MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire Opens 2002 Playoffs Thursday @ New England at 6:30 PM - Live on ESPN2

September 23, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


With Sunday's 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew, the Chicago Fire secured a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive year and prepares to face the Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs on Thursday, September 26 @ 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. The match will be televised live nationwide via ESPN2. The Fire will host the Revolution in Game 2 of the "First to Five" quarterfinals on Sunday, September 29 @ 6:00 p.m. from Cardinal Stadium in Naperville. Chicago is the seventh-seeded team in the post-season, finishing the regular season with an 11-13-4 record and 37 points. The Fire will head into Gillette Stadium with the upper hand, as the "Men in Red" led the 2002 series against the second-seeded Revolution (12-14-2, 38 points) by a record of 2-1-1. The Fire also leads the Revolution in the all-time series 5-4-3. The Fire eliminated the Revolution from the playoffs in Game 3 of the quarterfinals on September 22, 2000, shutting out New England 6-0 at Soldier Field. Should Chicago advance to the semifinals, the "Men in Red" will face the winner of the San Jose-Columbus series. Tickets to Game 2 of the MLS Quarterfinals between the Fire and the Revolution this Sunday at Cardinal Stadium can be purchased through Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 312-559-1212 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also by purchased at the Chicago Fire Ticket Trailer, 455 S. Brainard in Naperville, Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For groups of 15 or more, please call 1-888-MLS-FIRE. Season ticket holders can use Bonus Game C or Playoff Game 1 for Sunday's game.

Fire GM Peter Wilt "On Fire" Tonight on CLTV

The Chicago Fire's call-in show, Chicagoland Television's (CLTV) "SportsPage" with host Lou Canellis will air Monday night from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday night's show will feature an interview with Fire GM Peter Wilt and calls from fans. The number to call and ask questions is 630-575-8255.

Fire vs. Revolution - 2002 MLS Quarterfinals

Date Opponent Venue Time (CT) TV Radio
Thurs., Sept. 26 New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 6:30 p.m. ESPN2 WBIG 1280 AM, WIND 560 AM, WNVR 1030 AM
Sun., Sept. 29 New England Revolution Cardinal Stadium 6:00 p.m. None WBIG 1280 AM, WIND 560 AM, WNVR 1030 AM
*Wed. Oct. 2 New England Revolution Gillette Stadium 6:30 p.m. ^FSNC WBIG 1280 AM, WIND 560 AM, WNVR 1030 AM
*If necessary
^FOX Sports Net Chicago

Fire Agenda

The Fire will be training at Lake Forest College this week. Training sessions are open to the media only. Sites/times subject to change. Please check with the Fire's Media Relations Department for updates: 312-705-7272.

Date Activity Time (CT)
Tue., Sept. 24 Training @ Halas Hall - Lake Forest College 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CT
Wed., Sept. 25 Training @ Halas Hall - Lake Forest College; Travel to Boston 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. CT
Thurs., Sept. 26 Game 1 MLS Quarterfinals @ New England - Gillette Stadium Kickoff @ 6:30 p.m. CT - ESPN2
Fri., Sept. 27 Return to Chicago; Training @ Lake Forest College **2:00-3:00 p.m. CT
Sat., Sept. 28 Training @ Halas Hall - Lake Forest College TBD
Sun., Sept. 29 Game 2 MLS Quarterfinals - Fire vs. New England - Cardinal Stadium Kickoff @ 6:00 p.m. CT
**Subject to Change

For the Record

"This season has been different. But we still believed that we could get the job done. At the end of the day, it was still a group of guys that hung in there. We felt that if we could get in the playoffs, we could make a good run at the championship." - Fire Head Coach Bob Bradley, who tied former D.C. boss Thomas Rongen for most wins (82) in MLS history after clinching a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive year with Sunday's 2-1 win over Columbus.

Marsch Update

Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch suffered a right ankle sprain during Sunday's 2-1 victory over Columbus. The 28-year-old, Fire veteran collided with the Crew's Dante Washington in the waning moments of the match and had to be carried off the field. Marsch's X-rays revealed no fractures, and the Racine, Wisconsin native will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Marsch leads the team with 83 consecutive games played (league and non-league). The last time he missed a contest was on August 30, 2000, due to injury. Marsch's 57 consecutive MLS games played is an ongoing Fire record that he set on August 18, 2002, passing up goalkeeper Zach Thornton's mark of 52, which ended on June 2.

Recovery Room

Armas, Chris -- ACL tear in right knee -- IR
Daniv, Sergi -- ligament repair on great toe of right foot -- IR
Marsch, Jesse -- right ankle sprain -- day-to-day
Nugent, Mike -- torn lateral meniscus in left knee -- IR
Razov, Ante -- right shoulder subluxation -- probable
Whitfield, Evan -- ACL tear in left knee -- IR
Wolff, Josh -- ACL tear in right knee -- IR

And the Winners Are....

The Chicago Fire recently announced its award winners for the 2002 Major League Soccer season. Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton captured the 2002 Fire/Honda MVP Award, as well as the 2002 Fire/ADT Defender of the Year, which he captured for the second year in a row. Thornton helped the Fire to its fifth straight playoff berth and finished the season with a 10-13-4 record and seven shutouts. The Fire's all-time leading scorer, Ante Razov, was crowned the Fire/Budweiser Scoring Champion for the fourth time after another impressive season (14 goals, 8 assists for 36 points) with the "Men in Red." This year's Fire/U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year was defender C.J. Brown, who also captured the honors for the second straight year.

Etc.

* Fire captain Peter Nowak registered his 100th MLS career point after scoring the Fire's first goal of the game Sunday afternoon in the 72nd minute to help the Fire to its fifth consecutive playoff berth.

* The Fire played before a sell-out crowd (15,487) for the fourth time in a row Sunday at Cardinal Stadium ... The game also marked the team's third consecutive pre-game sell-out at its temporary suburban home.

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from September 23, 2002


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