MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly Update

Published on January 23, 2006 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Cal-Berkeley Forward Calen Carr Leads Fire's "Fab Five" at MLS SuperDraft

The Fire came away with a class of five talented rookies from last Friday's 2006 MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia, PA, with University of California - Berkeley forward Calen Carr leading the pack. The Fire chose Carr, the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, with the 10th overall pick in the first round, beginning a trend that would see the Fire forego collegiate underclassmen and high school-aged talent in favor of only graduating seniors. The draft's second round was a highly successful one for the Fire, first choosing Georgetown defender Jeff Curtin, the younger brother of current Fire defender Jim Curtin, with the 14th overall selection before plucking some local talent from the draft pool in the form of Indiana University midfielder and Naperville native Brian Plotkin with the 20th pick. Chicago rounded out the its draft day by selecting Southern Connecticut State defender Jordan Russolillo (34th) and Marshall University midfielder Jeremy Ashe (46th) in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

Chicago Fire 2006 MLS SuperDraft Selections

F Calen Carr - University of California - Berkeley - 1st Round/10th overall selection

D Jeff Curtin - Georgetown University - 2nd Round/14th overall (from Real Salt Lake)

M Brian Plotkin - Indiana University - 2nd Round/20th overall (from Houston)

D Jordan Russolillo- Southern Connecticut State University - 3rd Round/34th overall

M Jeremy Ashe - Marshall University - 4th Round/46th overall

Rolfe and Johnson Earns Second Caps in 0-0 Draw Between U.S. and Canada

A pair of Chicago Fire forwards, Will Johnson and Chris Rolfe, both earned their second career appearances for the respective national teams yesterday in a scoreless draw between the United States and Canada at Torero Stadium in San Diego, CA. It would take more than three quarters of the match for the Fire to see a current representative enter the contest, but Johnson would remedy that when he got the call from Canada Head Coach Frank Yallop in the 70th minute to replace Sandro Grande in the Canadian attack. U.S. Manager Bruce Arena would counter with his own Fire forward minutes later, substituting Rolfe into the contest for former Fire striker Josh Wolff in the 73rd minute. Sunday's second "caps" for both the 19-year-old Johnson and the 23-year-old Rolfe come just two months after the players made their senior national team debuts on European soil last November - Rolfe against Scotland on Nov. 12 and Johnson at Luxembourg on Nov. 16.

While Johnson's busy month with both the Canadian Senior and Under-20 National Teams

has concluded, Rolfe and fellow Fire teammate Nate Jaqua will continue to participate in Arena's 28-man U.S. National Team camp, which runs through mid-February at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. While Rolfe looks to continue collecting "caps," Jaqua will hope to make his full international debut when the "Red, White & Blue" return to action this Sunday, Jan. 29 against Norway at The Home Depot Center in a contest that can be seen live at 4:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and Telemundo.

Still a Bit Drafty... 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft to Be Held Thursday at 3:00 p.m. CT

Major League Soccer today announced that the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft will be held this Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. CT via conference call from the League headquarters in New York City. Fans can follow the Supplemental Draft through the DraftTracker on the League's official website www.MLSnet.com. Like last Friday's MLS SuperDraft, the Fire enters the Supplemental Draft with five selections - its natural first (10th overall), second (22nd) and third round (34th) picks and a pair of fourth round selections (42nd and 46th).

The original order of the four-round MLS Supplemental Draft is the same as that of the MLS SuperDraft, which is determined from the reverse order of finish following the 2005 season. All players that were eligible and not selected in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft and additional players added by teams will be eligible for selection in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. The complete list of players will be available on Wednesday after 3:30 p.m. CT on www.MLSnet.com.

They Said It...

"It's an honor to be drafted by the Fire. It's a great team with a lot of rich tradition. I'm just pleased to be a part of it and to have this fantastic opportunity. I wasn't sure where I would end up, but I'm especially pleased that I get to go to Chicago. It's a great city and the coaching staff is fantastic, so I can't wait to get out there and go to work."

- Forward Calen Carr, the Fire's first round MLS SuperDraft selection, on joining to the "Men in Red"

Four Familiar Locations Featured in Fire's 2006 Preseason Plans

With the beginning of its ninth MLS season just almost two months away, the Chicago Fire has announced the preliminary schedule for its 2006 preseason itinerary. The four camp locations are familiar ones for the "Men in Red," who will begin the year as they have the previous three seasons under Head Coach Dave Sarachan, with a two-week stay at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. The Fire's international leg will take the squad back to Guadalajara, Mexico, where the club played three exhibition contests during the 2005 preseason. After the 10-day trip south of the border, the Fire will go westward for an 11-day training stint at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, home to the Los Angeles Galaxy, CD Chivas USA and the U.S. Soccer National Training Center. The Fire will wind up its preparations for the upcoming 2006 season by heading south for what is becoming a traditional trip to Jackson, MS in late March, marking the third straight year the "Men in Red" will finish their preseason in the capital city of "Magnolia State."

The Fire will report to its Lake Forest College training facility at the end of January prior to departing to Bradenton, with exact dates to be announced in the upcoming days. Any media interested in conducting interviews at LFC during those days should contact the Fire Media Relations Department at 312-705-7272.

Chicago Fire 2006 Preseason Calendar (Dates subject to change)

Feb. 4 - 17: Training Camp at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL

- Dates and times for scrimmages/exhibitions TBA

Feb. 21 - Mar. 2: International Training Camp in Guadalajara, Mexico

- Dates and times for scrimmages/exhibitions TBA

Mar. 6- 16: Training Camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA

- Dates and times for scrimmages/exhibitions TBA

Mar. 20- 26: Training Camp in Jackson, MS

- Exhibition match TBA

Monday, Mar. 27: Training in Chicagoland to begin (Site/Times TBA) Saturday, Apr. 1: MLS First Kick 2006 - Fire at FC Dallas; Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX

Season Tickets for Inaugural Season at Bridgeview Stadium on Sale Now

The Fire's public on-sale for 2006 Season Tickets at Bridgeview Stadium continues, giving fans the opportunity to choose their seats for the club's inaugural season at the new, world-class facility, located on the corner of 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview. Fans can pick out their seats by checking out the Bridgeview seating chart in the Ticket section at www.Chicago-Fire.com. For more information on the public on-sale and the Bridgeview Stadium project, please call 1-888-MLS-FIRE or visit www.Chicago-Fire.com.

Get Them While They're Hot! Club Seat Selection at Bridgeview Stadium Going Strong

Club seat selection for the Fire's inaugural season at Bridgeview Stadium for all current season ticket holders is still going strong, with approximately 75% of the three club sections already sold. Located at mid-field on the stadium's East side, the Fire's club seats offer the unique combination of the best sightlines for exciting Fire soccer and other special events and are perfect for entertaining clients, closing business deals, recognizing employees, or simply relaxing and enjoying the game. For a full list of all the benefits Bridgeview Stadium Club Seating has to offer, please contact the Fire's Premium Seating Department at 312-705-7230 or visit www.Chicago-Fire.com for more details.

Etc...

- The Fire would like to congratulate the Chicago Fire Juniors of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League on seeing ten of its alumni taken in last Friday's MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia, a number that represented more than 20% of the players taken in the draft. The Fire Juniors' roster of new MLS talent includes: Jed Zayner (13th overall pick, Columbus Crew), Lance Watson (16th, Kansas City Wizards), Brian Plotkin (20th, Chicago), Brandon Moss (27th, Columbus), Matt Groenwald (28th, Kansas City), Ray Burse (30th, FC Dallas), Kyle Brown (35th, New England Revolution), Chris Dunsheath (36th, Los Angeles Galaxy), Blake Camp (41st, MetroStars) and Mike Ambersley (43rd, Dallas). The 10 players, who accounted for 105 regular season games played for one of the most successful teams, have helped lead the Fire Premier to five consecutive PDL division titles.

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Major League Soccer Stories from January 23, 2006


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