MLS NEXT Pro Chicago Fire FC II

Chicago Fire Weekly Update: Headed to Los Angeles, New Assistant Coaches, Fire II Signings

Published on August 21, 2023 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Chicago Fire FC II News Release


FIRE HEAD TO THE CITY OF ANGELS

Chicago Fire FC looks to continue their playoff push in the City of Angels as they return to regular season action this Saturday, August 26 against LA Galaxy. Kickoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. CT.

Saturday marks the 46th all-time meeting between the two sides, with the most recent contest resulting in a 0-0 draw on April 16, 2022 at Soldier Field. Chicago (8-8-8, 32 points) has an all-time record of 15-22-8 against the five-time MLS champions, with the Fire holding a record of 6-12-4 when in Los Angeles. The Galaxy (5-10-7, 22 points) are currently sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference, led by striker Tyler Boyd who has taken the reins for LA since the Galaxy lost star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez to season-ending injury.

The Fire enters this match coming off a 3-1 loss to Orlando City SC on home soil last Sunday, Aug. 20. The match saw Mauricio Pineda record his first goal of the 2023 campaign in what was his 99th appearance for the Fire in his career. Orlando would storm back with three unanswered goals.

This week, the Fire will train at SeatGeek Stadium and the first 15 minutes of each session will be open to the media, with interviews with coaches and players occurring directly afterward. Media members interested in attending must RSVP and share any interview requests with Elizabeth Sánchez at esanchez@chicagofirefc.com at least 24 hours in advance of the training session they plan to attend. (Full schedule below).

FIRE ANNOUNCE NEW ASSISTANT COACHES!

Chicago Fire FC announced last Thursday that head coach Frank Klopas has named Nikolaos Kostenoglou and Theodoros Antonopoulos as assistant coaches for the remainder of the 2023 season.

With a combined 48 years of experience as players and coaches, Kostenoglou and Antonopoulos most recently were part of the Cyprus National Team. Together, they led Cyprus to a 1-0 win against Slovenia in the group stage of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Kostenoglou brings 17 years of experience as a coach at the youth, professional and international level, having started his coaching career with the AEK Athens U-20 squad in 2005. He quickly rose through the ranks and became assistant coach for the AEK Athens first team in July 2007. Kostenoglou holds a UEFA Pro License. Antonopolous joins the Fire after serving as an Academy coach and assistant coach at Apollon Smyrnis FC for 11 years before joining Kostenoglou's coaching staff as video analyst for the Cyprus National Team. The Athens native holds a UEFA "A" License, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Science from Athens University.

Welcome to Chicago, Nikos and Theo!

FIRE ACADEMY ANNOUNCE NEW DISCOVERY CENTERS!

The Fire announced the launch of Fire Discovery Centers, a free talent identification platform for U-10 through U-12 players to be identified and evaluated for future opportunities with the Chicago Fire Academy. The Fire Discovery Centers will build upon the Club's existing scouting network, providing new pathways for players, especially from outside the pay-to-play model, to have the chance to be identified for the Chicago Fire Academy.

Running from September 11 through November 3, the first season of Discovery Centers will be held in various communities across the greater Chicagoland area and within the City of Chicago, including North Austin, Tinley Park, Bridgeview, Naperville, Northbrook, Waukegan and Elgin, and will operate twice a week at different locations.

Players will be able to attend the Discovery Centers via multiple channels, including academy scout recommendation, youth club recommendation or through an open application. During each Discovery Center session, players will be led through a variety of on-field activities by Chicago Fire coaches, where they'll be actively evaluated for future opportunities with the Chicago Fire Academy, starting with the U-13 team.

Each Discovery Center session is supplemental to a participant's other programming or club team commitments and is one of many options to be evaluated for future consideration with the Chicago Fire Academy.

FIRE II OFFICIALLY SIGNS ROMAIN BLAKE!

Chicago Fire FC II today announced that the Club has signed defender Romain Blake to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through the 2024 season.

Blake, 18, joins the club from Kingston, Jamaica where he previously played with Jamaican Premier League side, Waterhouse FC. He made his Jamaica Premier League debut with Waterhouse at just 16 years old, coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute of the 1-0 win against Vere United FC on June 6, 2022. The following season, Blake featured in 13 matches for the club, for a total of 16 Jamaican Premier League and Concacaf League matches before joining Chicago Fire II.

At the international level, the young defender has represented the Jamaica U-20 and U-23 teams, helping to guide the Young Reggae Boyz to the quarterfinals of the Concacaf U-20 Men's Championship in 2022 at age 16. Blake started in all five of Jamaica's matches in the regional tournament, playing the full 90 minutes in four of them.

Welcome to Chicago, Romain!

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