MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Head to Nation's Capital for Crucial Eastern Conference Battle with D.C. United

September 30, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire (11-12-7, 40 points) head east to take on D.C. United (3-21-6, 15 points) at RFK Stadium on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7:00 p.m. CT (NBC Sports Network/La Ley 107.9).

This is the fourth and final meeting across all competitions between the two sides this year. The Fire defeated D.C. United 2-0 on June 2 and 4-1 on July 20 in MLS play at Toyota Park. The Fire fell 2-0 to D.C. United in the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Toyota Park on Aug. 7.

Prior to Friday's match, D.C. United will face Real Salt Lake in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Rio Tinto Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 8:00 p.m. CT (GolTV).

With the 2-2 draw with the Montreal Impact Saturday evening, the Fire dropped to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Sitting on 40 points, the Men in Red are just one point behind the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution, who hold the sixth and seventh spots, and just two points behind the Philadelphia Union, who currently occupy the fifth and final playoff spot.

CHICAGO FIRE vs. D.C. United

- The Fire hold a 17-17-11 all-time regular season record in matches played against D.C. United, including a 7-11-4 record in matches played at RFK Stadium.

- The Men in Red hold a slight edge in goals in the all-time series, with 66 goals scored to 63 goals against.

- Seventeen of the Fire's 66 goals have been scored in the final 15 minutes of play.

- Fire defender and reigning MLS Rookie of the Year Austin Berry and D.C. United midfielder Nick DeLeon spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons as teammates at the University of Louisville. Berry and DeLeon were first and second in 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year voting, with Berry emerging victorious, garnering more than 50 percent of votes from both media and MLS club management.

- D.C. United assistant coach Josh Wolff began his professional career with the Men in Red when he was assigned to the Fire as a Project-40 player in 1998 and spent five seasons from 1998-2002 with the Men in Red. Wolff made 84 regular season appearances, scored 32 goals and added 15 assists. While with the Fire, Wolff won one MLS Cup and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophies.

- Fire forward Maicon Santos joined the Fire after spending the 2012 season with D.C. United. In 26 matches, Santos scored seven goals and added three assists before the Fire made the Brazilian striker the only selection in Stage One of the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 7, 2012.

CHICAGO FIRE AND SECTION 8 CHICAGO TO CELEBRATE CLUB'S 16TH ANNIVERSARY

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Section 8 Chicago will honor the club's 16th anniversary at on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Toyota Park Stadium Club. Fans are invited to join Fire players and staff for a lamb and pig roast from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. CT to honor the Tradition, Honor and Passion of those that have represented the club over the past 16 years.

Entrance is free to all supporters (with a suggested $10 donation to the Chicago Fire Foundation).

The club will provide a free shuttle from the city, departing from Cleo's (1935 W. Chicago) at 5:30pm. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, reservations can be made by clicking here.

The anniversary celebration will also serve as the official unveiling for the winning design of the #cf97ThirdKit contest. Once the winning design is announced, the Club will work with Quaker and adidas to prepare a prototype for early 2014. After the prototype is reviewed and approved, the actual third kit will go into the adidas production cycle and is scheduled to make its debut for the Fire's Anniversary game in the fall of 2014.

CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER CLUB PARTNERS WITH TIME WARNER CABLE SPORTS TO AIR LIVE GAMES IN WISCONSIN

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club has reached an agreement with Time Warner Cable Sports that makes Time Warner Cable SportsChannel the "Wisconsin Television Home of the Chicago Fire" through the 2014 season. A live pre-game show will air half an hour before every Fire game airing on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will televise the Fire's three remaining local telecasts through the end of the season, excluding national broadcast games, and all regionally telecast games next season. The Fire broadcast team of Dan Kelly and Kevin Egan will call the games, which will air in Wisconsin with a distinct Time Warner Cable SportsChannel graphic package. As part of the agreement, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will air pre- and post-game shows and other non-game programming in the future.

Time Warner Cable SportsChannel features a broad spectrum of analyses and exclusive, live events including high school, amateur and professional sports played throughout Milwaukee, Kenosha, Green Bay, Appleton and surrounding communities. It also airs the weekly 30-minute Major League Soccer (MLS) show "Center Circle" every Wednesday at 4:00, Thursday at 10:00 and Friday at 6:00 p.m. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel can be found on channels 1332 HD and 32 on Time Warner Cable systems in Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.sports32.com or www.twitter.com/TWCSportsWI.

CHICAGO FIRE SOCCER CLUB JOINS GREAT CHICAGO FIRE HYDRANTS ART EXHIBITION

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club has joined the Great Chicago Fire Hydrants project, a public art exhibition celebrating the heroism of Chicago's firefighters.

The citywide program will feature 101 hydrants, symbolically representing each Chicago firehouse, that will be placed in various locations throughout the city. Along with the Fire, local businesses, artists, architects, fashion and interior designers have sponsored the hydrants that will be auctioned on Dec. 4, 2013 to benefit the 100 Club of Chicago, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the families of fallen police and firefighters.

A 5-foot tall fiberglass fire hydrant, the Fire's hydrant features two special features that appear on its rings. The top honors the seven members of the club's Ring of Fire: Peter Nowak, Frank Klopas, Lubos Kubik, Peter Wilt, Bob Bradley, Chris Armas and C.J. Brown. While the club's three tenets, Tradition. Honor. Passion, appear on the base ring

The Fire hydrant has been installed at the Hancock Plaza and will be on display through Nov. 11.

CHICAGO FIRE TO HOLD SIXTH ANNUAL OPEN TRYOUTS DECEMBER 6-7 AT BRIDGEVIEW SPORTS DOME

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club will hold its Sixth Annual Open Tryouts on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Bridgeview Sports Dome at 8900 S. 77th Ave. in Bridgeview, IL 60455. A map to the Bridgeview Sports Dome can be found here. The tryout is open to male soccer players ages 18 and older who believe they can succeed at the Major League Soccer level. Members of the Fire Technical Staff will be on hand at the tryouts to observe and rank players, and the winner of the Open Tryout will be awarded the chance to train with the Fire first team during the club's preseason camp.

At the Fire's Third Annual Open Tryout in January 2011, Chicago Fire defender Pari Pantazopoulos emerged from a group of over 200 participants from 19 different countries to win the club's Open Tryout and a spot on the first team's preseason roster. The Mt. Prospect, IL product advanced through all three phases of the club's preseason camp to sign on as a member of the Chicago Fire. Pantazopoulos made his first team debut on June 28, 2011 in a U.S. Open Cup match vs. the Rochester Rhinos and went on to appear in the club's midseason friendly against English giants Manchester United at Soldier Field on July 23.

Tryout registration is $155 (non-refundable) before Nov. 15 and $180 (non-refundable ) after Nov. 15 with each player guaranteed an hour of playing time. Space at the tryout is limited. All interested players must register online at www.chicago-fire.com/opentryout.

Applications must be submitted online and applicants must have a valid e-mail address as registration forms will not be accepted via fax or over the phone. The registration deadline is Monday, Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m. CT. No registration forms will be accepted after that date. All registrants will be contacted with a schedule via e-mail on or before Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Questions can be answered by e-mailing opentryout@Chicago-Fire.com. For more information visit the club's official website www.chicago-fire.com.

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 30, 2013


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