Fire Still Alive in Playoff Hunt

By Merit Bello

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - October 8, 2010 - The Chicago Fire dominated in scoring and possession opportunities in celebration of their 13th anniversary for a rewarding 2-0 victory over the Columbus Crew.

In the 30th minute, defender Steven Kinney built up a steady pass to midfielder Patrick Nyarko who slipped the ball to Peter Lowry.  Lowry  dribbled the ball down past Crew defender Chad Marshall, then directed the ball past goalkeeper William Hesmer inside the left post for  the 600th goal in Chicago Fire history and a 1-0 lead over the Columbus Crew.

In the 53rd minute Chicago Fire captain Brian McBride pushed his team to a 2-0 lead. Forward Freddie Ljungberg rolled a ball from the right to midfielder Patrick Nyark, who sent the ball to an open McBride for a quick foot on the ball to the back post and into the net.

The Fire’s second goal gave the Crew motivation to put some pressure on the Fire.  In the 90th minute Crew’s midfielder Kevin Burns broke through the Fire’s defense and past Dyksta only to be cleared off in the goal box by Chicago defender Bratislav Ristic for a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew.

The Fire played a strong game showing the hunger that they still possess for a spot in the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs.  The win puts the Fire (8-11-8) fourth place in the Eastern Conference for a hope at postseason.  They are eight points back of the San Jose Earthquakes for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Fire are content to be where they are.  They feel good about the group heading in the right direction and will continue to fight until the end.  Their playoff destiny is still up in the air as Chicago must win the remaining two games and receive loads of help from other clubs to sneak into the postseason.

Nyarko continues to have an ankle problem that led to an injection during half time yet yielded the assists that gave the Fire their victory.

“He stuck it out. He dug in deep and that is a good mentality that the whole team needs.  We need more guys like that,” Assitant coach Mike Matkovich stated about Nyarko’s assists on the goals.

The Fire will have their remaining home matches at Toyota Park against the Kansas City Wizards on Tuesday, October 12th at 7:30pm CT (My50) and their final home match on Saturday, October 16th at 3:00pm CT (Comcast SportsNet/Telefutura).

Winless Streak Continues for the Fire

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - September 25, 2010 - After several goal attempts and a couple of yellow cards, the Fire proved to be no match for the Seattle Sounders FC, who snatched a 1-0 win over the Fire in Saturday’s match.

In the 88th minute, Seattle Sounders  forward Blaise Nkufo took advantage of the assist from teammate Steve Zakuani and fired a 12-yard shot that deflected off a sliding C.J. Brown. This would give the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 advantage, which was enough to win the match.  The defeat added to the Fire’s growing winless streak, which now stands at five games.

The loss puts the Fire (6-10-8) 13 points out of playoff position with six games left.  This puts a lot of pressure on Chicago because they are on the verge of missing the postseason for just the second time in franchise history.

A clearly disappointed Carlos de los Cobos stated, “We had a good first half. Yet we had the intention to win, knowing that a tie would not be good. But at the end carelessness unfortunately gave them a goal.”

The Chicago Fire will take to the road to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes on September 29th at 10pm CT (CLTV, Comcast Sport Net Chicago Plus) and FC Dallas on October 2nd at 7:30pm CT (FOX Soccer Channel, FOX Sports en Espanol).  They will be back home on Friday, October 8th at 8:00 pm CT (Comcast Sportsnet) against the Columbus Crew.

A.C. Milan Tops Chicago Fire 1-0 in International Friendly

By Tessa Fegen

CHICAGO, IL - May 30, 2010 - A.C. Milan is the fourth European club to visit Chicago in May as they played the Fire in a friendly match at Toyota Park.

Fire Head Coach Carlos de los Cobos was excited about the opportunity to get to play against a team from “the best league in the world,” as he called Italy’s soccer league.

The stadium was stirring with energy and excitement as 20,356 fans from across the country came out to see some of the best players in the world. This was the first ever sell-out for an international game in Toyota Park history. Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, and Clarence Seedorf came to represent A.C. Milan and are three of the most skilled players in the game.

Ronaldinho received roaring cheers as his name was announced in the starting lineup, then got the standing ovation as he left the game in the 74th minute.

Everyone in Chicago wanted a moment with Ronaldinho, especially the fan who ran out onto the field during the 32nd minute of play to kiss his cleats. Of course, he was promptly chased down by security and escorted off the field in handcuffs, but he got his moment.

The Fire did not play as if they were intimidated, coming out very strong in the first half. They got the first two shots of the game. The first came from Justin Mapp in the second minute who forced a Fire corner kick. McBride collected the serve and got another quality shot off.

The Fire played consistent, utilizing the strengths they possess. Nyarko used his speed and even flicked a ball over Ronaldinho’s head, McBride got shots off, Poppa took several long shots, and Mapp dribbled through defenders. The Fire took 8 shots in the first half to A.C. Milan’s 6. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to capitalize on any of their opportunities. Neither was A.C. Milan, as the half ended scoreless.

A.C. Milan captain Clarence Seedorf got the only goal of the game in the first minutes of the second half as he dribbled behind two Fire defenders. Andrew Dykstra misread his touch and came out too far, allowing Seedorf to pass it into the back of the net.

The Fire got their most dangerous chance of the game in the 54th minute when Husidic played it out to Martinez on the right side who took a hard shot, which was then deflected by the keeper out of bounds.

Then, in the 65th minute, Mike Banner dribbled past A.C. Milan defenders and hit a shot just wide of the goal. Banner got one more attempt in the 81st minute as he shot wide of the goal again. Stoppage time got fans up on their feet as back-to-back corners nearly resulted in a Fire goal.

Carlos de los Cobos was happy with his team's performance. “It was a good match for us. We played a very big team with very big players and I am happy with our players' effort,” said de los Cobos.

“Once again, we had those clear chances to score and we missed. We will continue to look to improve and if we do the work, we will,” said de los Cobos.

The Fire head coach made a lot of substitutions throughout the match, allowing several players the opportunity to play against some of the world’s best. ‘The best way for the players to grow up and improve is to play in games like this against these kinds of guys,” said de los Cobos.

Fire and Chivas Battle to 1-1 Draw

By Tessa Fegen

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - May 1, 2010 - It was a beautiful night for soccer at Toyota Park as Chivas USA tied the Chicago Fire 1-1.  Baggio Husidic got his second MLS goal of his career as he put the Fire (2-2-2) up by one in the 53rd minute. However, Chivas USA (2-3-1) got the equalizer in the 76th minute off of a corner kick.

“We were expecting a hard match,” said Fire Head Coach Carlos De Los Cabos. “Throughout the week I mentioned to the team how good Chivas has been playing.”

It was a battle throughout the entire match as the first half ended without either team capitalizing.

Collins John was scheduled to start up-top in the Fire’s 4-5-1 formation but an injury in warm-ups put him on the bench for the entire match as captain Brian McBride got the start. As the center of the Fire’s offense, McBride is always contributing. He had a few good chances to score including a cross from Husidic in the 24th minute which ended in a bad touch.

Nyarko proved to be the most dangerous player throughout the match, working the right flank all game.

It was his assist which put Husidic on the board, tallying his assists to four for the year. Husidic scored his second goal of his career after getting his first one just last week against the Houston Dynamo.

“Baggio participates a lot up top. He has gotten more minutes this year and has been playing really well especially these last two games. He’s becoming one of the top members on the team,” said De Los Cabos.

Chivas USA struck back in the 76th minute when a Sacha Kljestan corner kick found Maicon Santos head, directing it to the back of the net.

Three minutes later, Nyarko again, almost contributed to another Fire goal. He took the ball up the right flank, fainted the defender, and then got a shot off into the goalie’s legs.

That would be the last real opportunity for the Fire with the exception of a questionable non-call in the 88th minute which would have given them a penalty kick. Dimitrov got taken down in the box and was hoping for the call as one last desperate attempt at a goal-scoring opportunity.

De Los Cabos was happy with the way his defense played but said he felt that the team was lacking offensively. Chivas USA outshot Chicago 14-4, with five shots on goal to Chicago’s three.

“We created several opportunities but we didn’t finish. We seemed to have a lack of final concentration,” said De Los Cabos.

The Fire’s next match is at Toronto FC on May 8th.

Rookie Gears Up for the Fire

By Tessa Fegen

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - April 24, 2010 –Kwame Watson-Siriboe made his MLS debut on April 3rd in Colorado against the Rapids as he became the first rookie of the 2010 season to not only see the field, but also get the start, and play the entire 90 minutes.

“It was a really good thing, a cool moment for me. Its something you always dream about,” said Watson-Siriboe of his debut. “I wasn’t expecting to start at all. CJ Brown is a veteran player and so fantastic. He was hurt, so I had to step up. It felt good that the coach trusted me to do so.”

The  defender from Chino Hills, California came to the Fire after playing four seasons at the University of Connecticut. The 6-3, 196-pound center back played and started 19 games for the Huskies in 2009 and earned First Team All-Big East honors.

The Huskies are at the top of the rankings as far as college soccer goes. Competing in the Big East Conference, one of the best in the nation, Watson-Siriboe got the experience that would be needed to hang with the big boys in the professional arena. During Watson-Siriboe’s reign at Connecticut, the team went to the NCAA tournament every year, making it to the quarterfinals on two occasions. Watson-Siriboe was named the 2009 Big East Co-Defender of the year his senior year.

“My best memory at UConn was in 2007 when we won the Big East tournament and made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA’s. The experience, it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Watson-Siriboe described the difference between playing at the college level and playing professionally, “The biggest thing is the speed of play, it’s so much faster at this level. You have to think faster and play faster. Every play you have to be two possessions ahead.”

He was drafted to Chicago in the second round as the 26th overall pick, giving them seven natural defenders on the roster.

His transition to the big city? Smooth so far.“I love Chicago, it’s a really nice city and you can’t beat the shopping.”

Home Sweet Home for the Fire

By Merit Bello

Bridgeview, IL- April 24, 2010 - In honor of Earth day, the Fire wore commemorative uniforms to host the “Fire Goes Green” game at Toyota Park and celebrated a 2-0 victory against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

In the first half, the Fire controlled possession and outshot the Dynamo 13-2. In the 28th minute a goal by McBride seemed almost inevitable as the shot went past goalkeeper Pat Onstad yet Dynamo’s defender Mike Chabala blocked and kicked the ball out of range.  However, a minute before the end of the first half, a shot by Tim Ward was stopped by Onstad, who redirected the ball. It was rebounded by midfielder Baggio Husidic, who scored his first MLS goal leading the Fire 1-0.

The second half was an excess of yellow cards and two ejections.  The Fire were issued a total of 5 yellow cards and Dynamo received 4.  Houston’s Danny Cruz was ejected in the 79th minute for a second yellow card caution while Chicago’s Krzysztof Krol was ejected in the 85th minute for violent conduct after head-butting Luis Landin in retaliation for being pushed.

Regardless of the conflicts between Houston and Chicago, it did not stop the Fire from making their first home victory of the season.  In the 67th minute Patrick Nyarko dribbled toward the touchline and fired a cross toward the post and Peter Lowry used his chest to direct the ball past the diving goalkeeper Onstad for a score of 2-0.  This was the end of the Dynamo’s unbeaten record at Toyota Park.

Fire Head Coach Carlos de los Cobos was very pleased with the team’s results and declared that “the team is improving, their confidence is strengthening, and this result is very good for the motivation of the team.”

The Fire will try for another home win when they face Sacha Kljestan and Chivas USA at Toyota Park on Saturday May 1st at 7:30 PM CT.

Fire's Unexpected Home Opener

By Merit Bello

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - April 10, 2010 –  Although the Chicago Fire’s home opener was the largest  in Toyota Park history, it was not enough to help with the 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.

After a scoreless first half, an awkward collision in the 49th minute between the Fire’s C.J. Brown and Andrew Dsykstra lead to the first score of the game by San Jose’s Arturo Alvarez who took an 18 yard shot over the heads of Brown and Dsykstra while still on the ground.

The Fire came back in the 52nd minute for Marco Pappa’s first goal of the season to tie the game.  Pappa was assisted on the goal by a touchback from Collins John who laid off a pass from Patrick Nyarko directly to the path of Pappa allowing him to shoot past San Jose’s goalkeeper Joe Cannon on the upper right corner of the net.

In a close attempt by the Fire, in the 73rd minute, Patrick Nyarko broke free from the San Jose defense and steered the ball deep then laid a pass off to Collins John who took a shot towards the goal but was blocked and cleared by San Jose’s defender Jason Hernandez keeping the game tied 1-1.

The Earthquakes defender Ike Opara lead his team to victory in the 82nd minute with a cross from forward Bobby Convey past Fire’s goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra, giving the Fire its first loss in five home openers with a score of 2-1.

With a disappointing game to a stadium of 20,276 fans, Coach Carlos de los Cobos stated, “The first goal was a very big mistake, but we are starting the season and I believe in my work, I believe in the players.”

Cobos also commented about the score that lead to their loss, indicating that: “Frequently goals are a combination of a mistake and the virtue of the opponent.  In this case, the team lost their mark in to the box and they were able to take advantage of our mistake.”

The Chicago Fire will try to regroup when they take on D.C. United on a road game Saturday, April 17th at 6:30 p.m. CT.  They will return to Toyota Park on Saturday April 24th 7:30 p.m. CT to face the Houston Dynamo.

Red Bulls Beat Fire in "Spectacular" Opener

By Rob Ivory

HARRISON, NJ - March 27, 2010 - 24,571 fans christened the newest stadium in Major League Soccer on Saturday night as the New York Red Bulls defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0. Joel Lindpere scored a rocket goal in the 40th minute and Red Bulls goalkeeper, and Bronx native, Bouna Coundoul kept a clean sheet.

In what started as a celebration to open the crown jewel of MLS and soccer in the United States, ended in the Red Bulls getting their first three points of the year, something they had a hard time doing last year. The New York club had only 21 points for the entire 2009 season.

When asked if he thought having a new stadium gives them a new angle to win, Red Bulls Captain Juan Pablo Angel replied in Spanish, “No, we still need to prove that we can win this year because last year we did not do that well. ”

The Red Bulls pressured for the opening goal as they had many opportunities in the first quarter of an hour. The team took the heavy emotion and excitement and tried to cash it in with a goal quickly.

“It took us twenty minutes in the first half to find our shape,” Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said. “After 20 minutes it looked more solid and more compact.”

In the 21st minute, Juan Pablo sent a cross across the goal, but no Red Bull was at the back side of the goal, something that was common throughout the night. Forward Macoumba Kandji had a break from the Fire defense minutes later, fell in the box, but no call was made.

Dane Richards tried to dribble through five Fire defenders in the box, but never got a shot off. Richards knew that his team came out ready to win: “This crowd made us want to go and beat defenders and be dangerous.”

The Fire tried to get their counterattack going and in the 23rd minute almost pulled out ahead. Forward Brian McBride received the ball in the air from a deflected ball and took a semi-bicycle kick. The shot found New York's keeper off guard, but the ball hit the left post after beating the keeper.

“I think we caused them a few problems,” McBride said after the match. “Unfortunately we could not find that first goal. Defensively I thought we were very solid.”

New York went back to work and in the 28th minute Juan Pablo chested a ball to his feet 12 yards out, but the Fire defense was able to clear before he could shoot. The captain would finish the night with only two shots with one of them being on target. In all, the Fire had eight shots on goal to New York’s four, but one of their four made it to the back of the next.

In the 40th minute midfielder Joel Lindpere scored from a ball that was crossed into the area, Juan Pablo fought for the 50/50 ball and headed it to the feet of Lindpere at the top of the 18-yard box. Lindpere put a massive right boot to the volley and put it top net to give the Red Bulls the lead.

“I didn’t know he had a right foot,” the coach joked about after the game. “He’s been outstanding for us the whole preseason for us.”

Despite his goal, Lindpere was not voted man of the match. That honor went to Coundoul, who kept the clean sheet in his first match of the year.

“He made some key saves for us tonight, he’s so quick,” the coach said, “A clean sheet and absolutely perfect.”
Chicago’s best opportunity came in the 61st when the Fire were awarded a free kick at the  top of the box.

Defender Mike Banner took a nice free kick, but Coundoul knocked it away with his first and prevented the well taken free kick from entering the goal. The Fire pounced on the rebound but the New York keeper saw to it that it would make it safe into his hands.

The Red Bulls kept possession of the ball throughout the rest of the second half and limited the Fire’s chances. New York walks away with the full three points in a stadium that their captain calls “Spectacular!”

Hard Work Pays Off for Local Player

You can understand why Mark Blades might have been a little disappointed when his name wasn’t called during the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.  The young defender from Northwestern University looked to be a lock to be selected on draft day.  He had all the intangibles: passion for the game, intelligence, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to do “the dirty work.” The only knock against Blades was his lack of size; there just are not a plethora of 5’6” defenders in professional soccer. However, e makes up for his small frame with a whole lot of heart and determination.

The failure to be selected was just the first chapter in the story of the Lakewood, OH native.  Shortly after the draft, Mark received a call from one of his PDL coaches.  The coach wanted to let him know that he was going on trial with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. 

This would prove to be a great opportunity for Blades, who had already proved himself in the college ranks.  Blades started as a heavily recruited player out of St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH) High School, where Mark and his older brother Gavin led the squad to a state championship in 2005.

Gavin would move on to Yale University, while Mark made his choice: Northwestern University. Mark would have quite a career at NU, leading the Wildcats to NCAA tournament appearances all four years.  A multitude of honors would go to Mark, including the Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Year award and two NSCAA All-America selections.  Gavin’s collegiate career would be cut short due to a devastating accident suffered in December 2005.

Mark would find himself at home in the Chicago Fire preseason camp. The first team welcomed him with open arms. Mark described it as “a dream come true,” training and playing alongside childhood idol Brian McBride.  He is enjoying every minute of his time with the Fire, a moment he has been working towards for a long time.  It seems like this is an opportunity that Blades is totally prepared for. I guess that is what happens when your dreams are within your grasp.

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