Mapp's Late Game Heroics Lift Fire to Win, Second Place in Eastern Conference
A busy week for midfielder Justin Mapp came to a brilliant end on Sunday night, as his goal at the end of a spectacular run in second half stoppage time pushed the Chicago Fire to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Rookie striker Chris Rolfe also got his sixth goal of the season in the win, which bumped the Fire's record to 13-10-3 for 42 points and moved the club from fourth place to a second place tie alongside the Kansas City Wizards (11-6-9, 42 pts.) in a tightly packed Eastern Conference race. The result allowed the Fire to stay within six points of the conference leading New England Revolution (14-5-6, 48 pts.), who registered a 1-0 win at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Fire to Stay Sharp With Weekend Exhibition Against Milwaukee Wave United
The Fire will take it relatively easy this week, as the squad will not take to the field in MLS or U.S. Open Cup play over the course of the next seven days. This week will not be a vacation, however, as the squad will take to its Lake Forest College training center on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in preparation for an exhibition contest this Saturday, Sept. 10 against the Milwaukee Wave United. The contest will take place at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, WI, with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. CT. Tickets for the match will cost $8 for all seats and can be purchased by calling the Wave United office at 414-224-WAVE (9283).
Armas Helps U.S. Clinch 2006 World Cup Berth in 2-0 Win Over Mexico
Fire midfielder Chris Armas's 66th career appearance for the U.S. Men's National Team might have been his biggest, as the Fire captain played the full 90 minutes in the USA's 2-0 victory over CONCACAF archrival Mexico at Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH. While every win in CONCACAF's "clasico" is a huge one, Saturday's result for the U.S. proved even sweeter as it gave the "Red, White & Blue" one of the region's three automatic berths for next summer's FIFA World Cup in Germany. Armas will also be on the roster for Bruce Arena's side when it travels to face Guatemala this Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 9:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. local time) in Guatemala City. Fire midfielder Justin Mapp, who was in the U.S. camp for most of last week, has not been recalled by Arena for Wednesday's contest and will return to Chicago with the Fire later this afternoon.
Reiter Rejoins Slovakia for Wedensday's World Cup Qualifier at Latvia
The U.S. National Team is not the only squad borrowing from the "Men in Red," as Fire forward Lubos Reiter has been called into Slovakia's camp in preparation for its next UEFA region World Cup qualifier this Wednesday, Sept. 7 against Latvia in Riga, Latvia (11:00 a.m. CT, 7:00 p.m. local time). Reiter enters the match with nine goals in 27 career appearances for Slovakia, his last "cap" coming in a 45-minute appearance off the bench in a scoreless draw at Liechtenstein on Aug. 17. After nine of 12 qualifying matches, Slovakia (5-1-3) currently sits in second place in the Group 3 standings on 18 points alongside Russia (5-1-3, 18 pts.), both of who are now five points behind group favorite Portugal (7-0-2, 23 pts.). A victory over Latvia (4-4-2, 14 pts.) will go a long way in seeing Slovakia advance towards an appearance in next year's FIFA World Cup, as the top team in each group in UEFA play earns an automatic berth while the second place sides earn a spot in a playoff to advance to Germany.
Caballero and Guerrero to Help Honduras in Friendly at Japan
Two more members of the "Men in Red" - defender Samuel Caballero and D/M Ivan Guerrero - will also be away from the Fire camp this week, as the Honduran duo has joined the rest of their "catrachos" teammates in Japan in preparation for an international friendly this Wednesday, Sept. 7 in Miyagi, Japan. The 30-year-old Caballero has tallied 17 goals in his 48 career appearances for Honduras, while the 27-year-old Guerrero has scored three goals in 59 "caps" for the catrachos. Both players last represented Honduras in July, when the duo helped the Central American side to the semifinals of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
AthletiCo Injury Report
Buete, Scott - R 5th metatarsal fracture - Out
Capano, Craig - L torn ACL surgery - Out
Griffin, Leonard - abdominal strain - Out
Jaqua, Nate - L ankle bone bruise - Out
Pickens, Matt - L ankle sprain - Out
Sanneh, Tony - R ankle sprain - Questionable
Fire Reserves Settle With 2-2 Draw at Los Angeles
The Fire's MLS Reserve Division squad saw a late lead disappear, but the squad was still able to take a point away from a 2-2 draw against its counterparts from the Los Angeles Galaxy this afternoon at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. All the scoring took place after the halftime whistle, the Fire's ledger starting with a Hemir Niebles tally in the 53rd minute that tied the match at one. Forward Andy Herron, who saw his first game action in a month for the "Men in Red" with a 15-minute substitute appearance, gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with a goal in the 85th minute, but the advantage was short-lived as the Galaxy struck back in the 88th minute to bring the match to its eventual 2-2 stalemate. After this weekend's results the Fire owns a share of first place in the MLS Reserve Division's single table, as Chicago's 18 points off a 5-2-3 record puts the squad in a deadlock atop the standings alongside D.C. United (6-4-0, 18 pts.).
Fire's Road to the Open Cup Next Goes Through FC Dallas
The Fire will continue its path towards a fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title next Wednesday, Sept. 14 when it faces off against longtime MLS 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 is a remarkable 20-4-2 in its eight U.S. Open Cup tournament appearances.
Etc.
