CHICAGO - The Chicago Fire (10-6-2, 32 pts.) will look to win its fourth straight contest and take sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference standings tomorrow when it plays host to its fellow co-leader, the New England Revolution (9-1-5, 32 pts.), at Soldier Field at 7:30 p.m. CT. The first 10,000 fans through the gates at Soldier Field tomorrow will receive a complementary Chicago Fire pennant, courtesy of Federal Life Insurance.
Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast the Fire-Revolution match as its featured "MLS on FSC" Game of the Week. Fans that can't make it to the lakefront can also follow the action by tuning into WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish) and WNVR-AM 1030 (Polish) or by visiting the Fire's official website, www.Chicago-Fire.com (English), where links for the Spanish and Polish language radio broadcasts can also be found. For ticket information on tomorrow's contest, please visit www.Chicago-Fire.com. Individual tickets and discounted tickets for groups of 15 or more can also be secured by calling the Fire office at 1-888-MLS-FIRE. The Fire would like to remind both season ticket holders and media members to use Ticket and Parking Pass #9 for tomorrow night's Fire-Revs match.
Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution
Saturday, July 9 @ 7:30 p.m. CT: Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Satellite: VYVX Conf #1870370
Audio: WRTO 1200 AM (Spanish), WNVR 1030 AM (Polish), www.Chicago-Fire.com (English)
MLS Game Guide
Chicago Fire AthletiCo Injury Report
Capano, Craig - L torn ACL surgery - Out
Jaqua, Nate - L ankle bone bruise - Probable
Pickens, Matt - R groin strain - Out
Thiago - L knee ligament tear - Out
Thorrington, John - L hamstring strain - Out
Series History vs. New England
The Fire would like to put its recent history against New England in the past, as Chicago has dropped its last three contests against the Revs, including the first two meetings in the 2005 series. New England's 3-0 win at Soldier Field on Apr. 27 and a 2-0 result on May 7 at Gillette Stadium pushed the Fire's regular season mark against the Revolution to 7-10-5. The Fire has collected a 4-3-4 record in games contested in Chicagoland, with its loss in May breaking a four-game undefeated streak at home against the Revs (2-0-2). Like they did in 2004, the Fire and Revolution will close out their respective 2005 regular season campaigns in a head-to-head match-up on Oct. 15 in Foxboro, MA.
Fire Asks Fans to Donate New and Used Soccer Equipment Tomorrow for Passback Program
For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Fire is teaming up with EuroSport, Western Union and the U.S. Soccer Foundation to help out less fortunate youth soccer players by taking part in the Passback Program, an international organization that sends new and used equipment that is in good condition to middle and high schools, start-up teams and recreation leagues. The Fire will collect new and gently used items for the Passback Program at Gate 0 at Soldier Field before and during tomorrow's Eastern Conference clash against the New England Revolution. For more information on the Passback Program, please visit www.passback.com.
Armas and Sanneh Help U.S. to 4-1 Win Over Cuba in CONCACAF Gold Cup
Fire midfielder Chris Armas and D/M Tony Sanneh both played the full 90 minutes for the United States Men's National Team in their 4-1 win over Cuba Thursday night at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup opener for both sides. Armas (59 caps, 2 goals) donned the captain's armband in his first international appearance since last August, while Sanneh (42 caps, 3 goals) helped anchor the back line in his first cap since November for Bruce Arena's squad. Armas and Sanneh will miss the Fire's next two contests during the Gold Cup, with the number reaching up to four games should the U.S. advance deep into the tournament. This U.S. (1-0-0, 3 pts.) will return to Group B action tomorrow at Qwest Field when it takes on Canada (0-1-0, 0 pts.) at 3:30 p.m. CT (live on Telefutura).
Quick Kicks vs. Revolution
