Chicago Storm Presents The First Annual Chicago Legends Game on April 3

Published on March 8, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Chicago Storm News Release


Chicago (Tuesday, March 8, 2005) – The Chicago Storm announced today that they will be hosting their first annual Chicago Legends Game on Sunday, April 3 at 4:30 p.m. CT, prior to the Storm's match against the St. Louis Steamers at 6:00 p.m. CT at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The teams will feature Chicago Storm Head Coach and General Manager Frank Klopas, General Sales Manager Karl-Heinz Granitza, Chairman and CEO Viktor Jakovljevic and Assistant Coaches Oscar Albuquerque and Jeff Kraft. Other participants will be announced soon along with two special guests. For more information please call the Chicago Storm at (312) 226-GOAL (4625).

"This will be a great event for our fans and the soccer community of Chicago," said Klopas. "The soccer tradition in Chicago is so very rich and we are proud to celebrate it with the Legends Game. Chicago is a special place for soccer and we are very excited to be a part of it and look to continue to uphold the excellence of the history. It will be fun to get out on the field again with some old friends. "

The legends will be split into two teams as they compete in a 24-minute game (12-minute halves). The teams will don commemorative Storm jerseys for the game to celebrate the occasion. One team will wear the Storm's home uniform (black jerseys, black shorts and black socks) and the other will wear the road (white jerseys, black shorts and white socks). The special game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the games during a special silent auction.

"We are very proud to be able to present this type of an event to the community," said Jakovljevic. "We want to bring in the most familiar names, so people can see their heroes of the past on the field again. While some of us are older, I am sure the game will be competitive, since all of us are just competitive by nature. It will just be so much fun all around; for the fans and the players."

The Storm will announce player additions to the game and then a finalized roster soon. All of the legends will sign autographs after the Storm-Steamers contest.

Individual tickets are available and range in price from $8 to $25 and can be purchased by calling the Storm's front office (312) 226-GOAL (4625), Ticketmaster (312) 559-1212 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Fans can also purchase individual tickets at the UIC box office located on 525 South Racine, Chicago, IL 60607. The box office is open from 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Formed on June 3, 2004, the Chicago Storm became the seventh team in the MISL, joining the two-time defending champion Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Force, Kansas City Comets, Milwaukee Wave, Philadelphia Kixx and St. Louis Steamers. The California Cougars will join the league for the start of the 2005-06 season to bring the leagues total to eight teams. Storm home games are played at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The Storm front office is located at 411 South Sangamon, Suite B in Chicago. For more information on the Storm, please call (312) 226-GOAL (4625) or log on to www.ChicagoStorm.net.

Bios for the participants attached

The "Yellow and Black's" contribution to the Legends Game consists of players with experience from the Chicago Sting, Fire, Power and Shoccers.

Karl-Heinz Granitza

Granitza remains one of the all-time greatest players in the history of the country and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY in 2003. The Lünen, Germany native led the Sting to two North American Soccer League (NASL) Championships (1981 and 1984). He totaled 141 goals and 116 assists with the Sting in the NASL. Upon the team's move indoors, Granitza totaled 324 goals and 280 assists in the NASL and MISL from 1980–87. He was named head coach and also played for the Chicago Power of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) from 1988-90. He compiled a coaching record of 39-34 with the Power.

Frank Klopas

The 38-year-old Klopas established himself as one of Chicago's most successful homegrown talents during a professional career that spanned 16 years. Klopas made headlines when he signed for the Sting out of Mather High School in Chicago at the age of 17, in 1984. At Mather, Frank met and became best friends with Viktor Jakovljevic, who also starred for the high school soccer team. The duo helped lead the Rangers to its first Chicago Public League championship in 1983. A broken leg kept him from playing with the Sting during its final season as an outdoor club, but Klopas stayed with the club upon its move to the Major Indoor Soccer League and scored an impressive 110 points (62 goals, 48 assists) during his four seasons with the squad, which included an appearance in the MISL All-Star Game during the 1986-87 season. He earned a roster spot on the U.S. Olympic Team roster for the 1998 Seoul Games in Korea. After spending time in Greece with AEK Athens and with the Kansas City Wizards of MLS, the expansion Chicago Fire was born in 1998 and Klopas was signed by the club and given a chance to end his professional career in where it began -- his hometown. "Kid" Klopas would play 40 games and score 17 points on six goals and five assists for the "Men in Red" during the 1998 and '99 seasons. Klopas ended the Fire's inaugural season in dramatic fashion with what still ranks as one of the club's most memorable moments on October 30, 1998, as his "golden goal" in overtime gave Chicago a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew in front of a rabid hometown crowd at Soldier Field. The victory gave the Fire its first of three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Championships in addition to capping off a historic "double" for the squad in its first campaign. Klopas also enjoyed success at the international level for the U.S. National Team, with whom he made 40 career appearances from 1987-1998. Klopas scored 12 career goals for the "Stars-and-Stripes," which ranks him in 10th place on the U.S.A.'s all-time scoring chart. Klopas would register one of the most productive years in U.S. MNT history when he scored 10 goals in 13 matches in 1994 and was named to the U.S. World Cup squad, which qualified for the Round of 16 at USA ‘94. He is currently on the 2004 ballot for the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Oscar Albuquerque

Albuquerque started his indoor soccer career in 1980 with the Denver Avalanche of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The 5'8" midfielder/forward embarked on a 13-year indoor soccer career, which saw him ply his trade for the Phoenix Pride (1982-84), Las Vegas Americans (1984-85), Los Angeles Lazers (1985), Memphis Storm (1986-87), New York Express (1986-87), Chicago Sting (1987-88), Chicago Power (1988-90), and the Illinois Thunder (1990-92) as a player and assistant coach. His tenure in Chicago proved to be the link for his future in soccer. At the Sting, Albuquerque found himself playing with Klopas and against Kraft, who was with the Hershey Impact. Albuquerque then found himself teaming with Chicago Storm Chairman and CEO Viktor Jakovljevic with the Chicago Power.

Jeff Kraft

The 39-year-old Kraft started his indoor soccer career in 1986 with the Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He made his professional debut on May 3, 1986, against the Chicago Sting at the Rosemont Horizon. The 6'3" defender tallied a goal and assist to help the Comets to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Sting, which included Klopas. Kraft's indoor career also saw him take on fellow Storm staff members Albuquerque and Viktor Jakovljevic as the duo played for the Chicago Power. Kraft and Jakovljevic were teammates and roommates with Hershey for the 1989-90 season. At the conclusion of the 1986-87 MISL season, Kraft left Kansas City to join the Hershey Impact of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Kraft spent three seasons with the Impact, scoring 31 goals and eight assists in 74 games and led the team in game-winning goals with six. The speedy Kraft was dubbed "Mr. Fast" by fans in Hershey, as he was regarded as one of the fastest players in the league. He would use his speed to dart by the opposition and get himself open for teammates. His ability to shake off defenders and get into opportunistic positions to score helped him become a fan-favorite for Hershey.

Viktor Jakovljevic

The Svetozarevo, Yugoslavia native moved to Chicago with his parents at the age of 14 and the young Jakovljevic immediately started to pursue his dream of playing soccer. The outside midfielder enrolled at Mather High School and joined the soccer team, where he met and became best friends with Frank Klopas. The duo starred for the Rangers and led the team to its first Chicago Public League championship in 1983 under Head Coach Constantine Ress. Upon graduation, Jakovljevic signed with the Chicago Sting in 1984 along with Klopas at the age of 17. The pair did not see action during the season. Jakovljevic entered the indoor soccer world with the Chicago Shoccer of the AISA and then joined the Chicago Power of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). He continued his playing career with the Chicago Power (1988-89, 1990-91), Albany Capitals (summer 1989 in A-League), Hershey Impact (1989-90), Milwaukee Wave (1991-92) and Cleveland Crunch (1992-93). He compiled a 10-year professional career, which saw him play in 156 games, scoring 67 goals and 36 assists for 157 points. The attacking midfielder also helped the Power to the 1990-91 NPSL Championship in a three-game sweep of the Dayton Dynamo.

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