanding defenders. He has started 14 games this season helping lead Chicago to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
This will be the first All-Star appearance for Soumare, but not the first League accolade for him. Last season Soumare was named to the League's Best XI.
The 2009 MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 29 at Rio Tinto Stadium - home of Real Salt Lake - in Sandy, Utah when the MLS All-Stars play Everton FC of the English Premier League. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision at 9:30 p.m. ET.
ABOUT CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER
Chicago Fire Soccer was founded on October 8, 1997 as a Major League Soccer expansion team. The Fire won the MLS Cup in its inaugural season in 1998 and was crowned the champion of U.S. Soccer's national tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. In June 2006, the Fire moved into its world-class home of TOYOTA PARK, located in Bridgeview, IL.
ABOUT TOYOTA PARK
Located 15 minutes from downtown Chicago and minutes from Midway airport off of I-55 on Harlem Avenue, TOYOTA PARK is the Midwest's preeminent outdoor live entertainment and sporting facility. Opened in 2006, TOYOTA PARK not only serves as the home of the Chicago Fire, but also hosts a variety of sporting events, special events and concerts by national and international artists. In 2009, artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett to Phish will perform live at TOYOTA PARK.
