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Chicago
Fire
Overview
It all began with a legend.
On the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago
Fire, October 8, 1997, an announcement was made.
The new Major League Soccer team assigned to
Chicago would be called the Chicago Fire. Its
inaugural season would be in 1998.
Investor-Operator
Philip F. Anschutz and President Robert Sanderman,
having two years of MLS experience with the
Colorado Rapids, felt certain that Chicago will
prove to be a successful market. "The Chicago
sports market is the next logical step for MLS
expansion. We feel it can be a successful market
for professional soccer," Sanderman said.
"With the large Latino and Eastern European
populations, coupled with the sport's continually
growing interest in the Chicago suburbs, soccer
has a chance to be extremely prosperous."
The
Fire signed quality players, marketing its Polish
population (2nd largest in the world next to
Warsaw), and scored big with Eastern European
players. Poland's national team captain Peter
Nowak was signed by MLS and allocated to Chicago
on December 16, 1997. In addition to Nowak,
Jerzy Podbrozny and Roman Kosecki were added
to the Fire roster. Lubos Kubik from the Czech
Republic made four international players for
the team. Fire native Frank Klopas, a former
Chicago Sting player, also signed with the Fire.
Chicago
also targeted its Spanish population with the
signing of Jorge Campos, Diego Gutierrez and
Chris Armas. Campos stayed for one season, but
the other two quickly became Chicago favorites.
In its inaugural season, the Fire made an impact
on the city of Chicago and put its name in the
MLS history books, becoming the first expansion
team in league history to win the MLS cup in
its first season. But the season as a whole
was memorable too.
The
Fire finished the regular season with a 20-12
record, securing second place in the Western
Conference. While the team's finish had already
surprised many people, things were about to
get even better. The Fire downed the Colorado
Rapids in two close games in the first round
of the playoffs, the Western Conference semifinals.
Chicago
then travelled to L.A. to take on the No. 1
team in the Conference. The Fire prevailed,
defeating the Galaxy on a Jesse Marsch goal
in the 87th minute off a rebound from a Lubos
Kubik set piece. Game 2 of the Western Conference
Finals was held in Chicago. A close match (a
1-1 tie) sent the game into a shootout. In front
of 33,000 frenzied fans, the Fire won the game
and advanced to the Cup.
The
underdog Fire went into the Cup facing the only
champion MLS had ever known, two-time winner
D.C. United. Two first half Fire goals stunned
D.C. and Chicago's outstanding defense recorded
the first clean-sheet in Cup Final history as
Chicago took the title in its inaugural season
2-0.
And
the winning didn't stop there. Six days later,
in the U.S. Open Cup final, the Fire got a "Golden
Goal" from Chicago's own Frank Klopas which
helped down the Columbus Crew 2-0. The Fire
"Did the Double," a perfect end to
an inaugural season.
The
second season put pressure on the Fire's shoulders.
Could the team repeat its performance or was
the first season just a fluke? The Fire battled
throughout the season for the No.1 position
in the Conference, securing its second straight
playoff berth and third place in the West (18-14,
48 points).
Before
heading to post-season competition, Chicago
played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Fire
defeated Joe Public (Trinidad and Tobago) 2-0,
lost to Alajuelense (Costa Rica) 1-1 (4-5 PK)
and tied D.C. United at 2-2, bringing home third-place
accolades.
With
veteran players and young stars (Ante Razov,
Josh Wolff and Dema Kovalenko) the future of
the Fire is sure to be hot.
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Chicago
Fire Info
Stadium:
Cardinal Stadium
Honours:
MLS
Champions:
2000, 2001
Western
Conference Champions:
1998
MLS Cup:
1998
US Open Cup:
1998, 2000
QUICK FACT
In
it's short history, the club has ammased
6 trophies, more than one a year on average.
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