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Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Eye Carolina Challenge Cup, Wrap Preseason in Charleston

March 7, 2011 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


With a week of preseason remaining and two matches left in the Carolina Challenge Cup the Chicago Fire have set its sights on capturing the tournament trophy while keeping a steady focus on the team's First Kick match against Brimstone Cup rivals FC Dallas.

The Men in Red close out their inaugural foray in Charleston with a midweek battle against Eastern Conference adversary D.C. United on Wednesday, March 9 at 4 PM CT, before concluding the 2011 preseason camp with a match against host side Charleston Battery on Saturday, March 12 at 6:15 PM CT. Both matches will be streamed live on Chicago-Fire.com with commentary from Battery President Andrew Bell and the Fire's own Jeff Crandall.

Carlos de los Cobos' side was strong in its first match of the Carolina Challenge Cup. Pressing from the get-go, the Fire took the lead over Toronto FC when Uruguayan forward Gaston Puerari combined with MLS SuperDraft pick Davis Paul to set up Marco Pappa in the 6th minute. Pappa tallied his third goal of the preseason camp. The Fire displayed a healthy resolve, withstanding a strong second half from TFC, playing a man down, after Fire captain Logan Pause was sent off for a hard challenge on Toronto midfielder Oscar Cordon.

The Fire followed up Saturday night's match with a Sunday afternoon scrimmage against UNC-Greensboro at Charleston Southern University. De los Cobos used the opportunity to give time to trialing players in addition to some first choice Fire players who played fewer than 45 minutes on Saturday evening. Former Sampdoria forward Gabriel Ferrari tallied the lone goal on an assist from Patrick Nyarko as the Fire trumped UNC-Greensboro 1-0.

The additions of goalkeeper Alec Dufty and Croatian midfielder Marko Maric bring the Fire's signed players to 23. Seven trialists and one MLS SuperDraft selection will remain in camp until the team returns to Chicago at week's end. De los Cobos will utilize the final week of preseason training to evaluate each player before trimming the roster ahead of the Fire's match against MLS Cup runners-up FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 PM CT (TeleFutura).

MLS COMMISSIONER DON GARBER TO SPEAK AT FIRE SEASON KICKOFF LUNCHEON

MLS Commissioner Don Garber will join emcee Amy Freeze and owner Andrew Hauptman in kicking off the Fire's 2011 MLS season at the 13th annual Chicago Fire Season Kickoff Luncheon presented by Ticketmaster on Monday, March 14 at 11 AM CT at the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 E. Wacker Dr. Chicago IL 60601).

The 2011 Fire Season Kickoff Luncheon is nearly sold out. Limited tickets remain and are available for $75 a person and $700 for a table. Tickets are available by calling 708-496-6740 or by heading to Chicago-Fire.com .

Since Garber accepted Major League Soccer's top position, his vision and leadership have enabled MLS to build a strong foundation for professional soccer in the United States. Garber has guided MLS through decisions that have solidified the League's core business, guaranteed its long-term viability and positioned it for growth.

During his tenure, MLS has added 15 new investors, expanding and diversifying the League's ownership group, including nine new expansion teams with the addition of Vancouver and Portland in 2011 and Montreal in 2012. Garber has also led the effort to develop soccer-specific stadiums for MLS teams. Nine stadiums have been built during his tenure, and two more have been renovated with soccer in mind. Also, more soccer-specific stadiums are currently in development.

FIRE ACADEMY U18S CAPTURE CAROLINA CHALLENGE ACADEMY CUP

After a lengthy 17-hour bus ride to join the Fire first team in Charleston, S.C. Friday morning, the Fire Academy 18s saw its travel efforts payoff 48 hours later, defeating D.C. United 2-1 to capture the Carolina Challenge Academy Cup on Sunday.

The U18 side jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Victor Pineda and Patrick Doody before Iyassu Bekele pulled one back for D.C. United.

The Fire's U16 team fell 3-1 to D.C United in the U16 final earlier that morning. Elliot Borge tallied in the 4th minute, but United scored the next three goals to out-pace the Fire 3-1 on the day.

Both Fire Academy teams will remain in Charleston with the first team before departing back to Chicago on Wednesday.

CHICAGO FIRE TO HOST DEFENDING MLS CUP CHAMPS IN LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP QUALIFYING

The Chicago Fire won a coin flip with the Colorado Rapids for the right to host the second round of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying. The Fire will coordinate with the Rapids to determine the date, time and location of the match, which will be played sometime before the end of April.

USOC results determined Monday (first team listed will host, seeding in parenthesis):

Game A: (10) Portland Timbers vs. (8) Chivas USA

Game B: (9) D.C. United vs. (7) Philadelphia Union

Game C: (2) San Jose Earthquakes vs. Game A winner

Game D: Game B winner vs. (6) New England Revolution

Game E: (4) Chicago Fire vs. (1) Colorado Rapids

Game F: (5) Houston Dynamo vs. (4) Sporting Kansas City

Game G: Game C winner vs. Game E winner

Game H: Game F winner vs. Game D winner

SCOOP UP SINGLE GAME TICKETS NOW

Chicago Fire single game tickets went on sale Monday, Feb. 14 at 10 AM CT and can be purchased by calling 1-888-MLS-FIRE (657-3473) or heading to the club's official website at Chicago-Fire.com or by clicking here .

To commemorate the Fire's founding and mark the 140th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Men in Red will hold their 14th Anniversary Match at TOYOTA PARK on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8:00 PM CT against MLS Cup runners-up FC Dallas. The anniversary match, annually held on Oct. 8, was pushed back four days due to FIFA fixed competition dates on Oct. 7-11.

Highlights for the 2011 campaign include when Carlos de los Cobos' men welcome Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel and the LA Galaxy for the second match of the season at TOYOTA PARK on Sunday, April 17 at 3:00 PM CT (TeleFutura) and when long-time Eastern Conference rivals New York Red Bull visit TOYOTA PARK on Sunday, June 26 at 1 PM CT (ESPN/ESPN Deportes). Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez and the New York side witnessed 21,868 Fire faithful, the largest crowd in TOYOTA PARK history, when the/ two clubs clashed Aug. 8 of 2010.

FIRE PRESEASON GAME SCHEDULE

March 9: Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United (4:00 PM) - Carolina Challenge Cup, Charleston, SC

March 12: Chicago Fire vs. Charleston Battery (6:15 PM) - Carolina Challenge Cup, Charleston, SC

(All times central)

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