MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Host Kansas City Wizards and D.C. United in Final Two Matches at Toyota Park in 2010

Published on October 11, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire (8-11-8, 32 points) look to play spoiler when they welcome the Kansas City Wizards (9-12-6, 33 points) to TOYOTA PARK tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 PM CT (CSN+, CLTV). The Fire can leapfrog the Wizards into third place in the Eastern Conference and eliminate the Kansas City side from playoff contention with a victory in the penultimate match at TOYOTA PARK in the 2010 campaign. The Fire will wear pink to raise awareness and funds in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month when they line-up against the Wizards.

The Men in Red will round out their 2010 campaign at TOYOTA PARK when they honor Fire forward and U.S. Soccer legend Brian McBride in his final home match against D.C. United on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 3:00 PM CT (My50/TeleFutura). McBride, an Arlington Heights, IL product, will make his final appearance in front of his hometown fans before he retires at season's end, calling an end to his illustrious 17-year career.

McBride, the number one selection in the 1996 MLS inaugural player draft, has appeared in 217 games, scoring 79 goals and adding 52 assists over the course of his 11-year MLS career with the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew. One of the most decorated players in United States soccer history, the renowned striker appeared in three FIFA World Cups, scoring 30 goals in 95 appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team from 1993-2006.

CHICAGO FIRE vs. Kansas City Wizards

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FIRE vs. KC WIZARDS: 13-2-2 (38 GF, 14 GA)

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The Fire is 20-9-8 against the Kansas City Wizards all-time in regular season play and 4-1-1 in matches played at Toyota Park. Their only tie on the TOYOTA PARK pitch came the last time the teams met in Chicago April 14, 2009. The Fire last lost to Kansas City on April 20, 2008 at TOYOTA PARK. Jack Jewsbury scored in the in the 4th minute to lift the Wizards over the Fire.

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Chicago has outscored Kansas City 74 to 45 over the 12-year series history.

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In their first meeting of the 2010 campaign, the Fire and Wizards reached a 2-2 stalemate. Julio Martinez and Brian McBride tallied goals for the Fire before Kei Kamara notched a second half brace to even the match at two goals apiece May 15. This marked the fifth season the series between the two Eastern Conference teams opened with a tie.

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Both teams have two players named on the MLS' "24 Under 24" list. Kansas City boasts Teal Bunbury (17) and Ryan Smith (12) while the Fire include Sean Johnson (8) and Marco Pappa (6) on their roster.

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Kansas City Wizards forward Josh Wolff was a member of the Fire's 1998 MLS Cup Championship squad. The 13-year MLS veteran has 32 regular season goals for the Fire, ranking him third all-time in the club's record books behind Chris Rolfe (36) and Ante Razov (76). In 15 appearances against his former team, Wolff has notched five goals and added two assists.

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In 2009, the Fire won and tied with the Wizards. Brian McBride's first half brace was thwarted by Wolff's two second-half goals ending the match in a 2-2 draw at TOYOTA PARK April 18. In the return leg on August 16, Mike Banner and Chris Rolfe scored to lead the Fire to a 2-0 victory over the Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

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Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas played for the Wizards in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, scoring seven goals in 54 appearances.

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Chicago Fire forward Patrick Nyarko is tied for third in MLS with 10 assists along with Bobby Convey and Sebastien Le Toux, behind David Ferreira (13) and Landon Donovan (14).

CHICAGO FIRE vs. D.C. United

The last Fire goal against D.C. United came in the 89th minute of the club's 2-0 win over DC United on April 17, 2010. Brian McBride headed home a free kick that keeper Andrew Dykstra hit from the team's own half. Guatemalan international Marco Pappa tallied the game's first goal nine minutes earlier.

The Fire enter Saturday's match with 14-16-8 regular season record against D.C. The game is a rematch of the 1998 MLS Cup Final on October 25, 1998. The Fire won their first and only MLS Cup, defeating the two-time defending champions 2-0 behind goals from Jerzy Podbrozny and Diego Gutierrez.

It is the last time that soon-to-be retired forwards Brian McBride and United's Jaime Moreno will face off against each other. Both strikers rank in the top 10 for most goals scored among active MLS players as Moreno is tied for first with FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham at 132 while McBride sits sixth with 79 goals.

"Fire Original" defender C.J. Brown ranks seventh in MLS regular season appearances among active players at 294. The 13-year Fire veteran has appeared in 369 matches for the club across all competitions, ranking him third all-time among MLS players behind United's Jaime Moreno (430) and retired LA Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones (392).

The Fire are 7-4-1 all-time in their last home match of the regular season. Indecently, all four losses came against Columbus. They have never faced D.C. United in a closing home match.

Between the two clubs, 11 players are age 30 or above, including six Fire players. Leading the list is Chicago forward Brian McBride at age 38. On the flip side, D.C. brings four players to the table under the age of 20, the youngest being 17 year-old Andy Najar. The Fire boasts only one similarly aged player - Victor Pineda, also 17. The average player age of Fire and United squads are 22.28 and 26.2, respectively.

CHICAGO FIRE JOIN MLS TO LAUNCH LEAGUE-WIDE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR BREAST CANCER

The Chicago Fire, Chicago Fire Foundation and MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer's community outreach initiative, announced the launch of a league-wide campaign to help in the fight against breast cancer. The Fire will raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer on Tuesday, Oct. 12 when the Fire host the Kansas City Wizards at TOYOTA PARK at 7:30 PM CT (Comcast SportsNet).

In collaboration with MLS corporate partners adidas, American Airlines and Gatorade, matches will be played with a commemorative pink adidas Jabulani match ball, stadiums will highlight the campaign with pink co-branded American Airlines field boards, and players will use pink sideline towels provided by Gatorade.

In addition, the Fire will wear a special pink MLS W.O.R.K.S. ribbon patch on their jerseys and pink adidas sweat bands to showcase their support.

Game-worn autographed jerseys and the special-edition pink match balls will be available for auction at www.MLSsoccer.com/works beginning October 15 as part of League efforts to raise funds for breast cancer research and treatment.

Limited edition Breast Cancer Awareness adidas products including scarves, sweat bands, hats, t-shirts and replica balls will be available for purchase at select stadiums and retailers. A portion of the proceeds from these sales and proceeds from the online auction will benefit Susan G. Komen for a Cure.

MLS clubs will conduct additional fundraising efforts in their communities, including in-stadium auctions and donating a portion of ticket sales proceeds, and/or hold recognition ceremonies for local survivors during home matches.

ALL-IN FOR 2011: FAN FEEDBACK DRIVES FIRE'S 2011 SEASON TICKET PLAN

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced pricing for 2011 season tickets after nearly a season's worth of feedback from its supporters about the kind of offers and incentives they want in a Fire season ticket package. In an unprecedented move in Chicago sports, the Fire will offer free and reduced parking to a majority of season ticket holders and a 12-month payment plan that will allow Fire Season Ticket Holders to pay as low as $15 a month from Nov. of 2010 until Sept. 2011. Ninety-seven percent of all season tickets will experience no increase in ticket prices from 2010 to 2011. Season Tickets start as low as $199 for the Fire's 20-game TOYOTA PARK schedule and feature a number of unique and exclusive benefits to being a Chicago Fire Season Ticket Holder. Fire Season Tickets can be purchased by phone at 1-888-MLS-FIRE (657-3473) or head to the club's official website

at

www.Chicago-Fire.com.

ALL IN FOR 2011

1. FREE PARKING: For the first time in club history, the Fire will offer free and reduced parking to a majority of its Season Ticket Holders. All lower bowl east-side and west-side Season Ticket Holders will receive free parking at TOYOTA PARK for the duration of the 20 game schedule. Harlem End and Skyway Season Ticket Holders will receive half-price parking, $120 down from $240 for the entire 2011 Fire season.

2. 12-MONTH PAYMENT PLAN: The only sport in town that offers a Season Ticket Payment Plan, the Fire give fans a chance to pay off their Season Ticket over the course of 12 months. For as low as $15 a month, Fire Season Ticket Holders will be given the option to make monthly payments from Nov. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2011.

3. BUILD THE CLUB REWARDS PROGRAM: This fan-friendly, unique opportunity allows for current Fire Season Ticket Holders to reward fans and receive a 20 percent credit on referral purchases. Those referred will receive a five percent savings on the purchase of their 2011 Fire Season Tickets.

4. MERCHANDISE AND CONCESSION SAVINGS: All Fire Season Ticket Holders will receive a 20 percent savings off all Fire merchandise. The Fire have teamed will Levy Concessions to offer savings on in-stadium concessions for Fire Season Ticket Holders.

5. 97 PERCENT OF SEASON TICKETS REMAIN THE SAME PRICE IN 2011: Utilizing a simplified pricing structure, the Fire reduced Stadium pricing areas from 10 to six. The move expands the Fire's faithful supporter's section, Section 8, from two sections to four and shows an $80 reduction in CornerKick tickets from $480 to $400. Four sections of Skyway season ticket plans make up for the three percent of tickets that did not remain the same for 2011. Four Skyway sections increased just $1 a game, from $179 to $199.

2010/2011 SEASON TICKET PRICING COMPARISON

2010 SEASON TICKET PRICING 2011

$3000 Fieldside $3000

$999 Club $999

$600 Premier $600

$480 CornerKick $400

$200 Supporters $200

$199 Skyway $199

CHICAGO FIRE RUN PAST COLUMBUS CREW 2-0

Peter Lowry and Brian McBride both drove home Patrick Nyarko passes to lift the Fire over the Columbus Crew 2-0 at TOYOTA PARK. With the victory, the Fire jump to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Fire (8-11-8, 32 points) were eliminated from postseason contention for only the second time in its 13-year history despite the team's 2-0 victory over the Crew Friday night. The San Jose Earthquakes downed D.C. United 2-0 and the Colorado Rapids tied FC Dallas 2-2 on Saturday to mathematically eliminate the Fire from the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The Fire pressured the Crew (13-8-7, 46 points), playing in their third match in eight days, from the get-go. Lowry put his name in the record books in the 30th minute. Rookie right back Steven Kinney started the buildup with a steady pass to a cutting Nyarko on the right side. The crafty Ghanaian slipped the ball to Lowry in-stride just outside of the box. The Santa Clara University product took a touch and powered a shot with the outside of his right foot past Columbus Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer for the 600th regular season goal in Chicago Fire history.

Holding the advantage, the Fire nearly doubled the lead in the 41st minute when Marco Pappa picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and dribbled in on goal. The 22-year-old midfielder worked his way through the Crew defense before whizzing a low shot past a diving Hesmer and off of the near post.

The Men in Red took a 2-0 lead in the 53rd minute. Freddie Ljungberg picked out Nyarko on the right flank at the edge of the Crew penalty area. Nyarko ran onto the Swedish midfielder's well-placed ball and one-timed his pass to an open McBride in the box. The U.S. Soccer legend beautifully redirected the ball into the top left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season and 79th of his 11-year MLS career.

The Crew came close to getting on the board late in the match. Crew midfielder Kevin Burns tore down the left flank in the 90th minute before sending a curling shot around Fire 'keeper Andrew Dykstra. Bratislav Risitc, playing at left back for the first time this season, cleared Burns' shot off the line preserving Dykstra's fourth shutout of the year.

FIRE IN THE NEWS

Fire celebrates founding with win - Len Ziehm - Chicago Sun-Times - October 9, 2010

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/soccer/fire/2786372,CST-SPT-fire09.article

Fire keep slim playoff hopes alive - Jack McCarthy - Chicago Tribune - October 9, 2010

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/soccer/ct-spt-1009-fire-chicago--20101008,0,1285315.story

Bocanegra eventually wants to rejoin Fire - Charlie Corr - October 7, 2010

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/fire/post/_/id/688/bocanegra-eventually-wants-to-rejoin-fire

CHICAGO FIRE TEAM WRITER, JEFF CRANDALL FEATURES ON CHICAGO-FIRE.COM

Who Will Be 600? - October 7, 2010

http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/10/who-will-be-600

Bocanegra's Back - October 6, 2010

http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/10/bocas-back

Lunch With Frank - October 5, 2010

http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2010/10/lunch-frank

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.

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/ChicagoFire on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ChicagoFire or the Fire's blog EN FUEGO.

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 11, 2010


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