MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly Update

Published on October 4, 2004 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Fire Ends Regular Season Home Schedule Wednesday Against Columbus

The Chicago Fire (8-11-9, 33 pts.), fresh off an important 3-3 draw with the Columbus Crew last Saturday, will renew its rivalry against the Eastern Conference leading Crew (11-5-11, 44 pts.) at Soldier Field in Chicago this Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. CT in the Fire's 2004 regular season home finale. The match will be televised live in high-definition on HDNet, with audio coverage being provided by Chicagoland radio stations WRTO AM 1200 (Spanish) and WNVR AM 1030 (Polish). The match can also be heard live online via www.chicago-fire.com. Wednesday's match will mark the fourth and final meeting between the Fire and Crew in the 2004 regular season series, which Columbus leads by a 2-0-1 margin. The Fire is 12-7-4 all-time against the Crew, which includes an impressive 8-2-1 record in games contested in Chicagoland.

Fire Still Controls Its Postseason Fate, Can Clinch Spot With Help This Weekend

While Chicago earned an important point courtesy of its 3-3 draw last Saturday night against the Columbus Crew, the Fire was still unable to reserve its spot in the 2004 MLS Cup Playoffs with the result. New England's 2-0 victory over the Dallas Burn on the same night made the race a little tighter, as the Revolution now sits just three points behind the Fire with two games remaining for both squads in the 2004 regular season. However, the "Men in Red" still have the opportunity to reserve its spot in the postseason this week, as a Fire win this Wednesday over Columbus, coupled with a Revolution loss or draw Saturday at D.C. United, or a Fire tie and a New England loss would put the Fire into the playoffs for the seventh time in the club's seven-year history. While simply clinching a berth is on the Fire's collective mind at the moment, the opportunity to move up as far as second place in the Eastern Conference standings still remains, as the second-place MetroStars (39 pts.) and third place D.C. United (36 pts.) are both within reach of the "Men in Red" during the final two weeks of the regular season.

Eastern Conference Standings (x-Clinched Playoff Berth)
Team Record Points Upcoming Opponents
x-Columbus Crew 11-5-11 44 (10/6 @ CHI, 10/9 @ MET, 10/16 @ COL)
x-MetroStars 11-11-6 39 (10/9 vs. CLB, 10/17 @ DC)
D.C. United 9-10-9 36 (10/9 vs. NE, 10/17 vs. MET)
Chicago Fire 8-11-9 33 (10/6 vs. CLB, 10/16 @ NE)
New England Revolution 7-12-9 30 (10/9 @ DC, 10/16 vs. CHI)

Herron Stays Red Hot

Two starts, four goals, one revived attack. Those are the numbers forward Andy Herron has posted in the last two weeks, as the Costa Rican international and defending Honda MLS Player of the Week has helped breathe new life into the Fire offense while garnering important results as the team continues to secure a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. After scoring two goals in his first career start in a 2-0 win over New England at Soldier Field on Sept. 25, Herron followed up with another pair of tallies last Saturday versus the Columbus Crew, each time helping a 10-man Fire squad equalize in the second half to help procure a 3-3 draw at Crew Stadium. With both impressive performances, Herron became only the second player in League history to score two goals in each of his first two career starts, joining L.A. Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz on the short list of players to accomplish the feat.

Four "Men in Red" Join National Teams in Advance of World Cup Qualifiers While the Fire is neck-deep in the race for the 2004 MLS Cup Playoffs, four members of the "Men in Red" - forwards Andy Herron, Damani Ralph and Dipsy Selolwane and midfielder Andy Williams - have left Chicago to join their respective national teams in an attempt to qualify for a slightly larger tournament, the 2006 FIFA World Cup. All four players will miss Chicago's midweek match against the Columbus Crew this Wednesday at Soldier Field, but will return to the Fire in time for its regular season finale at the New England Revolution on Oct. 16.

Ralph (9 caps, 1 goal) and Williams (82 caps, 12 goals) will be looking to help Jamaica separate itself from a crowded Group 1 pool in the CONCACAF semifinal stage when the "Reggae Boyz" travel to Panama City, Panama to take on the "Canaleros" this Saturday, Oct. 9 at Estadio Rommel Fernandez at 8:00 p.m. CT. Costa Rica will hope Herron (13 caps, 4 goals) brings his recent red-hot scoring touch with him to Central America on Saturday, when the "Ticos" will host Guatemala in a Group 2 CONCACAF semifinal battle at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica at 8:30 p.m. CT. Selolwane (23 caps, 8 goals) will look to help Botswana rebound from two consecutive losses in Group 5 play in the African Zone's semifinal round when the "Zebras" play host to Kenya in Gabarone, Botswana this Sunday, Oct. 10 at 9:00 a.m. CT (4:00 p.m. local time). Ralph, Williams and Herron will pull double duty for their national teams, as both Jamaica and Costa Rica will return to action next Wednesday, Oct. 13 in their second-to-last matches in the semifinal round. Jamaica will return home to host Panama at the National Stadium in Kingston, while Costa Rica will travel north to Swangard Stadium in Vancouver to face Canada.

Chicago Fire AthletiCo Sports Medicine Injury Report

Armas, Chris -- R knee inflammation - questionable
Mapp, Justin -- R knee Grade II LCL Sprain - out
Pause, Logan -- R foot stress fracture - out
Razov, Ante -- R arthroscopic ankle surgery - out
Whitfield, Evan -- L knee contusion - probable

For the Record:

"That's going to really hurt because I enjoy being with these guys. I love Chicago and I love this team. These guys make me feel great, that's why everything has happened the way it has so far." - Fire Forward Andy Herron, after his latest two-goal performance last Saturday against Columbus, on leaving the squad this week to report to the Costa Rican National Team.

4-4-Who? Jaqua's Red Card Leaves Fire Looking Back for Forwards

After picking up a pair of yellow cards, and a subsequent red card, in last Saturday's 3-3 draw at Columbus, Fire forward Nate Jaqua will be forced to sit out of this Wednesday's return match against the Crew at Soldier Field. Jaqua's suspension, his second of the season, will leave the Fire searching for options at the top of its attack, as the rest of the players that have made up the Fire's forward corps this season will either be gone for national team duty (Andy Herron, Damani Ralph, Dipsy Selolwane and Andy Williams) or will sit out due to injury (Justin Mapp and Ante Razov).

Chicago Fire Juniors to Hold Tryouts for Boys U-15 Through U-19 Teams on Oct. 31 in Wheaton, IL

The Chicago Fire Juniors, the official youth soccer club of the Chicago Fire, has announced that it will conduct tryouts for the club's U-15 through U-19 Boys teams on Sunday, Oct. 31 at Seven Gables Park in Wheaton, IL from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT. The tryouts will be held on fields A, B, C and D at Seven Gables Park, which is located between Roosevelt Rd. and Butterfield Rd. in Wheaton. In addition, a supplemental tryout will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7 at Seven Gables Park from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT. This date will also serve as a make-up date should weather cancel the primary tryouts on Oct. 31. For more information on the Boys senior teams tryouts, please call the Chicago Fire Juniors at 630-882-8428 or visit www.chicagofirejuniors.com.

Fire to Face MetroStars Next Monday in National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Game

The Chicago Fire will take on the MetroStars in the first-ever MLS Inaugural Day exhibition match at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY next Monday, Oct. 11. Kickoff for the match is set for 12:30 p.m. CT at the Hall of Fame Campus on At-a-Glance Field. The match is part of the festivities surrounding the induction weekend that will see former MLS and Chicago Fire forward Eric Wynalda and former L.A. Galaxy defender Paul Caligiuri - enshrined as the League's first Hall of Fame inductees. Former U.S. Women's Nation Team stalwart Michelle Akers will be the third member of the Hall of Fame's "Class of 2004."

Etc.

· One week after D/M Evan Whitfield accomplished the feat, defender Jim Curtin became the eighth player in team history to play 100 contests in a Fire uniform after suiting up for the "Men in Red" in Saturday's 3-3 draw at the Columbus Crew. The feat was made even more impressive by the fact that Curtin has played in each of Chicago's last 60 matches, including 58 straight appearances in the starting eleven.

· The Chicago Fire Juniors took part in a pair of youth tournaments last weekend, with five teams making the finals in their respective age groups. At the Glen Ellyn Classic in Glen Ellyn, IL, the CFJ's Boys U-11 Academy Red, coached by Eddie Voltare; Girls U-12 Select White squad, coached by Scott Meineke; and Vince Kalke's Boys U-9 Select White side all finished as runners-up, while the Boys U-12 Academy Red squad, coached by Pierre Garcia, captured the tournament's championship. In addition, Larry Sunderland's Girls U-18 Academy Red side finished second at the Best of the Midwest Tournament in Naperville, IL.

· The Fire's Mexican League sister club Monarcas Morelia moved its undefeated streak to five games last week after defeating Club America 3-2 on the road at Aztec Stadium last Wednesday and earning a 1-1 tie with Santos at Morelos Stadium in Morelia on Saturday. After starting the 2004 COMEX Apertura campaign with four consecutive losses, Morelia (2-4-3, 9 pts.) has climbed back into contention in a tight Group 1 table and now sits just two points behind group leaders Dorados (3-4-2, 11 pts.) and U.A.G. (3-4-2, 11 pts.) at the halfway point of the season. The "Monarchs" will take the week off before returning to League play on Oct. 17, when the club will take to the road face undefeated Puebla F.C. (5-0-4, 19 pts.) at Cuauhtemoc Stadium in Puebla.

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