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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire parts ways with six players to meet MLS Roster Compliance

March 5, 2007 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


BRIDGEVIEW, IL (Monday, March 5, 2007) - Chicago Fire Soccer announced today the departure of six players from the club as of March 1, transactions that kept the squad in compliance with Major League Soccer's roster and salary deadline. The Fire officially waived four players - defenders Leonard Griffin and Jared Montz and midfielders Craig Capano and John Thorrington - while announcing defender Tony Sanneh and midfielder Ryan Johnson have been placed on the club's right of first refusal list in advance of the team's upcoming 2007 campaign. The Fire has 31 players taking part at its current preseason camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with the coaching staff expected to make final roster cuts and settle on a final 28-man roster in the upcoming weeks.

"This time of the spring always brings about some tough decisions, and the quality and depth of our roster heading into the preseason made that especially true this year," said Fire President/CEO John Guppy. "We've had to let go of some seasoned young professionals and a player in Tony Sanneh that had a strong second half of the season last year. But in the end these moves were made to give our club the roster depth we've maintained in years past and the salary cap flexibility needed to fill our Designated Player slot down the road."

As of last Thursday, all 13 MLS sides adhered to the mandatory 28-man roster deadline, allowing no more than 18 Senior roster players and 10 Developmental roster players. As a result, the Fire has forgone its MLS rights to Capano, Griffin, Montz, and Thorrington, leaving each player available to be selected in this afternoon's MLS Waiver Draft, taking place via conference call at 2:00 p.m. CT.

The longest-tenured member of the six released players was Capano, a member of the Fire since the 2002 season. An ACL injury between the 2004-05 seasons and subsequent setbacks in his recovery plagued the young midfielder, forcing the Hyde Park, N.Y. native to miss out on first team minutes in both 2005 and 2006. Montz leaves the club after two seasons in Chicago, tallying one assist in 13 minutes for the 2006 campaign.

The third-year pro Griffin was waived despite seeing a career-high 343 minutes in 2006. The UCLA-product logged 18 games, including nine starts, and 825 minutes in MLS regular season play. Thorrington departs Chicago after scoring one goal in 10 games contested over the 2005-06 seasons. The former Grimsby Town and Huddersfield Town pro lost first team chances due to a lingering hamstring injury that kept him on the bench for most of his two years with the Fire, limiting the California native to 379 total League minutes.

The Fire could not come to contractual terms will Sanneh and Johnson after tending contract offers to both players and subsequently placed the duo on its first right of refusal list, meaning that Chicago will retain both players' MLS rights. Sanneh was a second-half season bright spot for the Fire in 2006, the veteran defender returning to full health midway through the campaign to anchor the Fire backline. Johnson leaves the Windy City after arriving from Real Salt Lake via a trade earlier in the season, the rookie notching an even 200 minutes of play with one start for the "Men in Red" during regular season play in 2006.

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