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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire's 20th Season Opens with Club's 600th MLS Match

March 2, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


It's fitting that a milestone season for the Chicago Fire Soccer Club begins with a milestone match.

When the Fire officially kick off their 20th Season in MLS Saturday, they'll also be playing the club's 600th MLS regular season contest.

Also appropriate is that they'll do so against the opponent they've seen most frequently since entering the league in 1998. Chicago's visit to Columbus Crew SC (1 p.m. CT, CSN Chicago) is the 59th regular season match between the longtime Midwest rivals, four more meetings for the Fire than against joint-second DC United and New England Revolution.

The oddity that was the Fire -- who stand at 237-217-145 all-time in MLS action -- ending 2016 on 599 all-time matches played stems from the club's 27-game schedule played in 2001, when the final weekend of league play was canceled following the attacks of Sept. 11.

Chicago's most recent ‚¬Ëœmilestone' game came on March 23, 2014 against the New York Red Bulls. And while nobody who played in No. 500 for the Fire that day will be in the squad Saturday, there will be a goal-scorer from the game, a 1-1 draw, making their official debut for the Men In Red in the club's 600th match:

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For those wondering, the MLS club that most closely mirrors the Fire in terms of all-time games played is the San Jose Earthquakes, whose first game of 2017 will be the 601st in the club's two iterations of record-keeping (1996-2005, 2008-present).

Here's a rundown of the club's ‚¬Ëœmilestone' matches over 19-plus seasons:

Match Number Date Opponent Outcome

No. 100 April 28, 2001 at Tampa Bay Mutiny W, 1-0

No. 200 July 28, 2004 at Colorado Rapids L, 2-0

No. 300 Sept. 20, 2007 at FC Dallas T, 1-1

No. 400 April 17, 2011 vs. LA Galaxy L, 2-1

No. 500 March 23, 2014 vs. New York Red Bulls T, 1-1

No. 600 March 4, 2017 at Columbus Crew SC TBD

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from March 2, 2017


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