MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly Notes

Published on April 6, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO FIRE HEAD TO SAN JOSE WITH UNDEFEATED RECORD

The Chicago Fire (2-0-1, 7 pts.) defeated the New York Red Bulls (0-2-1, 1 pt.) 1-0 last Sunday to stretch their unbeaten streak to three games. The Fire currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference, tied with the New England Revolution (2-0-1, 7 pts.). This weekend the Fire will take to the road once again to play the San Jose Earthquakes (1-2-0, 3 pts.) at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday, April 11 (3:00 p.m. CT, TeleFutura). The team will travel to San Jose on Thursday morning, and train in California in advance of their match on Saturday afternoon.

The Fire have an all-time regular season record of 10-6-8 against the Earthquakes, including a mark of 4-5-3 on the road in San Jose. Last season, the Fire met the 2008 expansion side two times, winning their April 12 contest 1-0 on the road, and tying the Earthquakes 0-0 at home in TOYOTA PARK on June 28. The Fire will lineup against the Earthquakes two times in 2009 as well, facing the squad on July 18 in Chicago.

FIRE TO FACE UIC TOMORROW, APRIL 7, IN BENEFIT MATCH

For a third year the Fire will face the UIC men's soccer team in an exhibition match to benefit the Chicago Fire Foundation. The game will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at Flames Field on the campus of UIC located at 901 W. Roosevelt Road. General admission tickets for the match are $12 in advance (through April 6). Tickets can be purchased prior to the day of the game through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office by calling 312-413-UIC1. Players and coaches will be available to the media following the match.

FIRE ADD DYKSTRA TO ROSTER

The Chicago Fire has signed goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra to a developmental contract and he has be added to the team's 24-man roster as a disabled list replacement for midfielder Peter Lowry. Dykstra, a product of Virginia Commonwealth University, has been training with the Fire since January. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not announced.

BUSCH AND PAUSE SIGN CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jon Busch and seven year Fire veteran Logan Pause have both signed multiyear contract extensions with the Fire. Busch joined the Fire in 2007 and stepped into the starting role after the departure of goalkeeper Matt Pickens. In 2008 he led the defense to an impressive 1.1 GAA with just 33 GA. Busch currently has a GAA of 1.00 with 2 GA in 2 GP. Through 2008 Pause appeared in 26 of the Fire's 30 regular season matches, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each match. Pause has been a regular starter on the Fire roster since he joined the team in 2003 and is rapidly climbing in the Fire record books, sitting 8th in Games Played (148) and 8th in minutes played (11,227).

FOUR LOCAL WINNERS OF SUEÑO MLS TRYOUTS MOVE ON TO FINALS

The final four standouts of Sueño MLS 2009 - Built by The Home Depot were selected by Chicago Fire scouts this past weekend from a group of 600 players following two days of tryouts at the Schaumburg Olympic Park. Chosen were: Defender Ricardo Buendia, of Cicero, IL, Midfielder Josue Chavez of Elgin, IL, Midfielder Alberto Lopez of Aurora, IL, and Forward Steve Palma of Grand Junction, CO. Adding to the excitement of the weekend for the Chicago winners was a surprise post-tryout visit on Sunday, April 5, to the Chicago Fire home opener at TOYOTA PARK, where they got to meet their idol, Mexican Superstar and Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

The 12 finalists will unite this Wednesday, April 8, in Los Angeles for the start of the national final. The complete schedule for the "Final Event" will be released later this week. The ultimate champion will be crowned on Sunday, April 12, live (EST) on "República Deportiva" (Sports Republic), the popular Univision weekly Spanish-language sports show that will chronicle the tryouts in a "reality show within a show" format.

CHICAGO FIRE FACE CLUB AMERICA ON APRIL 29 AT TOYOTA PARK- TICKETS ON SALE NOW

The Chicago Fire and Club America of the Mexican Primera Division have announced that the first game of their home-and-home series will be played at TOYOTA PARK on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Details about the Fire's away match against Club America at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will be announced at a later date. Individual tickets are available starting at $26 through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE, or by visiting www.chicago-fire.com. The exhibition is included in Chicago Fire season ticket packages and Ten Game Plans.

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 April 6, 2009


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