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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly Notes

May 11, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire (2-0-6, 12 pts.) will return to action this Saturday, May 16, as the team travels to Canada to face Toronto FC (3-2-4, 13 pts.) at BMO Field (My50 Chicago, 3:00 p.m.). Toronto currently sits just one point ahead of the Fire in the Eastern Conference standings, holding on to second place. The Fire currently sit in second place in the East.

This Saturday's match is the sixth all-time regular season meeting between the two clubs and the first of two meetings in 2009. The all-time series between the two teams is tied as the Fire have a 2-2-1 record against the Canadian side. The Fire have a 1-2-0 record in games played at BMO Field, yet are level with Toronto FC in goal scoring in games played in Canada with six goals scored, and six goals conceded.

The Fire is the only team in MLS that remains undefeated and with their 1-1 tie against the New England Revolution last Saturday, the club set a new league record for consecutive ties in a single season with five. The Fire have posted a record 1-0-3 while on the road, scoring nine of their 14 goals away from home.

With 14 goals scored through eight matches, the Fire have scored the second most goals (tied with Real Salt Lake) in MLS, trailing just D.C. United who have posted 15 goals through their nine matches. Forward Brian McBride, who was named MLS Player of the Month for April, remains tied with two other players (Landon Donovan - LA, Robbie Findley-RSL) atop the standings for MLS Golden Boot with five goals and Fire designated player Cuauhtémoc Blanco is also contributing to the Fire's offensive efforts as he is tied with three other players for the league lead in assists with four.

BLANCO AND SEGARES TO VISIT OVER 650 CHILDREN FROM THE UNO CHARTER SCHOOLS

Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco and defender Gonzalo Segares will make a visit to the Rufino Tamayo School, (5135 S. California) and speak to over 650 children from the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) Charter Schools tomorrow, May 12, 2009. The players will be joined by United Neighborhood Organization CEO, Juan Rangel. The visit will take place from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Media interested in attending are encouraged to arrive at 1:15 p.m.

MARCO PAPPA IS UNIVISION CHICAGO'S FEATURED PLAYER OF THE MONTH

The Fire and Univision Chicago are partnering to feature a different Chicago Fire player or coach each month as the Univision Chicago Player of the Month. Midfielder Marco Pappa is the Fire Player of the Month for May and will not only be featured each Monday during the Univision 10 o'clock newscast during the "Chicago fire: Conexión Máxima" segment, Pappa will contribute to Univision Radio's Nuevo Dia program on Monday mornings and connect with fans directly through a Live Chat and blog entries on Univsion.com. Head Coach Denis Hamlett was featured during the month of April.

FIRE TO PARTNER WITH LIFESOURCE FOR BONE MARROW AND BLOOD DRIVE

The Chicago Fire will partner with LifeSource, Chicago's Blood Center, for a bone marrow and blood drive on May 30 at TOYOTA PARK. The bone marrow and blood drive will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. inside a TOYOTA PARK locker room, and the first 100 people to register will have an opportunity to attend a Fire practice session and enjoy an exclusive autograph session with Chicago Fire players C.J. Brown, Justin Mapp, Logan Pause, and Bakary Soumare.

BRIAN MCBRIDE VOTED MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR APRIL

Fire forward Brian McBride was voted MLS Player of the Month for April. McBride notched four goals in four league games during the month, and led the Fire to a 1-0-3 record in April games. The 36-year-old MLS All-Time Best XI forward has made an immediate impact in his first full season with the Chicago Fire. McBride leads the League with five goals and the Chicago Fire sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points. In the Fire's Week 4 match against the San Jose Earthquakes McBride captured MLS Goal of the Week honors for his 57th minute strike. The following week McBride tallied his third and fourth goals of the season, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. McBride's header goal in the match earned his second MLS Goal of the Week nomination. McBride capped off the month by leading a stirring comeback against the defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew. Trailing 2-0 in Columbus, McBride ignited the Fire's comeback in the 86th minute finishing a Patrick Nyarko cross with a leaping, driven header into the back of the net. The goal garnered McBride his third consecutive MLS Goal of the Week nomination.

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 May 11, 2009


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