MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire Travel to Seattle to Take on Second Place FC This Saturday

Published on July 21, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


With their home win Saturday night over the San Jose Earthquakes at TOYOTA PARK, the Chicago Fire (7-3-7, 28 pts.) collected three points that give the team sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference standings entering MLS Week 18. In their second match up of the season, the Fire will travel to Seattle for a game on Saturday, July 25 (2 p.m. CT) against the Sounders FC (7-3-7, 28 pts.) at Qwest Field that will be broadcast on ESPN. This match will be the only MLS league match televised on ESPN, as opposed to ESPN2.

The Fire and Seattle tied 1-1 in their first meeting this season at TOYOTA PARK on May 2nd with midfielder Marco Pappa providing the Fire's goal. After a scoreless first half, the Fire opened scoring as Cuauhtémoc Blanco slotted a ball from deep in the right side of the box to Pappa at the top of the area. Pappa placed a low ball into the right side of the net past goalkeeper Kasey Keller for the one goal advantage. With the goal, Pappa became the first player to score a goal on Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller in MLS play. The Sounders answered just six minutes later as defender Tyrone Marshall finished on a corner kick from designated player Freddie Ljungberg for the game-tying goal.

The Fire will be without the services of defender Bakary Soumare who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last Saturday against the Earthquakes and will serve a one game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Both teams have a record of 7-3-7 heading into the match and while the Fire are atop the Eastern Conference Standings, Seattle sits just behind the Houston Dynamo (9-4-5, 32 pts.) in second place in the West.

CHICAGO FIRE WEEKLY AGENDA

**Sites/times subject to change. Please call 708.496.6725 or 6726 to confirm training schedule. All times Central.

Tuesday, July 21 Fire Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field - 9 a.m.

Wednesday, July 22 Fire Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field - 9 a.m.

Thursday, July 23 Fire Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field - 9 a.m.

Friday, July 24 Fire Training in Seattle, Washington

Saturday, July 25 FIRE @ SOUNDERS FC at Qwest Field - 2 p.m. - ESPN/ESPN Deportes

Sunday, July 26 OFF

CONCACAF GOLD CUP SEMIFINAL DOUBLEHEADER TO BE HELD AT SOLDIER FIELD THIS THURSDAY

The CONCACAF Gold Cup comes to Chicago this week as the four remaining teams: USA, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico, compete in a 2009 Gold Cup semifinal doubleheader at Soldier Field on Thursday, July 23. The first match up of the evening will feature the USA versus Honduras, with kickoff at 6 p.m. CT. The second match will feature Mexico versus Costa Rica, with kickoff at 8 p.m. CT. Three Chicago Fire players will be representing their countries this week as midfielder Logan Pause and goalkeeper Jon Busch are among the U.S. Men's National team's 23-man roster that will seek to defend their 2005 & 2007 Gold Cup titles and defender Gonzalo Segares will be representing Costa Rica as well.

The Fire is offering a special 3-game pack featuring the Gold Cup semifinal doubleheader as well as the Fire's September 20 match against the Columbus Crew and October 22 game against Chivas USA. Gold Cup 3-game packs can be purchased by clicking on the TICKETS link on the club's official website, www.chicago-fire.com or by calling 888-MLS-FIRE. Group tickets for the double header will also be available for the semifinal matches by calling 888-MLS-FIRE. Individual tickets will be available to the public through www.ticketmaster.com.

ACCREDITATION CENTER

Media members may pick up their 2009 Gold Cup Semifinal credential at Soldier Field in Suite 1A, on the southwest corner of stadium.

-Media must present valid photo ID to pick up credential

-A limited number of parking passes available at accreditation center on a first-come, first serve basis. One pass per organization, please.

Tuesday, July 21: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday, July 22: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday, July 23: 10:00 am to start of second game

FIRE TO BATTLE TIGRES UANL IN SUPERLIGA 2009 FINAL AT TOYOTA PARK

With a 2-1 win over the reigning SuperLiga champion New England Revolution, the Chicago Fire have advanced to the SuperLiga 2009 Final. The Fire will host Tigres UANL of Mexico in the grand finale of the tournament at TOYOTA PARK on Aug. 5. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT and the match will be televised nationally on TeleFutura. Tickets for the SuperLiga 2009 Final in Chicago, are on sale now starting at just $22. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.chicago-fire.com, through the TOYOTA PARK box office, or by calling 888-MLS-FIRE. Groups of 15 or more can receive group rates by contacting the Chicago Fire at 888-MLS-FIRE or emailing tickets@chicago-fire.com.

The Fire are competing for the first time in the third annual competition, which pits top soccer teams from Mexico and the United States against each other for local bragging rights and one of the biggest purses in the region. The third annual Superliga tournament showcases the budding rivalry between top teams from Mexico and MLS. For more information about the SuperLiga tournament, visit www.superliga2009.com.

BLANCO VOTED MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR GOAL AND ASSIST AGAINST SAN JOSE

Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 18 of the 2009 season. Blanco came on in the 60th minute and sparked the Fire with a goal and an assist in Chicago's 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Blanco's impact was felt in the 82nd minute when he settled the ball at the top of the San Jose penalty area, cut to avoid a tackle, and sent a deft lob over the San Jose defense to a Patrick Nyarko. Nyarko connected with Blanco's pass, directing the ball past diving San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon. Blanco put the finishing touch on the match with a goal of his own in the 92nd minute. With San Jose passing in its own end, defender Wilman Conde intercepted a pass at the top of the box and quickly played a pass through to Blanco, who from 17-yards out stylishly chipped it over Cannon, into the right corner. With the 2-0 victory, the Chicago Fire are first in the Eastern Conference with a 7-3-7 record and 28 points. Blanco's assist, his League-leading seventh of the season, helped break a three-game scoreless streak for the Chicago Fire at TOYOTA PARK. The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com.

NYARKO EARNS HIS FIRST MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK NOMINATION FOR HIS GAME-WINNER AGAINST QUAKES

Patrick Nyarko has earned his first MLS Goal of the Week nomination after scoring his third goal of the season this past Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes. Nyarko's goal helped Chicago to win the match and solely claim the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Cuauhtémoc Blanco passed to Nyarko in the 82nd minute, and Nyarko was able to knock the ball out of the air and past San Jose's goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

Fans can vote through Wednesday morning for Nyarko's goal by clicking on this link:

http://chicago.fire.mlsnet.com/sights/goal_of_the_week/.

BLANCO AND CONDE SELECTED FOR 2009 MLS ALL-STAR GAME ON JULY 29th

Major League Soccer has announced that Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde has been selected to the league's All-Star First XI. Joining Conde on squad is Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco who replaced Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario as a member of the MLS All-Star First XI. De Rosario and Toronto will be participating in the CONCACAF Champions League on the same day as the MLS All-Star match.

The 14th annual MLS midsummer showcase will bring together the best in MLS for a marquee match up against English Premier League club Everton FC. The game will be held on July 29th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah and televised nationally on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. CT. This is Conde's first MLS All-Star Team selection. On Monday, July 20, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear and his staff's selections will be announced. Two Commissioner's selections will complete the 18-man game-day roster. Kinnear earned the honor of coaching the MLS side by leading his team to the highest points per game average in the League through games on June 28.

CHICAGO FIRE CAUTION WATCH

Player Number of Cautions

Tim Ward 4

Chris Rolfe 3

John Thorrington 3

WILMAN CONDE IS UNIVISION CHICAGO'S FEATURED PLAYER OF THE MONTH

The Fire and Univision Chicago are partnering to feature a different Chicago Fire player or coach each month as the Univision Chicago Player of the Month. Defender Wilman Conde is the Fire Player of the Month for June and will not only be featured each Monday during the Univision 10 o'clock newscast during the "Chicago Fire: Conexión Máxima" segment, Thorrington will contribute to Univision Radio's Nuevo Dia program on Monday mornings and connect with fans directly through a Live Chat and blog entries on Univsion.com. Head Coach Denis Hamlett was featured during the month of April, midfielder Marco Pappa was featured in May, and midfielder John Thorrington was featured in June.

4-v-4 FUTBOLITO TOURNAMENT COMES TO CHICAGO ON AUGUST 22

MLS Futbolito, the largest touring Hispanic event hosted by a U.S. professional sports league, comes to Chicago on August 22 at Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave. The all-day 4-v-4 tournament is open to players of all ages, abilities and affiliations. Team rosters can consist of up to seven players (four field players and three substitutes) and each team will play in round-robin action, with the possibility of advancing to the single-elimination championship playoff. Teams registered for the competition will be divided according to age groups and competitive levels with winners in each division receiving prizes. In addition to the games, each registered player will receive a ticket to an MLS match (in applicable markets), a Futbolito t-shirt, and the chance to win prizes from the presenting sponsors as well as associate sponsors. For more information or to register a team, visit the official website: www.MLSFutbolito.com or call 888-MLS-FUTBOLITO.

PHISH SUMMER TOUR STOPS AT TOYOTA PARK

On their first summer tour in five years, Phish has announced a concert date at TOYOTA PARK on Tuesday, August 11th. Tickets are on sale now. Reserved and general admission tickets are priced at just $49.50 and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets including the TOYOTA PARK ticket offices, Ticketmaster.com and by calling (800) 745-3000.

BUFFETT RETURNS TO TOYOTA PARK

After the success of last summer's two TOYOTA PARK concerts, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band will return to the stadium again this summer for two more unforgettable concert experiences as part of the "Summerzcool" Tour 2009. The concert dates are set for Saturday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 15. The seating setup at the stadium will be similar to last year's concerts, as all seats will be reserved both on the field and in the stadium bowl. Tickets are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets including the TOYOTA PARK box office, Tickemaster.com, and by calling (800) 745-3000. For more information visit www.toyotapark.com.

BLANCO'S ‘DIRECTO AL BLANCO' RADIO PROGRAM TUESDAY

"Directo al Blanco" a full-hour live radio program hosted by Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco will air this and every Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. CT. Listeners are encouraged to call and talk to Blanco about the latest soccer-related news regarding the Chicago Fire, Major League Soccer, and the Mexican Primera Division. The show airs nationally on RadioCadena stations in Chicago (WRTO-AM), Las Vegas (KLSQ-AM), Los Angeles (KTNQ-AM), San Francisco (KLOK-AM), El Paso (KAMA-AM), San Antonio(KCOR-AM), Dallas (KFLC-AM), McAllen (KGBT-AM), Houston (KLAT-AM), New York (WADO-AM), and Miami (WQBA-AM).

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 21, 2009


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