Fire Takes 20-4-2 Open Cup Record to FC Dallas in Semifinal Contest
The Fire will continue its path towards a fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title on Wednesday, Sept. 14 when it faces off against longtime MLS and Brimstone Cup rival FC Dallas at the brand new Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX at 7:00 p.m. CT. The match, the fourth road contest in as many games in this year's tournament for Chicago, will mark the Fire's sixth semifinal contest in eight tournament appearances as the "Men in Red" look to advance to their fifth final in the domestic championship. Chicago is one of only seven teams in tournament's 91-year history to win three championships, and is the last to do so since the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms won their third Dewar Trophy in 1983. The Fire, 10-12-1 all-time against Dallas in MLS play, has registered a remarkable 20-4-2 record in eight tournament appearances. The winner of this game will move one step closer to lifting the Dewar Cup in the U.S. Open Final to be held the following Wednesday, Sept. 28 against the winner of the Los Angeles Galaxy - Minnesota Thunder match, also to be played Wednesday night.
Back to League Play Saturday as Fire Visits Crew
The "Men in Red" will end a 13-day break between MLS contests when it heads to Columbus this Saturday, Sept. 17 for an Eastern Conference clash against the Columbus Crew from Crew Stadium. The Fire will head into Crew Stadium with the upper hand, as the Chicagoans own a 13-8-5 all-time record against the Crew and is yet undefeated this season against its fellow Eastern Conference rival. Fire midfielder Justin Mapp scored the game-winning goal in the first meeting on Apr. 30 in Columbus to help the Fire to a 2-0 win, while defender Jim Curtin would tally only his third goal of his career on July 16 as the Fire tied the Crew 1-1 at Soldier Field in the clubs' second encounter of 2005. The teams will wrap up the four-game series on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Soldier Field in the Fire's last regular season game at the lakefront venue. Saturday's contest is set to kick-off at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet.
AthletiCo Injury Report
Buete, Scott - R 5th metatarsal fracture - Out
Capano, Craig - L torn ACL surgery - Out
Griffin, Leonard - R knee surgery- Out
Jaqua, Nate - L ankle bone bruise - Probable
Pickens, Matt - L ankle sprain - Out
Sanneh, Tony - R ankle sprain - Probable
For the Record:
"It feels great to be back, even though I'm not 100% there yet. I'm trying to take it one step at a time, trying to regain my rhythm. It was tough, not playing or training for a few months, but I was pretty optimistic about coming back this season. The toughest part now is just regaining my fitness. We have lots of good forwards on our team so it's not going to be easy to earn back my spot. In the end, what matters is that we make the playoffs. I'll do my best to help the team accomplish that."
- Forward Nate Jaqua on returning to play after suffering a left ankle injury that kept him out of action for over three months
Chad Barrett Helps Fire Cruise to 4-1 Win over Milwaukee Wave United
Chicago Fire midfielder Chad Barrett played a part in all four of the Fire's tallies in helping the club cruise to a 4-1 win over Milwaukee Wave United in an exhibition contest Saturday night at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, WI. Barrett started the scoring with a goal in the 21st minute before playing provider on the team's three, second half goals, two coming off the foot of fellow rookie Will Johnson (54th and 60th minutes) and the other from striker Lubos Reiter in the 83rd minute. The match also saw three key contributors to the "Men in Red" - forwards Nate Jaqua and Andy Herron and defender Tony Sanneh - return to the first team after having been beset by injuries during much of the summer. Barrett, who leads the MLS Reserve Division with seven goals and two assists in eight contests, has made 16 appearances with the first team in his debut season, tallying one goal and two assists.
Fire Quartet Returns to Chicago After National Team Duty
Four Fire players have returned to Chicago after making appearances with their respective national teams and will be available for Fire boss Dave Sarachan during this week's crucial matches against FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew. Fire captain Chris Armas has rejoined the Fire after helping the U.S. clinch a spot at the 2006 World Cup in Germany by playing the full 90 minutes and helping the U.S. to a convincing 2-0 victory over Mexico on Sept. 3 at Crew Stadium. While Armas also traveled with the squad for its match against Guatemala last Wednesday (a 0-0 tie), the 32-year-old "Fire Original" did not dress. Meanwhile, forward Lubos Reiter, who was called into Slovakia's camp for its UEFA region World Cup Qualifying games, did not see any playing time with his national team, who tied 1-1 with Latvia on Sept. 7. Reiter made his return to the Fire lineup in style, as the 30-year-old tallied the last goal for the "Men in Red" during Saturday's friendly against Milwaukee to secure a 4-1 win. Finally, the Honduran duo of Samuel Caballero and Ivan Guerrero returned to the Windy City after participating with their Honduran National Team in a 5-4 loss to Japan last Wednesday in Miyagi, Japan.
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