MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Take on Columbus Crew SC in Back-To-Back Matches

July 13, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire (5-9-3, 18 points) host Columbus Crew SC (6-7-6, 24 points) at Toyota Park for First Responders Appreciation Night on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. CT (CSN/CSN+/ESPN Deportes 97.5 FM). The match, which will feature $2 hot dogs presented by Red Hot Chicago, will also include a post-match fireworks show.

With the quick turnaround, the Fire then head to the Buckeye State and take on Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, July 19 at 4 p.m. CT (ESPN2/ESPN Deportes 97.5 FM).

CHICAGO FIRE vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC

- The Fire are 24-14-15 all-time in regular season matches against Crew SC.

- The Men in Red are 14-5-8 in matches played at home and 10-9-7 in matches played in Ohio.

- In the first match between the two sides this season, David Accam tallied in the 58th minute and Jason Johnson scored a late, 94th minute equalizer as the Fire earned the 2-2 road draw at MAPFRE Stadium on May 22.

- Fire defender Eric Gehrig takes on his former side in Crew SC. The Crown Point, Ind. native began his professional career when he joined Crew SC in advance of the 2011 season. In four seasons with Crew SC, Gehrig appeared in 46 regular season and two post season matches. The Fire PDL product was selected by Orlando City SC in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft prior to joining the Fire in a trade on Dec. 10, 2014.

- Fire 'keeper Jon Busch also began his MLS career with Crew SC. In 2002, Busch was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew. Busch made 84 regular season appearances for the Crew, leading the Crew to the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the Supporters' Shield before joining the Fire in March 2007. On May 22, 2015, Busch made his 300th MLS appearance at MAPFRE Stadium.

- Fire Technical Director Brian Bliss joined the Fire in Dec. 2013 after six years serving as the Crew's Technical Director. On Sept. 2, 2013 Bliss was appointed Interim Head Coach of the Crew, where he led the Crew to a 4-4-0 record to close out the 2013 season. After playing abroad in Germany, Bliss returned to the United States in 1996 and was allocated to the Columbus Crew, where he made 31 appearances and scored one goal over the course of one-and-a-half seasons.

CHICAGO FIRE U-18s HEAD TO CARSON, CALIF. FOR DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY FINALS WEEK

The Chicago Fire Under-18 Academy squad heads to Southern California this week and face the Montreal Impact U-18s in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy semifinals at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. on July 16 at 10 p.m. CT.

The U-18s advanced with a 4-3 win over the Houston Dynamo in the quarterfinals on July 7. The other semifinal match includes Real Salt Lake AZ against the San Jose Earthquakes.

CHICAGO FIRE PDL DEFEAT WSA WINNIPEG 3-0

The Chicago Fire PDL picked up three road points with a 3-0 win over WSA Winnipeg at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex on Friday, July 10.

The Fire's Joey Calistri tallied in the 31st and 37th minutes and Fletcher Ekern added the third in the 76th minute.

With three games remaining in the 2015 campaign, the Fire sit in third place in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference, just five points behind the Des Moines Menace.

CHICAGO FIRE TO HOST ORLANDO CITY SC IN LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP QUARTERFINAL

The Chicago Fire are set to host fellow MLS side Orlando City SC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals at Toyota Park on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

The Fire advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 3-1 win over USL side Charlotte Independence on June 30 at Toyota Park. Orlando City advanced courtesy of a 2-0 win over Columbus Crew SC at the Citrus Bowl on June 30.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, www.Chicago-Fire.com, at the Toyota Park Box Office and by calling 888-MLS-FIRE. Group tickets are available at a discounted price by calling 888-MLS-FIRE.

Fire Season Ticket Holder tickets are available on Account Manager. Tickets to the quarterfinal match are available to Fire Season Ticket Holders as part of the U.S. Open Cup Series. For any questions on the Open Cup Series Ticket please call Season Ticket Services at 708-496-6800.

Since 1998, the Fire have compiled a 38-12-4 record in Open Cup play, including a 25-1-1 record in matches played in the state of Illinois, reaching the semifinal round eleven times and the final six times. The Fire previously hoisted the coveted Dewar Trophy four times, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006.

Additional information on the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup can be found at http://www.chicago-fire.com/opencup.

CHICAGO FIRE FOUNDATION TO HOST COMMEMORATIVE JERSEY AUCTION ON JULY 15

In honor of First Responders Appreciation Night on July 15, the Chicago Fire Foundation is hosting a commemorative jersey auction. Supporters will have the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind Fire jerseys from each member of the team, including Fire mascot Sparky. Winning bidders will have the player whose jersey they won personally autograph the new piece of game-worn memorabilia immediately after the game. These unique jerseys will feature silver name plates with the fire department, police department and EMT logos in the numbers.

Bidding, which is now open and runs through halftime of Wednesday's match, is available at jersey.myab.co or by texting "JERSEY" to 52182.

Proceeds of this auction benefit the Chicago Fire Foundation.

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from July 13, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central