Sports stats



MLS Chicago Fire FC

Undefeated Chicago Fire to host Club America Wednesday and Sounders FC on Saturday

April 28, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


The Chicago Fire and Club America of the Mexican Primera Division will play the first game of their home-and-home series at TOYOTA PARK on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Details about the Fire's away match against Cuauhtémoc Blanco's former team Club America at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will be announced at a later date. Individual tickets are available starting at $26 through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at the TOYOTA PARK Box Office, by calling 888-MLS-FIRE, or by visiting www.chicago-fire.com. The exhibition is included in Chicago Fire season ticket packages and Ten Game Plans.

UNDEFEATED FIRE BACK AT HOME THIS WEEKEND AGAINST RED HOT SEATTLE SOUNDERS

The Fire is set to face the 2009 expansion side Seattle Sounders (4-2-0, 12 pts.) this Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. CT as the team returns home to TOYOTA PARK for their third home contest of the season. The match will be broadcast on My50 Chicago. The Chicago Fire (2-0-4, 10 pts.) tied the Columbus Crew (0-2-4, 4 pts.) 2-2 last Saturday to bring their undefeated streak to a record six games to begin the 2009 season. The Fire currently sit tied with the Kansas City Wizards for second place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Toronto FC.

The Fire are currently tied with Real Salt Lake in goal scoring with 12 goals through six contests, and forward Brian McBride sits atop the league's Golden Boot standings having contributed five goals. The Fire are the only team that remain undefeated in 2009 play.

The Sounders are coming off a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last week that snapped their two game losing streak. Seattle will host Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game on Tuesday night, with the winner to face the Colorado Rapids.

CHICAGO FIRE WEEKLY AGENDA

** Sites/times subject to change. Please call 708.496.6725 or 6726 to confirm training schedule. All times Central.

Wednesday, April 29 Fire vs. Club America - TOYOTA PARK- 7:30 p.m. CT

Thursday, April 30 Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field, 11:00 a.m.

Friday, May 1 Training at TOYOTA PARK practice field, 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 2 Fire vs. Seattle -TOYOTA PARK - My50 - 7:30 p.m. CT

FIRE AND CLUB AMERICA LAUNCH NEW BUSINESS COLLABORATION

The Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Club America of the Mexican Primera División (First Division) have announced that they are forming a new partnership to pursue mutually beneficial business and brand opportunities for their respective clubs. After months of negotiations among club owners and executives, the Fire and Club America reached an agreement outlining the opportunities that they will jointly pursue to build their businesses. These opportunities will kick off in Chicago on Wednesday, April 29th at 7:30 PM CST for a previously announced international friendly match between both clubs at TOYOTA PARK. "America," as they are known in the soccer world, will then return the favor by hosting another international friendly match later in the season at renowned Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico (date TBA). The clubs will also work together to develop their businesses in corporate sponsorships, player development programs and Chicago-based Club America summer camps and clinics operated by the Fire. The clubs pointed to both their shared market base and commitment to growing their brands as the centerpiece of this arrangement.

MCBRIDE AND SEGARES NOMINATED FOR GOAL OF THE WEEK

After earning Major League Soccer (MLS) Goal of the Week honors for Week 4, and a nomination in Week 5, Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride is again among the nominees for the award this week. McBride is joined by teammate Gonzalo Segares on the list of nominees for MLS Week 6 Goal of the Week. In the 86th minute of the Fire's 2-2 tie at Columbus last Saturday, McBride cut the Crew's lead in half as Segares played a ball from midfield up to forward Patrick Nyarko deep in the left side of the box. Nyarko sent a pass across the box toward the far post for McBride who headed in his fifth goal of the season. Segares supplied the Fire with the game-tying goal in the 88th minute after midfielder Chris Rolfe slipped a ball to Tim Ward at the top of the box, who dropped the ball back a few yards to Segares. The Fire defender placed a rocket of a shot from 20-yards out past goalkeeper Andy Gruenbaum to level the score in the final minutes of play. Fans can vote for the two goals by CLICKING HERE.

CHICAGO FIRE NAMES LARRY SUNDERLAND DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The Chicago Fire has announced that Larry Sunderland has been named Director of Player Development and will serve as the Technical Director for the Fire Player Development system, as well as a scout for the first team. While overseeing the Player Development curriculums, Sunderland will ensure quality and consistency in player training and program philosophy as the Player Development system more closely aligns with the Fire first team. The Fire first team will look to benefit from a fully integrated Player Development system as it provides a clear path from junior-level competitive programs to the professional level.

In this role as Director of Player Development, Sunderland will oversee the implementation of Player Development programs, identify and monitor the players in each level of the system, report to Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas, and work with head coach Denis Hamlett to identify future Fire first team players. Sunderland is assisted by Paul Cadwell in all soccer specific aspects of Chicago Fire Player Development. Cadwell is also responsible for administration and logistics for Fire Player Development programs. John Dorn, President of the Chicago Fire Premier of Premier Development League (PDL), coordinates the business synergies of Chicago Fire Player Development and assists with scouting as well.

PAUSE FEATURED IN COSMOGIRL.COM'S EYE CANDY SECTION

Midfielder Logan Pause has been selected as the Fire representative in CosmoGirl.com's "Eye Candy" section where readers can comment on who they believe is the best looking young player in the MLS. The photo gallery of MLS players can be seen by CLICKING HERE. Pause, 27, has appeared in 151 games since being selected by the Fire in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. Pause has started and played 90 minutes in all five of the Fire's games so far this season. Readers can enter to win an autographed Logan Pause, girl-sized jersey and one lucky reader will win the grand prize: an official adidas MLS game ball signed by the Los Angeles Galaxy. A CosmoGirl blog post that links to the sweepstakes as well as the photo gallery can be found here. The photo gallery and giveaways are featured on CosmoGirl's homepage at www.cosmogirl.com.

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).

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from April 28, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central