MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire Game Notes

July 13, 2007 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Chicago Fire @ Carolina RailHawks - Sunday, July 15, 2007 - Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round

VIDEO: www.usllive.com

RADIO: WSHA FM 88.9 FM (Raleigh, N.C.) :: www.wshafm.org

Contact: M.R. Manager Chris Bailey

Fire @ RailHawks

Nine-time participant and current 2006 defending champion Chicago Fire join the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Sunday, July 15, when they travel to Cary, N.C. to face the Carolina RailHawks (USL First Division) at 6:30 p.m. CT for the first time in Open Cup play. The Fire have lifted the Dewar Trophy four times, the latest with a 3-1 Open Cup Final win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on September 27, 2006. Live video of the Fire - RailHawks match-up will be available, free-of-charge, by visiting www.usllive.com, and audio can be heard at www.wshafm.org.

Chicago Fire/AthletiCo "Recovery Room" :: July 13

Banner, Mike - R groin strain - DOUBTFUL

Monteiro, Jerson - R hip strain - PROBABLE

Robinson, Dasan - L groin strain - PROBABLE

Rolfe, Chris - L ankle sprain - OUT

Russolillo, Jordan - spondylolisthesis (back pain) - OUT

Telesford, Osei - L groin strain - OUT

Chicago Fire Weekly Agenda

** Sites/times subject to change. Please call 708.496.6726 to confirm training schedule. All times Central.

Sunday, July 15 Chicago Fire @ Carolina RailHawks (USL 1) - SAS Soccer Park - 6:30 p.m.

Monday, July 16 Arrive in Chicago, Ill., 11:20 a.m.

Tuesday, July 17 OFF - All-Star Break

Wednesday, July 18 OFF - All-Star Break

Thursday, July 19 OFF - All-Star Break

Friday, July 20 Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 21 Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field, 9:00 a.m.

Sunday, July 22 Chicago Fire vs. Celtic FC - TOYOTA PARK - 3:00 p.m. - Fox Soccer Channel

Fire Fall to Houston Dynamo on Thursday

The Chicago Fire suffered a 4-0 defeat to the Houston Dynamo in front of a capacity crowd of 20,034 Thursday night at TOYOTA PARK. The game-winning goal for the Dynamo came from midfielder Stuart Holden, with insurance goals from forwards Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya, and Chris Wondolowski. Thursday's game marked the first match with head coach Juan Carlos Osorio at the helm for the "Men in Red" and the first-ever start for newly-signed midfielder Bruno Menezes.

At A Glance: Carolina RailHawks

Led by head coach Scott Schweitzer, the RailHawks sit in eighth place of the United Soccer League First Division with a record of 4-4-7 (as of July 10). Carolina tends to play better at home with a 2-1-5 record. They are led in points by midfielder Kupono Low with nine. The RailHawks have a number of players who have previously played for MLS clubs - midfielder Chris Carrieri (Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids), midfielder Dario Brose (San Jose Clash), defender David Stokes (D.C. United), and midfielder Joey Worthen (Real Salt Lake).

Open Cup Possible Quarterfinal Pairings Announced

U.S. Soccer has announced the quarterfinal (fourth) round possible pairings for the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with the Chicago Fire in line to play either the Richmond Kickers (USL) or Los Angeles Galaxy should they defeat the Carolina RailHawks on July 15. The fourth round of the historic tournament will take place on Aug. 7, and should the Fire win over Carolina, they will face either Richmond or Los Angeles at TOYOTA PARK at 7:30 CT. The original field of 40 participating teams will have been whittled down to eight after the conclusion of the third round, set to take place July 9-18. The tournament initially kicked off on June 12, with 32 teams from the United Soccer Leagues First Division, USL Second Division, Premier Development League and United States Adult Soccer Association ranks. Teams from Major League Soccer join the fray in the third round. The final match of the Open Cup will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

For Fire, U.S. Open Cup IS History

The Chicago Fire has enjoyed unparalleled success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup since the team's inception in 1998, winning the coveted Dewar Trophy four times - 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006 - in the club's first nine seasons while also finishing as the runners-up in the 2004 edition. The "Men in Red" have dominated play in the nation's oldest soccer competition, as evidenced by Chicago's 24-5-2 record (.806 winning percentage), seven semifinal appearances and five finals in just nine years. The Fire is also one of only seven clubs to win the U.S. Open Cup at least three times, and became the first to accomplish the feat since the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms won their third title in 1983. Chicago is also the last club to take home four titles since Maccabee SC of Los Angeles did so in 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1981. The Fire is not the only team from "The Windy City" to take home the Dewar Trophy, having brought home Chicago's sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth overall U.S. Open Cup titles.

Osorio Takes Over as Head Coach

Juan Carlos Osorio was officially introduced as the new head coach for the Chicago Fire at a news conference held Monday morning. President/CEO John Guppy announced that Osorio has signed a multi-year deal to coach the club. Specific terms of the contract were not disclosed due to Major League Soccer policy. Osorio takes over for interim head coach Denis Hamlett, who guided the Fire to a 1-1-2 overall record (0-1-2 MLS mark) after Dave Sarachan was let go on June 20. Osorio will make his MLS coaching debut this Thursday when the Fire plays host to the Houston Dynamo on ESPN2 Primetime Thursday at TOYOTA PARK. Archived video of the complete Osorio press conference from Monday is available on www.chicago-fire.com. "Juan Carlos is a respected manager with outstanding soccer credentials," said Fire President/CEO John Guppy. "He is a sound tactician, a decisive decision maker and an excellent communicator. With Juan Carlos, we are bringing in someone who will address every aspect of training and get the most out of our players. We are excited about a new era of Fire soccer with Juan Carlos' hiring."

Juan Carlos Osorio - The Coach

Juan Carlos Osorio, 46, was most recently manager for Club Deportivo Los Millonarios, the most successful franchise in the Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (Copa Mustang). In 2007, Osorio led the Bogotá-based club to a 11-6-7 record during the Finalización (closing) season and a fourth-place finish out of 18 teams. Millonarios also qualified for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana, one of the top club competitions in South America. Prior to joining Millonarios, Osorio spent five years (2001-06) with Manchester City F.C. of the English Premier League, starting as the conditioning coach before being promoted to assistant manager. Osorio is no stranger to MLS, spending two seasons (2000-01) as assistant coach/conditioning coach for the MetroStars. A native of Santa Rosa del Cabal, Colombia, Osorio holds an English Football Association "A" coaching license and a coaching certificate from the Royal Netherlands Football Association. He earned a B.A. in exercise science from Southern Connecticut State University in 1990 and holds a diploma in science and football from John Moores University in Liverpool, England.

Fire-Celtic FC July 22 Date Fast Approaches

Less than two weeks remain before the Chicago Fire face one of the most storied clubs in Scotland, Celtic FC, on July 22 at TOYOTA PARK, with kick-off set for 3:00 p.m. CT. Celtic FC clinched the 2007 Scottish Premier League (SPL) title, the club's 41st domestic title.

"The Hoops" have won back-to-back championships; capturing five of the last seven league crowns. Celtic went unbeaten in an astonishing 31 of 34 games this past season, notching a 25-3-6 overall record in the SPL.

"Obviously Celtic is a great team and a very well recognized club throughout Europe and throughout the world," said Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "It can not be a better opposition for some of the guys here that haven't had experience at that level, hopefully for the younger players like Chris Rolfe, Chad [Barrett] and the rest. If we can have Cuauhtémoc for the game then I think we will have all the guys ready and hopefully have the team in place that will be basically be the starting lineup for the rest of the season."

Blanco Set to Debut July 22

Chicago Fire Soccer has announced that forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco, the Fire's Designated Player signing, will soon return from his run in Copa America with the Mexican National Team to make his much-anticipated Chicago Fire debut on Sunday, July 22, when the squad takes on Scottish Premier League side Celtic FC at TOYOTA PARK. The 34-year-old attacker has been with the Mexican National Team after closing out his career with Mexican First Division side, Club América. Overall, the native of Mexico City, Mexico tallied seven goals and six assists through 1,530 minutes of action for the "Aguilas" through the 2007 Clausura regular season.

Fire Forward Breakdown:

Barrett, Chad - 4G/1A - 1,281 minutes - 16 games/15 starts (Scored game-tying goal in 1-1 draw vs. TOR on July 7)

Carr, Calen -1G/0A - 732 minutes - 14 games/7 starts (Last scored in 2-1 loss vs. DAL on May 17)

Monteiro, Jerson - 1G/0A - 154 minutes - 5 games/1 starts (First MLS start against COL on July 1)

Rolfe, Chris - 4G/3A - 495 minutes - 6 games/6 starts (Has missed last 10 MLS games due to ankle injury)

Bob Bradley Inducted into "Ring of Fire" on Aug. 4

Chicago Fire Soccer has announced that former Fire head coach Bob Bradley will be inducted into the prestigious "Ring of Fire" Hall of Fame on Aug. 4, at TOYOTA PARK in a pre-game ceremony before the "Men in Red" take on Eastern Conference foe Columbus Crew (6:00 p.m. CT, HDNet). Bradley, who is currently serving as the U.S. Men's National Team head coach, and fellow inductees Peter Wilt, Peter Nowak, and Frank Klopas will be in attendance for a 90-minute pre-game reception on the TOYOTA PARK rooftop to celebrate the induction. Tickets for the reception are available through The FireWorks for Kids Foundation (FWFK).

Quick Kicks vs. Carolina RailHawks

 Chicago defender Gonzalo Segares is the only Fire player to have played in every minute of every 2007 regular season game for the "Men in Red"

 With a goal from forward Chad Barrett in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Toronto, he is now tied with Eric Wynalda and Jerzy Podbrozny for 15th place all-time on the Fire career goals scored with 10 tallies.

 Barrett's tally in the 1-1 draw with Toronto also broke three streaks: 1) 173 minutes without a shot on goal (7/01 vs. COL - Gonzalo Segares 87') 2) Snapped MLS scoreless streak of 286 minutes (6/16 @ D.C. United - Jerson Monteiro 54'') 3) Broke 262 MLS scoreless minutes at home (6/03 vs. CLB - Chad Barrett 78')

 The broken 286 minutes scoreless streak beats a previous Fire team record streak of 282 minutes dating back to an April 4, 1998 - April 25, 1998 scoreless stretch.

 RailHawks midfielder Chris Carrieri was once called-up from the MISL Chicago Storm to play just one game for the Chicago Fire on Oct. 6, 2004, as 56th minute substitute in a 0-1 loss to the Columbus Crew.

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