MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly Update

Published on September 26, 2005 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Fire Faces Wizards Saturday in Key Eastern Conference Contest

After enjoying a rare, late-season weekend off from League play, the Chicago Fire (14-11-3, 45 pts.) will get back to business this Saturday, Oct. 1 when the squad travels to the "Show Me State" to face the Kansas City Wizards (11-8-10, 43 pts.) in a match with huge playoff implications within the Eastern Conference. Saturday's Fire-Wizards showdown will kick-off from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be aired live in most areas of Chicagoland on Comcast Cable Systems. Check your local listings for the channel in your area. The match can also be followed on Chicago radio stations WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish) and WNVR-AM 1030 (Polish) and the Fire's official website, www.Chicago-Fire.com (English), where links for the Spanish and Polish radio broadcasts can also be found.

Series History vs. Kansas City

After dropping the season series against the Wizards for the first time in club history, the Fire will be looking to salvage a win in this year's fourth and final meeting against Kansas City after going 0-2-1 in the first three match-ups. After dominating the all-time series against Kansas City prior to this season, the Wizards' humbling of the "Men in Red" in 2005 has brought the Fire's regular season record against K.C. to 14-6-3, which includes a respectable 5-5-2 mark in games played at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City twice this season did something it never could before - take points out of Soldier Field - after escaping with a 1-1 draw on June 18 and victimizing the Fire with three unanswered goals to complete a 3-2 comeback win on Aug. 10. The clubs met for the first time in Kansas City nine days later on Aug. 19, when the Fire saw the wheels come off in a 3-0 loss at Arrowhead Stadium. The current three-game winless streak against the Wizards is the Fire's longest in the eight-year series between the 2000 MLS Cup finalists.

AthletiCo Injury Report
Buete, Scott - R 5th metatarsal fracture - Out
Capano, Craig - L torn ACL surgery - Out
Griffin, Leonard - R knee surgery- Out
Pickens, Matt - L ankle sprain - Out
Sanneh, Tony - R ankle sprain - Probable

Fire to Host Saturday's Official Watch Party at The Globe Pub

Another road game this Saturday at Kansas City gives Fire fans the chance to come together once again and pull for their "Men in Red" at the Fire's official Watch Party at The Globe Pub, the city's best soccer bar, located at 1934 W. Irving Park Rd. in Chicago. The festivities for the Fire-Wizards match will begin when the match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT with food and drink specials, in addition to chances to win door prizes and tickets to the Fire's last two home regular season contests. For more information on the Fire's away match viewing parties, visit the "Fans" section of www.Chicago-Fire.com.

Polls Are Open for Media Voting for 2005 Fire/Honda MVP and Defender of the Year Awards

The Fire is now accepting votes from members of the Chicagoland media to name the Fire's 2005 Honda MVP and 2005 Defender of the Year Award winners. Voters must submit their choices via email to: jkoluder@chicago-fire.com , or by fax at 312-705-7393 by this Thursday, Sept. 30 at 5:00 p.m. CT. In the voting, media members must vote for their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices in both categories in order for their votes to be valid. The winners of this year's Chicago Fire/Honda MVP, Chicago Fire Defender of the Year and USSF/Fire Humanitarian of the Year (to be named by the Chicago Fire Community Relations Department) will be recognized during an on-field ceremony prior to the team's regular season home finale at Soldier Field against the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Oct. 8, while the winner of the inaugural Chicago Fire/Budweiser Golden Boot will go to the team's leading goal-scorer at the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 15.

FireWorks for Kids Foundation and Christopher House Team Up for Texas Hold 'Em Tourney This Thursday

The FireWorks for Kids Foundation - the charitable arm of the Chicago Fire - and Christopher House have announced that the organizations will jointly host a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament this Thursday, Sep. 29 at the Chicago Athletic Association, located at 12 S. Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago. Registration for the event will begin at 5:00 p.m. CT with the first cards to be dealt at 6:00 p.m. All proceeds earned on the evening will go towards Christopher House, a seven-site family resource center serving approximately 3,500 low-income children and their families each year. A $200 entry fee is required to enter the tournament, and the limited amount of seats for the event are available only for players ages 21 or over. Also included in the entry fee are complementary appetizers and cocktails for all players during the evening. The buy-in will be worth it for the night's big winner, who will earn an automatic spot in the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. To receive more information about the Texas Hold 'Em Tournament or to register for the event, please contact Jessica Yavitz of the FWFK Foundation at 312-705-7218 or Megan Barry of Christopher House at 773-472-1083.

Rest, Relaxation and Reduction: Fire's Magic Number Falls to Eight During Weekend Off

Despite not playing over the weekend, the Fire saw its chances to clinch a spot in the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs improve thanks to the MetroStars and Kansas City Wizards both falling in one-goal games. After seeing the New England Revolution pull out another late win in a 1-0 triumph over the MetroStars and the Los Angeles Galaxy defend its home turf in a 2-1 victory over the Wizards, the Fire saw its magic number shrink to eight points, meaning any combination of eight points gained by the Fire or lost by the fifth-place MetroStars will mark Chicago's return to the MLS Cup Playoffs. The third-place Fire (14-11-3, 45 pts.) still leads Kansas City (11-8-10, 43 pts.) by two points entering their head-to-head showdown at Arrowhead Stadium this Saturday, but the Fire has the wild card on K.C. - a game in hand over the final three weeks of play. New England's win over the weekend clinched the first playoff spot in the East and practically guaranteed the Revolution (16-6-7, 55 pts.) home-field advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs, but second-place D.C. United (14-9-5, 47 pts.) still remains just two points in front of the Fire. Chicago, D.C. and the MetroStars (10-8-10, 40 pts.), who continue to lurk within one game of the fourth and final playoff spot, have four games remaining in the 2005 regular season, while Kansas City and New England have only three games to play on the campaign.

Fire to Host "Fan Appreciation Night" on Wednesday, Oct. 5 vs. MetroStars

The Chicago Fire will host "Fan Appreciation Night" on Wednesday, Oct. 5 during its match against the MetroStars at 7:30 p.m. CT, in the team's return to Soldier Field after a 56-day absence from the lakefront venue. The Fire has announced a special ticket offer for season ticket holders, who will receive up to four complimentary tickets for friends for the match, with additional tickets costing only $10 each. In addition, groups of four or more fans will also receive the $10 price for admission.

The Fire has also changed day of game prices for the Oct. 5 match in honor of "Fan Appreciation Night." Firehouse, Corner Kick and Reserve seats, normally $20-25, will be available at a special price of $15, while Premier and VIP seats, normally $30-40, will be available for $25. Discounted tickets for the Oct. 5 match are now available and can be purchased by calling 1-888-MLS-FIRE, or by visiting the Fire's official website at www.Chicago-Fire.com.

Chicago Fire Juniors to Hold High School Boys Tryouts on Oct. 16 in Wheaton

The Chicago Fire Juniors has announced that the club will hold tryouts for its High School Boys teams on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Seven Gables Park in Wheaton, IL from 4:00-6:00 p.m. CT. The tryouts will take place on Fields A, B, C & D at Seven Gables Park, which is located on the east side of Naperville Road, ¼ mile north of Butterfield Rd./Route 56. All players interested in trying out for the CFJ's need to attend unless they have an unavoidable conflict. If unable to attend, players must contact Scott Meineke at 312-388-9010 to schedule for the Supplemental Tryout, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Seven Gables Park (Fields A & B) from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Should the Oct. 16 tryouts be rained out, the make-up date for the trials will be Saturday, Oct. 23 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at Seven Gables Park. For more information on the Chicago Fire Juniors and the High School Boys teams tryouts, including maps to the tryout location, please visit www.chicagofirejuniors.com.

Fire Reserves Look for Return to First Place Sunday Against Wizards Reserves

The Chicago Fire Reserves (5-2-3, 18 pts.) will return to action for the first time in nearly a month this Sunday, Oct. 2 when the squad faces their counterparts from the Kansas City Wizards (3-3-3, 12 pts.) at the University of Missouri - Kansas City's Swope Park Soccer Complex at 10:00 a.m. CT. The Fire Reserves currently share second place in the inaugural MLS Reserve Division alongside D.C. United (6-4-0, 18 pts.), with both clubs sitting just one point behind the division-leading New England Revolution (5-2-4, 19 pts.). The Fire Reserves possess a game in hand on the Revolution with just two games remaining in Reserve Division play and are looking to add to their five-match unbeaten streak, a 4-0-1 stretch that included a 2-0 victory over the Wizards Reserves on June 18.

Etc.

- The Fire's Mexican League sister club, Monarcas Morelia, saw a late lead slip away against Pumas and was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at home last Saturday. Now halfway through the 2005 Apertura season, the "Monarchs" 3-4-2 record and 11 points puts them in third place in the Group One standings, one point ahead of Tecos (U.A.G.) (3-5-1, 10 pts.) and four points behind second-place Necaxa (4-2-3, 15 pts.). Morelia has a double dose of league play this week, first traveling to Mexico City's Neza '86 Stadium to face Group One cellar-dwellers Atlante (1-6-2, 5 pts.) this Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 3:00 p.m. CT before returning to the confines of Morelos Stadium in Morelia on Saturday, Oct. 1 for a 7:00 p.m. CT tilt against Tigres (4-1-4, 13 pts.).

- The Fire has announced the organization will host the first-ever Fire Business Alliance Networking event prior to its Oct. 5 home contest at Soldier Field against the MetroStars. The event will be held on the Colonnades level on the east side of Soldier Field and will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT. The event will feature food/beverages, raffle prizes and an opportunity to network with some of Chicago's top business leaders. Admission to the event is $35 for members and $55 for non-members, a price that includes a ticket to the Fire-Metros match. For more information on the Chicago Fire's Business Alliance or to purchase tickets to the event, please contact Andrew Stengren at 312-705-7235 or via email at Astengren@Chicago-Fire.com .

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