April 19, 2010
FIRE RETURN HOME TO CHALLENGE DYNAMO AT TOYOTA PARK
The Chicago Fire (1-2-1, 4 points) welcome two-time MLS Cup Champions and perennial Western Conference power Houston Dynamo (2-1-1, 7 points) to TOYOTA PARK on Saturday, April 24 at 7:30 PM live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The Fire, coming off of a 2-0 road victory against D.C. United, play their second home match of the season as the “Men in Red” combat the “Men in Orange”.
The Fire will be looking to break the streak against the Houston side, having never defeated the Dynamo at TOYOTA PARK, going 0-3-1 in four matches at home since the teams first met in 2006. The Dynamo enter Saturday’s tilt with the Fire after defeating Chivas USA 3-0 over the weekend on goals from Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer and Dominic Oduro.
CHICAGO FIRE WEEKLY TRAINING SCHEDULE: APRIL 20 – April 24
Chicago Fire players and coaches will be made available to media at the TOYOTA PARK practice field Tuesday-Friday, following training. Media will be able to begin conducting interviews after training, which runs approximately two to two and a-half hours.
Tuesday, April 20 – Training 9:00–11:00 AM CT – TOYOTA PARK – OPEN TO MEDIA*^
Wednesday, April 21 – Training 9:00–11:00 AM CT – TOYOTA PARK – OPEN TO MEDIA*^
Thursday, April 22 – Training 9:00–11:00 AM CT – TOYOTA PARK – OPEN TO MEDIA*^
Friday, April 23 – Training 9:00–11:00 AM CT – TOYOTA PARK – OPEN TO MEDIA*^
Saturday, April 24 – Houston Dynamo at Chicago Fire – TOYOTA PARK – 7:30 PM CT (Comcast SportsNet)
*Training is open to the media. Fire players and coaches will be made available immediately following training, which runs two to two and a-half hours.
^Training times are subject to change. Please contact Becky Carroll at 312.350.5260, Brendan Hannan at 708.496.6725 or Franco Sui Yuan at 708.496.6744 for media requests.
CHICAGO FIRE VS. Houston Dynamo
· The Fire are 2-5-1 in eight meetings since 2006. Houston has never lost at TOYOTA PARK, going 3-0-1 at the Fire’s soccer-specific stomping grounds.
· The Fire played the Dynamo to a 1-1 draw in their final preseason friendly in Houston. Marco Pappa’s 71st minute strike leveled the game after Cam Weaver put the Dynamo ahead in the 63rd minute.
· Saturday’s match features a battle of veteran age and guile as Brian McBride, Major League Soccer’s oldest field player (37-years-old) faces off against the league’s oldest overall player, Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad (42-years-old).
· In 2009 the Fire were defeated twice by the Dynamo. A Stuart Holden goal in the fourth minute doomed the Fire 1-0 at TOYOTA PARK on June 5. In the away leg, Houston escaped again with a one-goal advantage, defeating the Fire 3-2 on a late game penalty kick from Holden to sweep the season series on August 9.
· Brian McBride’s goal and assist against D.C. United over the weekend pushed the Fire forward over the 200 point mark on his career. McBride reached 200 career points on his 50th assist, a back heel pass to Marco Pappa on Saturday against D.C. The Arlington Heights product moved his all-time total to 202 points with his 76th career goal, an 89th minute header that sealed the Fire’s victory over United 2-0.
CHICAGO FIRE DEFEAT D.C. UNITED TO EARN THREE POINTS ON THE ROAD
The Chicago Fire utilized two late second half goals from Marco Pappa and Brian McBride to defeat D.C. United 2-0 and earn their first victory of the 2010 MLS season. McBride, who entered the game as a second half substitute in the 76th minute, tallied his 76th career MLS goal and his 50th MLS assist to catapult the Fire over United at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
The Fire (1-2-1, 4 points), playing in their third road match of the young MLS season, tallied two goals in the final ten minutes to give Head Coach Carlos de los Cobos his first MLS victory.
Pappa tallied in his second consecutive match, taking a McBride back heel pass and striking a sharp finish into the roof of the net. Check out Pappa’s second goal of the season here. McBride finished off United with his second goal of the season. Fire goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra sent a booming free kick 60 yards and McBride snuck a seeing-eye header inside the near post past United goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
Dykstra, playing in front of 100 family and friends, stopped three shots and earned the first clean sheet of his MLS career to partner with his first MLS assist.
CHICAGO FIRE “GOES GREEN” TO HONOR EARTH DAY AND PROMOTE GREEN FRIENDLY POLICIES THROUGHOUT CHICAGO AND TOYOTA PARK
To help beautify TOYOTA PARK, celebrate Earth Day and promote a more eco-friendly environment in the community, Chicago Fire players and staff, in conjunction with Chicago Gateway Green, MLS W.O.R.K.S. and the Village of Bridgeview will plant 40 trees at TOYOTA PARK on Thursday, April 22. At Noon, Fire president Dave Greeley will be joined by Village of Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek, Gateway Green Chicago Executive Director April Djakoniya and Fire players for a ceremonial planting of a Chicago Fire “burning bush” outside the stadium prior to planting 40 trees in the community throughout the afternoon.
On Saturday, April 24th, the club will host the “Fire Goes Green” game, when the Fire take on the Houston Dynamo at TOYOTA PARK at 7:30 PM CT (Comcast SportsNet). The Fire will wear commemorative uniforms featuring unique colored name and numbers, and a special patch to help highlight the “going green” initiatives throughout the game. Fans attending the Fire – Dynamo match will have an opportunity to bid on these game-worn, commemorative Fire jerseys from each member of the team. Each winner will be given the opportunity to have the Fire player personally autograph the game worn jersey after the game. Upon entry to the match, the first 5,000 Fire fans will receive reusable bags courtesy of MLS W.O.R.K.S. and Kick10 Promotions and an eco-tip wallet guide. Upon exit, fans will receive an additional reusable bag courtesy of Aldi, CFL light bulbs and flower seed packets as a “green give away” to expand the ‘greener’ game-day experience outside of the gates of TOYOTA PARK. All proceeds benefit the Chicago Fire Foundation. For more information contact the Chicago Fire Foundation at 708-496-6740.
CHICAGO FIRE WELCOME LEGIA WARSAW, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN AND RED STAR BELGRADE FOR FIRST-EVER CHICAGO SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL CUP AT TOYOTA PARK
The Chicago Fire Soccer Club will host the first-ever Chicago Sister Cities International Cup on Wednesday, May 19 and Saturday, May 22 at TOYOTA PARK. Joining the Fire for the two-day, four-team international tournament are Legia Warsaw of Warsaw, Poland, Paris Saint-Germain of Paris, France and Red Star Belgrade of Belgrade, Serbia.
The Fire and Chicago Sister Cities International have partnered to bring top-flight international soccer to TOYOTA PARK for a two-day tournament that will feature premier clubs from three of Chicago’s sister cities. Chicago has proven itself to be one of the great cities in the world with one of the most fervent soccer markets in the United States and will make for an excellent backdrop to this international tournament featuring the Fire and three world-renowned clubs.
Tickets to the Chicago Sister Cities International Cup go on sale Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 AM CT. Fans can purchase tickets through the Club’s official website at www.chicago-fire.com or by calling the Chicago Fire at 1-888-MLS-FIRE (657-3473). Tickets are also available via Ticketmaster.
MEXICO READIES FOR 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP WITH MATCH IN CHICAGO
The Mexico Men’s national team begins preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with an exhibition match at Soldier Field against Senegal on Monday, May 10 at 8:00 PM CT. Mexico boss Javier Aguirre called in 17 players for El Tri’s four exhibition matches in North America meeting Ecuador on May 7 in New Jersey, Senegal on May 10 in Chicago and Angola three days later in Houston before playing Chile in a World Cup send-off match May 16 in Mexico City. Among those called in to camp by Aguirre is former Chicago Fire forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco. The play-making Blanco will return to Chicago for the first time since he departed for Second Division Mexican side Veracruz in the 2010 offseason.
FIRE IN THE NEWS
Fire’s Dykstra basks in memorable win – Jack McCarthy – Chicago Tribune – April 19, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/soccer/ct-spt-0419-fire-folo–20100418,0,25154.story
Dykstra’s Long Journey Comes Full Circle – Paul Tenorio – Washington Post – April 16, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041603439.html
McBride, Mapp burn brightest for Fire – Sam Stejskal – MLSsoccer.com – April 17, 2010
http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/mcbride-mapp-burn-brightest-fire
CHICAGO FIRE TEAM WRITER, JEFF CRANDALL FEATURES ON CHICAGO-FIRE.COM
This Week in Fire History – Chicago-Fire.com – April 15, 2010
http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/04/week-fire-history
Deris Determined – Chicago-Fire.com – April 15, 2010
http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/04/deris-determined
Familiar Fire Faces – Chicago-Fire.com – April 17, 2010
http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/04/familiar-fire-faces
INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Individual game tickets for all 2010 MLS regular season Chicago Fire matches at TOYOTA PARK are now on sale. The Fire have individual tickets starting at just $22. For more information on any Chicago Fire ticket package please call 1-888-MLS-FIRE (657-3473) or visit the club’s official website at www.chicago-fire.com.
FIRE UNVEIL 2010 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
The Fire appear in a total of 16 nationally televised broadcasts throughout its 13th season of MLS play. For the third consecutive year, every Fire game will be televised, either through national or regional broadcasts, or on the MLS Direct Kick package. Please head to www.chicago-fire.com for the club’s full MLS schedule.
FOLLOW THE CHICAGO FIRE 24/7 VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow the Chicago Fire on the web at www.Chicago-Fire.com, on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChiFireSoccer on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ChicagoFire or the Fire’s blog EN FUEGO.
ABOUT CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER CLUB
The Chicago Fire Soccer Club 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. For more information on the Chicago Fire, please visit the club’s official website at www.Chicago-Fire.com.
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 performed live at TOYOTA PARK. In 2010, TOYOYTA PARK will again host Jimmy Buffet and Phish, while welcoming back Eric Clapton and his Crossroads tour.
Chicago Fire Soccer Club Weekly Update