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June 28, 2005
Half-Way Gone
Fire Update as the Team Completes 16 Games
Kathryn L. Knapp
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The Chicago Fire is sitting in second place in the East after 16 games. A number of players have contributed to the team's succes, 14 have scored goals while 15 have registered assists.
Linda Cuttone / Sports Vue Images |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Fire’s season is at the halfway point. The team currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference (8-6-2, 26 points), five points behind New England (9-1-4, 31 points). After spending 75 days with the club, Fire President John Guppy is convinced the team is headed in the right direction.
“We’ve already won eight games,” Guppy said. “We only won eight games last year. We feel pretty good about our team.”
One obstacle for the team – losing players to Gold Cup action. Chris Armas and Tony Sanneh have already joined the U.S. National Team. Ivan Guerrero and Samuel Caballero join Honduras Thursday, after the Fire’s game vs. D.C. United. Will Johnson has been named to Canada’s 23-player roster. Andy Herron may also join Costa Rica at some point during the tournament. But the Fire organization is not concerned about losing a number of players for up to a month.
“There’s no question that we have more depth than any other team,” Guppy said. “We have 14 guys who have scored and 15 who have assisted. Hopefully the depth will pay dividends. This is the time of year when it gets challenging.”
HOT JULY
July is the time for soccer fans to be at Soldier Field. In addition to regularly scheduled Fire games, fans have the opportunity to see some of the top clubs in the world – A.C. Milan, Real Madrid and CD Guadalajara (Chivas).
Real Madrid and Chivas face off in combination with the Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew game at Soldier Field on Saturday, July 16th. The teams are expected to bring their full rosters as part of preparation for their upcoming season.
“Real Madrid vs. Chivas is the biggest soccer spectacle since World Cup ’94,” Guppy said. “If you’re a soccer fan, there’s plenty to get excited about. This is one heck of a summer for soccer fans.”
Eleven days later, fans have the opportunity to watch the Chicago Fire vs. A.C. Milan at Soldier Field.
“To have two games like this in 11 days is outstanding,” Guppy said. “To have two in a year is good, but two in 11 days is exciting. For our players to be able to step on the field against some of the best players in the world is an incredible opportunity.”
Guppy said they expect 30,000 for the A.C. Milan game and 60,000 for the Real Madrid vs. Chivas doubleheader.
BRIDGEVIEW STADIUM UPDATE
The building of the Chicago Fire’s Bridgeview Stadium is well underway. The team still expects it to open in late spring 2006. The Fire has allegedly secured naming rights in principle. Guppy remains mum on the subject until all the paperwork is finalized. The Fire will have 11 founding partners plus the naming rights partner in the new stadium.
Suite sales are solid for the new stadium, with 20 sold out of a total 42. And the team has yet to go public with the sale of suites. Ticket sales are expected to begin around Labor Day. All in all, the stadium will seat 20,000 with the possibility of adding 8,000 seats for games and adding 10,000 for concerts.
“Soldier Field is a great facility,” Guppy said. “But we’re trying to attract 20,000 fans. Having brick in mortar that is ours is a huge move.”
The Fire has already put in a bid for the 2006 MLS All-Star game. It will continue to put in bids to host other main sporting events, including high school state soccer and football championships.
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