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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Weekly

June 11, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Deadlock

The Chicago Fire tied Schwaben AC 1-1 last night at the Schwaben Center in Buffalo Grove in front of a standing room only crowd of over 1,000 fans. Fire rookie Kelly Gray scored for the "Men in Red" in the 33rd minute, when fellow rookie forward Mike Nugent dribbled along the right end line and found the Portland product alone in front of the net. Gray slotted the ball into the net to give the Fire the 1-0 lead. In the 58th minute, Schwaben was given a key direct kick 25 yards away from the Fire net. The ball found the back of the net in the upper left corner after clipping the bottom of the crossbar to make it 1-1. Chicago utilized five players from the defending Great Lakes Division Champion Chicago Fire Reserves (PDL) during the game. Midfielder Mike Hill started and played all 90 minutes with fellow CFRs Joe Jerele, Brent Strang, Kieron Kean, and Scott Repa contributing as substitutes.

Lineup (4-4-2): GK-#13- Henry Ring; D-#11-Billy Sleeth, D-#2-C.J. Brown (#27-Brent Strang 46), D-#5-Jim Curtin (#25-Joe Jerele 46), D-#22-David Vaudreuil; M-#26-Mike Hill, M-#19-Craig Capano, M-#12-Miguel Saavedra (#30-Kieron Kean 30), M-#24-Jason Moore; F-#23-Mike Nugent, F-#6-Kelly Gray (#31-Scott Repa 46).

TOTAL SHOTS: Fire 16, Schwaben 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: Fire 5, Schwaben 5; FOULS: Fire 11, Schwaben 13; OFFSIDE: Fire 2, Schwaben 2; CORNER KICKS: Fire 9, Schwaben 2; SAVES: Fire 5, Schwaben 3.

Holding Ground

Despite its 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy last weekend, the Chicago Fire (5-4-2, 17 points) remains in first-place in the Eastern Conference and returns MLS action to host its archrival Dallas Burn this Saturday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. (CT) from Cardinal Stadium in Naperville. The Fire-Burn contest can be seen live on Fox Sports Net and can also be heard on WBIG AM 1280 (English), WNVR AM 1030 (Polish), and WIND AM 560 (Spanish). The first 10,000 fans at the game will receive a Chicago Fire/LaSalle Bank team poster.

The Fire is 8-6-1 all-time against the "Red and Black" squad from Dallas (6-1-1 at home and 2-5-1 at Dallas). Fire forward Ante Razov currently sits in second among the MLS scoring leaders with eight goals and three assists for 19 points. The Fire's all-time leading scorer also leads Chicago with six goals and one assist for 13 points against the Burn in 11 series games. Burn midfielder Jason Kreis leads the team with four goals and seven assists for 15 points against the Fire and is the only player on either side to compete in all 15 games in the all-time series. Kreis also leads the team with eight goals and one assist for 17 points in 2002.

Tickets to the game can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet, or by logging on to Ticketmaster.com. Fans can also purchase tickets on site at the Cardinal Stadium ticket box office, which is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information or to inquire about group discounts, please call 1-888-MLS-FIRE, or visit the Fire offices 980 N. Michigan, Suite 1998 in Chicago from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.

Sports Career Night

Team representatives from popular Chicago-area sports teams and organizations, including Chicago Fire staff, will be available for an informational/ networking session on Saturday, June 15 at Cardinal Stadium starting at 5:30 p.m. in Naperville. All those looking for a career in sports or simply to meet people within the industry and learn more about it, are encouraged to attend. We will attempt to have most sides of the industry represented (marketing, sales, public relations, athletic training, etc.).

Teams and companies scheduled to appear include the Chicago Fire, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Rush (AFL), Chicago Thunder (USPV), Schaumburg Flyers Baseball, Chicago Wolves Hockey, AthletiCo Sports Medicine, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Cook County Cheetahs Baseball, Fox Sports Net Chicago.

The fee for the event is $20 per person, which includes registration, admission to the game, and food. Capacity for the event is limited. For further information or to register, please contact Mike Beauvais at (312) 705-7230 or email at mbeauvais@mlsnet.com.

On Sale NOW!!!

Tickets to the Chicago Fire's quarterfinal FC Champions Cup match-up against Mexican club Monarcas del Atletico Morelia on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT at Cardinal Stadium are on sale now. Tickets are available at $25, $35 and $40 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212, or at any Ticketmaster outlet or visiting Ticketmaster.com. Full Season Ticket Holders may use Bonus Game B tickets for this game. Flex plan holders may use up to two vouchers for every ten purchased. Vouchers will not be accepted day of game. For more information or to inquire about group discounts, please call 1-888-MLS-FIRE, or visit the Fire offices 980 N. Michigan, Suite 1998 in Chicago from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.

The action begins with the 2000 Mexican League Champion (Torneo de Invierno) hosting the Fire on Sunday, June 30 at 4:00 p.m. CT from Morelos Stadium in Michoacan, Mexico. The second leg of the tournament will conclude with the "Men in Red" hosting its rival on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT from Cardinal Stadium...The winning team will advance to semifinals and will face Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards, which advanced to the semis by defeating Santos Laguna of Mexico. The Fire advanced to the semifinals on March 20 with a 3-0 aggregate win against CSD Municipal of Guatemala at Cardinal Stadium and Morelia defeated Saprissa of Costa Rica 2-1 on aggregate to get through to the quarterfinals.

Pub Night with the Fire

The Chicago Fire proudly presents "Pub Night with the Fire" on Monday, June 17 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Quigley's Pub located at 43 East Jefferson in Naperville, IL. Fire players will be on hand as celebrity bartenders with all tips benefiting the FireWorks For Kids Foundation - the Fire's charitable arm. Tickets to the event are $15 ($20 at door) and include entry, complimentary appetizers, one free drink, and a chance for a door prize. A raffle for Chicago Fire merchandise and other prizes will also be held. For tickets please call (312) 705-7218 as capacity is limited. Get your tickets early as last year's event sold out fast! Ages 21 and over only admitted.

ACE/Tru-Fit Injury Report

Armas, Chris - ACL tear in right knee - IR
Daniv, Sergi - ligament and tendon repair on great toe of right foot- out, 10-12 weeks
Korol, Aleksey - left knee bursitis - IR
Kovalenko, Dema - right hamstring injury - questionable
Moore, Jason - appendicitis - IR
Stoitchkov, Hristo - Grade Two MCL sprain in right knee - IR
Whitfield, Evan - ACL tear in left knee - IR

249 and Counting

The Chicago Fire has collectively scored 249 goals in the history of the team. Since the Fire's inaugural game on March 21, 1998, when forward Roman Kosecki scored the first goal in Fire history, the team has seen 27 different players tally. Chicago has seen the likes of core players such as Ante Razov, captain Peter Nowak, striker Josh Wolff, and DaMarcus Beasley score for the team. Also included on the list are A-League call-ups Amos Magee and David Hayes along with the likes of former veterans Eric Wynalda and Ritchie Kotschau and former defender and now assistant coach Tom Soehn. Razov leads the pack with 52.

Weekend with the Affiliates

The Minnesota Thunder, one of the Fire's minor league affiliates, defeated the Cincinnati Riverhawks 4-2 in A-League action on Saturday at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN. Forwards Jakob Fenger and Orrett Prendergast combined for three goals and two assists as the Thunder earned its fourth straight victory. The win for the Thunder increased its record to 5-3-1, 25 points, which is good for second place in the Central Division behind the Milwaukee Rampage.

The first-place Milwaukee Rampage hosted the Riverhawks last Sunday and had three different players score to lead the team to a 3-1 home win at the Milwaukee Rampage Sports Complex. Former Fire player John Wolyniec and Igor Soso both scored a goal and an assist in the contest, which also served as a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifier. The Rampage won the two-legged aggregate series 5-4 and will move on to face the winner of the AAC Eagles of Illinois (USASA) and the New York Freedoms (D3) on Wednesday, June 26 at the Milwaukee Rampage Sports Complex. Time TBD. Milwaukee became the last team to qualify for the prestigious tournament.

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds played a home-and-home weekend series with the Montreal Impact that saw the 'Hounds tie the first game 1-1 at home and lose 3-1 away. David Flavius and Mike Apple tallied for Pittsburgh in the series, but the team remains in third-place in the four-team Northeast Division...The Indiana Blast fell to the tough El Paso Patriots 1-0 over the weekend at Dudley Field leaving the team in last place in the Central Division with 12 points. The Fire will take on the Blast on Tuesday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. CT at Kuntz Stadium. For ticket information please call MorSports, Inc. at (317) 585-9203 or visit www.indianablast.com.

Finally, the Chicago Fire Reserves mastered the Chicago Eagles Select 5-2 over the weekend to continue a torrid season opening pace of 7-0-1 settling the team at the top of the Great Lakes Division with 31 points. The Fire Reserves stands two points clear of the Mid Michigan Bucks and will take on its archrival this Friday, June 14 at Lemont Community High School in Lemont, IL at 7:30 p.m. Mid Michigan is looking to avenge an early season 2-1 overtime loss to the Reserves. The Bucks are also hunting to regain the Great Lakes Division Crown, which it held from 1996 through 2000. The Reserves became the first team to de-throne Mid Michigan when it won the 2001title. For ticket information contact the Chicago Fire Reserves at tickets@firereserves.com or (773) 238-7060.

Etc.

* Fire defender C.J. Brown will be on the Steve Cochran Show on WGN 720 AM on Thursday, June 13 at 1:15 p.m.

* Fire captain Peter Nowak is two points shy of reaching the 100-point plateau in MLS. He will join Fire forward Ante Razov as the only members of the "Men in Red" to do so. The Fire's all-time assists leader has also recorded 48 helpers during his tenure in the league.

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