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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Undefeated Chicago Fire Take On Red Bulls This Sunday In New York

May 18, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire (3-0-6, 15 pts.) will return to action this Sunday, May 24, as the team travels to New York to face the Red Bulls (2-5-3, 9 pts.) at Giants Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on TeleFutura with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CT. With their 2-0 win over Toronto FC last Saturday, the Fire moved into first place in the Eastern Conference, tied with D.C. United (3-1-6, 15 pts.) in points. The Fire have a game in hand over D.C. who has already played 10 games compared to the Fire's nine. The Red Bulls, who reached the MLS Cup Finals last season, are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, tied with the reigning MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew with nine points.

This Sunday's match is the 36th all-time regular season meeting between the two clubs and the second of two meetings in 2009. The Fire defeated the Red Bulls 1-0 in the first match up of the two teams on April 5 at TOYOTA PARK. Midfielder Marco Pappa scored the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute, his first goal of 2009. The Fire have an all-time regular season series record of 19-10-6 against New York, outscoring them 59-42. The Fire are 8-7-2 when playing in New York.

The Fire is the only team in MLS that remains undefeated in 2009 and the team has set a new club record for games unbeaten to begin a season with nine. The Fire have posted a record 2-0-3 while on the road, scoring 11 of their 16 goals away from home.

With 16 goals scored through nine matches, the Fire have scored the second most goals in MLS this season, trailing D.C. United who have posted 17 goals through their 10 matches. Forward Brian McBride, who was named MLS Player of the Month for April, is tied with Josh Wolff of Kansas City atop the league standings for MLS Golden Boot with six goals and Fire designated player Cuauhtémoc Blanco is also contributing to the Fire's offensive efforts as he has the league lead, tied with Santino Quaranta of D.C. United, in assists with five.

BLANCO CALLED UP TO MEXICAN NATIONAL TEAM

Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco has been called to the Mexican National Team for World Cup Qualifying matches on June 6th against El Salvador, in San Salvador, and June 10th against Trinidad and Tobago at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Blanco has appeared in World Cup Qualifying matches for each of Mexico's last three World Cups, scoring nine goals. Blanco has also represented Mexico in two of the last three World Cups (1998, 2002) scoring two goals through eight games played. Blanco appeared in three World Cup Qualifiers for Mexico last season against Honduras, Jamaica, and Canada.

"The national team manager is giving me another opportunity, and as I've said before, if I were called up, I'd be there," said Blanco. "Today I'm given the opportunity to again be with the national team, and we have to do things right so the Mexican national team heads to the World Cup."

ROLFE MOVING UP IN THE FIRE STANDINGS

With his game-winning goal last Saturday against Toronto FC, Fire forward Chris Rolfe has moved into second in the Chicago Fire career goal scoring standings, tied with former Fire striker Josh Wolff with 32 goals scored. Rolfe has achieved his 32 goals in 104 games played through five seasons. Wolff achieved his 32 goals in 83 matches played through five seasons. Holding onto first place in the Fire's career goal scoring records is former forward Ante Razov who recorded 76 goals in 155 games through seven seasons.

CUAUHTEMOC BLANCO IS ASSISTING THE TEAM

Fire designated player Cuauhtémoc Blanco is doing his part to help the Fire attack, assist on five of the Fire's 16 goals through the first nine matches. Blanco is tied with Santino Quaranta of D.C. United at the top of the league charts, Both players have added supplied their respective teams with a goal and five assists, with Blanco appearing in eight matches compared with Quaranta's seven league games played.

MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR SHOTS

While midfielder Marco Pappa leads the team in shots with 23 (7th most in the league), forward Brian McBride is placing his chances on target with a team leading 13 shots on goal (tied for third most in the league). With six goals scored on just 18 shots, McBride is finishing on 33% of his shots (46% of his shots on goal).

McBRIDE LEADING THE FIRE AND THE LEAGUE IN GOAL SCORING

MLS Player of the Month for April Brian McBride is leading the Fire in goal scoring so far this season with six goals in nine matches played. McBride is currently tied with Josh Wolff of Kansas City at the top of the league's Golden Boot standings.

FIRE ACADEMY TRAVELS TO FLORIDA FOR U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SPRING SHOWCASE

The Chicago Fire Academy will travel to Sarasota, Fla. this week to participate in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase. The Showcase will kick off on May 22nd and continue through May 26, with 218 games scheduled at the Sarasota Polo Grounds. The Academy Showcase events are intended to provide players, coaches and referees with the latest U.S. Soccer resources. In addition to educational seminars and materials provided at the event, U.S. Soccer staff is on hand at all games to provide direct feedback to participants to enhance their educational experience. All 146 teams representing 73 Academy clubs will each play three games over the course of the five days. The Spring Showcase is the second event of the 2008-09 Development Academy season following the Winter Showcase, which was held from Dec. 5-8 in Lancaster, Calif. Academy Playoffs will be held at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. from June 26-29 and Academy Finals Week will be held from July 10-17 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

FIRE LAUNCH 2009 COMMUNITY SOCCER SERIES THIS SATURDAY IN NAPERVILLE

The Chicago Fire will launch its 2009 Chicago Fire Community Soccer Series on Thursday, May 21 at North Central College in Naperville, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The series will feature four free clinics throughout the summer that will be held in neighborhoods around Chicagoland. Each clinic is open to 200 athletes from around the community, ages 7-13. The series is designed to instruct young athletes on the technical elements of soccer, while educating them on physical fitness, health, and wellness. The clinics, which will be instructed by Chicago Fire player development coaches, will be separated into groups by age with sessions tailored to the varying skills levels. Each athlete will receive a free goody-bag courtesy of UnitedHealthcare, Best Buy, Walgreens, V & V Supremo and Adidas. Also included will be a ticket voucher to a Fire game and a free clinic Chicago Fire t-shirt. For more information or to register, please call the Fire Community Relations Department at (708) 496-6754.

FIRE TO PARTNER WITH LIFESOURCE FOR BONE MARROW AND BLOOD DRIVE

The Chicago Fire will partner with LifeSource, Chicago's Blood Center, for a bone marrow and blood drive on May 30 at TOYOTA PARK. The bone marrow and blood drive will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. inside a TOYOTA PARK locker room, and the first 100 people to register will have an opportunity to attend a Fire practice session and enjoy an exclusive autograph session with Chicago Fire players C.J. Brown, Justin Mapp, Logan Pause, and Bakary Soumare. The marrow drive will benefit the wife of Marcia Williams, wife of former Fire player Andy Williams, who is suffering from Leukemia.

FIRE PARTNER WITH UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION (UNO)

The Chicago Fire and the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) today announced a partnership to help raise funds for this renowned community organization, which has served the Latino community in Chicago for more than 25 years. Over 3,000 students and teachers from the UNO network of schools will be selling tickets to the Fire's May 31st match up against FC Dallas at TOYOTA PARK with proceeds from the sales benefiting UNO. Tickets may be purchased from UNO Network representatives through May 22. To kick off this community initiative, Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco and defender Gonzalo Segares made a surprise appearance to more 650 children from the Rufino Tamayo School, 5135 S. California, which is a UNO Charter School. The players were joined by UNO CEO, Juan Rangel, to kick off the partnership and speak to the importance of living healthy lifestyles and staying in school.

CHICAGO FIRE ANNOUNCE SUPERLIGA COMPETITION DATES AND TEAMS

Major League Soccer and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol have unveiled the participating teams, venues and schedule for the 2009 edition of SuperLiga™. The four participating MLS teams are: Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Chivas USA and Kansas City Wizards. The four Mexican clubs participating in 2009 are: 2008 playoff contender San Luis, Santos Laguna led by national team star Oswaldo Sanchez, Tigres UANL led by Lucas Lobos, and Atlas, the young and exciting club led by former Mexican national team coach Ricardo Lavolpe. The Fire will face San Luis on June 20 (7 p.m. CT), Chivas USA on June 23 (7 p.m. CT) and Tigres UANL on June 27 (7 p.m. CT). The Fire will host a doubleheader for their match on June 23 as San Luis and Tigres UANL face off following the Fire's match (9 p.m.). Tickets, for both the single games on June 20 and 27, as well as the doubleheader on June 23, are on sale now through the TOYOTA PARK box office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE, clicking on the TICKETS section of the team's official website, www.chicago-fire.com, or through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.Ticketmaster.com.

The Fire will offer a special Chicago Fire SuperLiga Pack which includes a ticket to all three of the SuperLiga dates at TOYOTA PARK and fans that purchase the Chicago Fire SuperLiga Pack will also receive a free ticket for the Fire versus Chivas USA match on Oct. 22. SuperLiga Packs start at just $71 and will be available through the TOYOTA PARK box office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE or through www.chicago-fire.com.

4-v-4 FUTBOLITO TOURNAMENT COMES TO CHICAGO ON AUGUST 22

MLS Futbolito, the largest touring Hispanic event hosted by a U.S. professional sports league, comes to Chicago on August 22 at Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave. The all-day 4-v-4 tournament is open to players of all ages, abilities and affiliations. Team rosters can consist of up to seven players (four field players and three substitutes) and each team will play in round-robin action, with the possibility of advancing to the single-elimination championship playoff. Teams registered for the competition will be divided according to age groups and competitive levels with winners in each division receiving prizes. In addition to the games, each registered player will receive a ticket to an MLS match (in applicable markets), a Futbolito t-shirt, and the chance to win prizes from the presenting sponsors as well as associate sponsors. For more information or to register a team, visit the official website: www.MLSFutbolito.com or call 888-MLS-FUTBOLITO.

MARCO PAPPA IS UNIVISION CHICAGO'S FEATURED PLAYER OF THE MONTH

The Fire and Univision Chicago are partnering to feature a different Chicago Fire player or coach each month as the Univision Chicago Player of the Month. Midfielder Marco Pappa is the Fire Player of the Month for May and will not only be featured each Monday during the Univision 10 o'clock newscast during the "Chicago fire: Conexión Máxima" segment, Pappa will contribute to Univision Radio's Nuevo Dia program on Monday mornings and connect with fans directly through a Live Chat and blog entries on Univsion.com. Head Coach Denis Hamlett was featured during the month of April.

BRIAN MCBRIDE VOTED MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR APRIL Fire forward Brian McBride was voted MLS Player of the Month for April. McBride notched four goals in four league games during the month, and led the Fire to a 1-0-3 record in April games. The 36-year-old MLS All-Time Best XI forward has made an immediate impact in his first full season with the Chicago Fire. McBride leads the League with five goals and the Chicago Fire sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points. In the Fire's Week 4 match against the San Jose Earthquakes McBride captured MLS Goal of the Week honors for his 57th minute strike. The following week McBride tallied his third and fourth goals of the season, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. McBride's header goal in the match earned his second MLS Goal of the Week nomination. McBride capped off the month by leading a stirring comeback against the defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew. Trailing 2-0 in Columbus, McBride ignited the Fire's comeback in the 86th minute finishing a Patrick Nyarko cross with a leaping, driven header into the back of the net. The goal garnered McBride his third consecutive MLS Goal of the Week nomination.

PHISH SUMMER TOUR STOPS AT TOYOTA PARK

On their first summer tour in five years, Phish has announced a concert date at TOYOTA PARK on Tuesday, August 11th. Tickets are on sale now. Reserved and general admission tickets are priced at just $49.50 and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets including the TOYOTA PARK ticket offices, Ticketmaster.com and by calling (800) 745-3000.

BUFFETT RETURNS TO TOYOTA PARK

After the success of last summer's two TOYOTA PARK concerts, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band will return to the stadium again this summer for two more unforgettable concert experiences as part of the "Summerzcool" Tour 2009. The concert dates are set for Saturday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 15. The seating setup at the stadium will be similar to last year's concerts, as all seats will be reserved both on the field and in the stadium bowl. Tickets are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets including the TOYOTA PARK box office, Tickemaster.com, and by calling (800) 745-3000. For more information visit www.toyotapark.com.

BLANCO'S 'DIRECTO AL BLANCO' RADIO PROGRAM TUESDAY

"Directo al Blanco" a full-hour live radio program hosted by Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco will air this and every Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. CT. Listeners are encouraged to call and talk to Blanco about the latest soccer-related news regarding the Chicago Fire, Major League Soccer, and the Mexican Primera Division. The show airs nationally on RadioCadena stations in Chicago (WRTO-AM), Las Vegas (KLSQ-AM), Los Angeles (KTNQ-AM), San Francisco (KLOK-AM), El Paso (KAMA-AM), San Antonio(KCOR-AM), Dallas (KFLC-AM), McAllen (KGBT-AM), Houston (KLAT-AM), New York (WADO-AM), and Miami (WQBA-AM).

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