Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire played against the New England Revolution in the Superliga semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

The Fire needed a win after a draw against the Columbus Crew in their last MLS encounter. They also wanted to continue their unbeaten streak.

New England had the advantages including the hometown one. Regardless, the Revolution came into the game with a record of 6-6-6. For this reason, they also needed a victory.

The first half started uneventfully with both teams just kicking the ball in elongated lumps before getting serious at the task at hand. The first goal was initiated by Edgaras Jankauskas for the New England Revolution.

His bicycle kick attempt deflected off the midfielder for the Fire, John Thorington, and slid past its goalkeeper Jon Busch for the first goal for the Revolution. It was also the first goal for Jankauskas.

The second half went to the Chicago Fire with Cuautemoc Blanco scoring an equalizer within 63 minutes. He scored on a direct kick with his right foot to the right side of the net.

Afterwards, both teams were scrambling for a much-needed victory until Blanco's second goal on a penalty placed a nail in the coffin of  New England in the Superliga.

The next game in the Superliga will be between Chicago and Tigres

Final: New England 1-2 Chicago Fire

Superliga 2009

Foxboro, Massachusetts

MVP: Cuautemoc Blanco

The Chicago Fire has done it again. After a long unbeaten streak, they have lost three consecutive games, including a must-win in DC on Saturday that they should have, and could have, won.

That loss knocks them out of first place in the East. It may be the last time they see first place this season.

Why so negative? Because this has become a trend. Since the departure of inaugural coach Bob Bradley, who went on from Chicago to build Chivas into a contender and is now the head coach of the US Men's National Team, the Fire has started strong for a half season then fallen apart, or they have started weak, had an unbeaten streak in the middle of the season and appeared poised to take it all, then fallen apart by the end of the season.

This has occurred literally, on annual basis, under two head coaches: Dave Sarachin and now Dennis Hamlet. This has occurred with a variety of lineups. Few of the current roster members were around for more than one or two such debacles and several weren't even on the club last year.

So how does one explain it? Is it the Fire's version of the curse of the Billy Goat?

If we are doing a jinx analysis, perhaps we should not trace the onset to the departure of Bradley. Perhaps we should trace it to a nearly concurrent departure in the front office: that of Peter Wilt. 

Peter Wilt was the club's brilliant General Manager who put together the expansion team (including Bradley) that won the Double in 1998, and two years later was unjustly dismissed.

I'm beginning to think it is Wilt's curse.  Not that Peter Wilt is a vengeful man. I'm sure he did not consult a practitioner of the dark arts for vengeance. But I do believe in Karma. I believe the Universe could be acting on Wilt's behalf.

What other rationale can one suggest for a team that year after year is among the most talented clubs in the league and year after year is unable to sustain its momentum when it counts? 

If this is the case, what is the cure? Should we assume there is a cure? Ask the Cubs about that. It could be a very long 102 years for the Chicago Fire.

France 1 - Turkey 0 (International Friendly, June 5, 2009) A Karim Benzema penalty gave France the lead at home against Turkey, Anelka had been brought down by Uzulmez who received a red card. (First half highlights here.) The second half (highlights here) was dominated by the French, who were denied a second goal by a string of great saves from Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. Sidney Govou hit the post from inside the area in the closing stages.

Czech Republic 1 - Malta 0 (International Friendly, June 5, 2009) Highly-rated 19-year-old CSKA Moscow striker Tomas Necid scored the only goal on 77 minutes.

***

Argentina 3 - Egypt 2 (U20 Toulon Tournament, June 5, 2009) The North Africans took a 37th minute lead thanks to Mohamed, only for Ever Banega to net his second of the games from the spot two minutes later. Alejandro Gomez fired the South Americans ahead after the break, but Egypt refused to lie down as Rashad equalised form the spot. Diego Buonanotte wrapped up the match for the Argies chesting down a cross and firing into the bottom corner in the 72nd minute.

Elsewhere on Friday, Holland U20 narrowly overcame the UAE 1-nil thanks to Ricky Van Wolfswinkel’s solitary header.

All the goals from Friday’s action at the Toulon Tournament can be seen here.

***

Sweden U21 2 - Poland U21 1 (Friendly, June 5, 2009) Patryk Malecki fired Poland into the lead on five minutes, Ola Toivonen equalised and Labinot Harbuzi scored the winner two minutes from time after a jinking run.

***

Chicago Fire 0 - Houston Dynamo 1 (MLS, June 5, 2009) Houston raced into a third minute lead after Stuart Holden scored at the near post from a Kei Kamara cross.

The Recent Results: Chicago had a fantastic 2008 and, let’s face it, they were the 2nd best team in the league last year. They barely lost 2-1 to CMB in the MLS Cup Semifinal and they just missed out on the Supporters Shield because of, you guessed it, CMB.

They were No. 5 in the league in offense and No. 2 in defense as well. They were damn good.

The Man in Charge: Costa Rican coach Denis Hamlett had a very successful first year with the team in 2008 and there is no reason he can’t make the Fire even better in 2009. He’s been with the team (originally as an assistant) since it was formed, and he knows the squad inside and out. I think he’s poised to take them to the top.

On the Offensive: There are not many teams with more offensive firepower (pun intended) than Chicago. Blanco is still a crafty little bugger and there is probably nobody better in the air than Brian McBride.

Plus, Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp are two of the best young players in the league. The Fire’s offense is still incendiary (ditto above).

For the Defense: The defense is the one question mark for the Fire this year. Prideaux and Brown are getting pretty old. But, in their defense (puns are just flying tonight - sorry), Segares, Pause and Robinson are younger chaps.

Busch is one of the best keepers around too, so I think the Fire will once again be one of the stingiest defenses in the league. 

Movie They Resemble: The Fire remind me of The Untouchables. Blanco is Elliot Ness and the rest of the Fire are his FBI agents. They work as a team to fight against their enemies tooth and nail.

The Fire, like the movie, will probably win many awards this year too. Thank God they don’t have Kevin Costner though. That would sink them for sure (hey, even a Waterworld pun)!

The 1998 Chicago Fire were certainly one of the best MLS teams ever, and I apologize for leaving them off my original list. Winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup is a rare accomplishment, and doing it in your inaugural season is even more impressive.

Though they finished third in the race for the Supporters' Shield, they deserve this recognition.

The team’s immediate impact on the U.S. soccer scene is attributable to the vision and leadership of founding General Manager and longtime club president Peter Wilt. Wilt is one of the central figures in U.S. soccer even today as president and CEO of the new Chicago Red Stars of WPS, but he has been pushing the sport’s popularity forward here in the U.S. for more than 20 years.

Wilt’s biggest accomplishment must be remembered as his creation of the Fire into a contender in their first season. Wilt brought in a diverse group of players to take the pitch for the first Fire, including Polish stars Piotr Nowak (12 assists), Jerzy Podronzy (six goals, 14 assists), Roman Kosecki (nine goals, nine assists) and Czech mate Lubos Kubik (four game-winning goals).

Americans Ante Razov (10 goals, nine assists), Chris Armas (10 assists), and Josh Wolff (eight goals) also played large roles.

The stingy defense (2nd overall) and the stellar play of Zach Thornton were perhaps the biggest reasons for the Fire’s instant success, especially ZT, who led all MLS keepers with a 1.17 GAA and eight clean sheets. They were also expertly coached by current U.S. National Team manager Bob Bradley, who rightfully earned that year’s Coach of the Year Award.

So, I hope I have made amends for leaving the 1998 Fire off my initial list of the Top 10 teams in MLS history. After reconsideration, I think they should have been higher up, perhaps even a top five team.

It’s hard to make these lists, as anyone who has ever attempted to do so can attest. I should have put the Fire in, and I was burned in the comments for it. So, that was my redemption shot, and I hope Fire fans’ hard feelings have been quelled.

Though they were named after a brutal disaster, the Chicago Fire have been anything but disastrous during their 10 years in Major League Soccer.

The Men in Red have only missed the playoffs once in franchise history, and they are one of the most successful teams in US Open Cup history.

Unlike the dreadful Cubbies, they do not appear to be under any curse.

They first took the pitch in 1998, and they shocked the United States soccer scene, winning the MLS Cup and US Cup in their inaugural season.

Since that season, The Fire has settled for second twice (2000, 2003) and picked up the Supporters Shield once (2003). Their many support groups (of which my favorite would be “Mike Ditka’s Street Crew”) have had much to celebrate.

The Fire have been so good because they have fielded some amazing players over the years.

Along with current stars Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Brian McBride, past legends include Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Piotr Nowak, Ante Razov, Eric Wynalda, Carlos Bocanegra and Josh Wolff.

Their all-time best lineup could compete with anyone.

They play their games in the beautiful new Toyota Park, and they enjoy one of the highest average attendances in the league. Coach Denis Hamlett has a good squad coming back in 2009, too, and they are expected to go deep into the playoffs yet again.

If Blanco, a Mexican legend, contines to perform at the same high level, the Fire will not be extinguished.

As Peter and the other Fire fans who frequent this site could tell you, I have omitted the club from some recent top-10 lists, and I am now looking to make amends.

So, come back to STO tomorrow for articles about Soldier Field and the 1998 Chicago Fire.

Hace algún tiempo publiqué en este sitio un rumor sobre el defensa ghanés Samuel Kuffour, ex jugador del Bayern Munich, la Roma y el Ajax de Holanda, entre otros que decía que Kouffour se encontraba en conversaciones con la gente de la Major League Soccer para sumarse a la liga la temporada 2009.

¿Cómo me enteré de esto? Por intermedio de una fuente muy confiable que trabajaba con Agoge Sports y que es la misma que me informó sobre lo de Iván Helguera (LA Galaxy) y lo de Fernando Morientes (equipo indefinido, pero con muchas posibilidades de sumarse si le ofrecen más dinero).

La cosa es que justamente cuando me preparaba a escribir este artículo de que había pasado con lo de Samuel Kouffour, MLS Rumors publicó una nota que dice que Kuffour estaría negociando con el Chicago Fire.

Pero se equivocan. Aunque debo admitirlo, se equivocan a medias.

Resulta que Kuffour ya tuvo una reunión con la gente del Chicago Fire (dirigentes y entrenador) en un restaurant de la ciudad hace más de un mes y el dinero ofrecido fue, segun lo que me dijo mi fuente "muy poco para lo que un jugador de su categoría merece".

A pesar que Denis Hamlett (entrenador del Fire) manifestó que lo quería en el equipo, Kuffour no aceptó el dinero ofrecido.

Kuffour definitivamente no está en el “peak” de su carrera. Pero si va a jugar en la MLS -al parecer- el moreno defensor lo quiere hacer bajo sus términos.

Q: Crees que un jugador como Kuffour debería poner tantas condiciones por venir a la MLS?

Hace algún tiempo publiqué en este sitio un rumor sobre el defensa ghanés Samuel Kuffour, ex jugador del Bayern Munich, la Roma y el Ajax de Holanda, entre otros que decía que Kouffour se encontraba en conversaciones con la gente de la Major League Soccer para sumarse a la liga la temporada 2009.

¿Cómo me enteré de esto? Por intermedio de una fuente muy confiable que trabajaba con Agoge Sports y que es la misma que me informó sobre lo de Iván Helguera (LA Galaxy) y lo de Fernando Morientes (equipo indefinido, pero con muchas posibilidades de sumarse si le ofrecen más dinero).

La cosa es que justamente cuando me preparaba a escribir este artículo de que había pasado con lo de Samuel Kouffour, MLS Rumors publicó una nota que dice que Kouffour estaría negociando con el Chicago Fire.

Pero se equivocan. Aunque debo admitirlo, se equivocan a medias.

Resulta que Kouffour ya tuvo una reunión con la gente del Chicago Fire (dirigentes y entrenador) en un restaurant de la ciudad hace más de un mes y el dinero ofrecido fue, segun el defensa, muy poco para lo que un jugador de su categoría merece.

A pesar que Denis Hamlett (entrenador del Fire) manifestó que lo quería en el equipo, Kouffour no aceptó el dinero ofrecido.

Kouffour definitivamente no está en el “peak” de su carrera. Pero si va a jugar en la MLS -al parecer- el moreno defensor lo quiere hacer bajo sus términos.

Q: Crees que un jugador como Kouffour debería poner tantas condiciones por venir a la MLS?

No me gusta prometer nada, y ustedes lo saben, pero saben que me pongo la camiseta del Fire y aquí mi objetivo principal: tratar de llegar a una final de la MLS y obtener el campeonato, hemos estado cerca, pero ojalá y este año se nos dé.

¿Cómo? Sin duda será de gran ayuda la llegada de refuerzos que el Fire pueda traer y con ellos vamos a hacer algo diferente.

Pero también quiero aclarar que la responsabilidad será de todos, porque sólo trabajando juntos vamos a poder llegar a la final, y para los que me preguntan si me pongo una meta de goles en la MLS, les contesto que "no me interesan los goles" porque lo más importante para mí es la victoria del Fire.

Esto en cuanto a mi carrera en Chicago. ¿Pero qué pasa en mi país?, se preguntarán ustedes. Mi despedida de la selección mexicana aún está pendiente, y 2009 es el último año, decidido, y sólo resta esperar el llamado (que no he recibido), no he vuelto a platicar con ellos, pero ya lo había hablado con el entrenador y el presidente de la Federación y deberá ser en un juego oficial. El 2009 marcará definitivamente mi adiós a la selección.

Por último, un toque final, el Campeonato Mundial de Clubes. Pachuca hizo su lucha y no aprovechó las oportunidades, lo mismo le pasó a la Liga de Quito contra el Manchester, y en mi opinión no fue un juego desigual.

¡Feliz 2009 y coman frutas y verduras!

Que los jugadores no tienen técnica, que no dan más de cinco pases seguidos, que los partidos son aburridos, que se abusa del pelotazo, que las canchas son de fútbol americano, que los hinchas no tienen pasión. Un sinnúmero de críticas y argumentos. Todo, claro, nos llevan a lo mismo: La MLS es una liga mala.

Pero, es tan así? Cuántos de los críticos saben del desarrollo de esta liga en los últimos años? Cuántos de verdad se han sentado a ver un partido completo? Cuántos de estos vieron jugar a un muy buen equipo como el Columbus Crew durante el 2008? O al mismo Chicago Fire de Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Cuál es la diferencia entre un Morelia vs. Necaxa, Cúcuta vs. Junior de Barranquilla, Aucas vs. Barcelona o Universitario vs. Sporting Cristal y un partido entre el New York Red Bulls y el Houston Dynamo? De verdad son tan distintos? Y si lo son, por qué son mejores los de ese lado del mundo?

Sólo porque los latinoamericanos nos sentimos dueños del fútbol o porque nuestro nivel es tan alto que da como para que nos riámos de los norteamericanos?

Es cierto que el fútbol de Estados Unidos es menos técnico que el latinoamericano, pero es también cierto que es más rápido y frontal. Los jugadores nuestros buscan el pase preciso, en la MLS prefieren la verticalidad, los nuestros son más pulcros, los gringos más físicos. Los jugadores latinoamericanos no creen mucho en el juego aéreo, los estadounidenses pasan largos minutos tratando de encontrar cabezas.

Distintos. Ni mejor ni peor. Simplemente distintos. El fútbol en Latinoamérica y el que se practica en la MLS son diametralmente opuestos. Y cuando se trata de elegir uno u otro, son factores, muchas veces sin ningún tipo de fundamento, los que marcan la diferencia. Que los gringos esto y que los gringos esto otro. Y una vez más; que las canchas, que los hinchas.

Y que pasó con el fútbol mexicano? O ya todos se olvidan de lo que nos provocaba esa liga hace 15 años?

Cuántos escépticos que se rieron de los esfuerzos que los mexicanos hicieron por mejorar su competencia están ahora mendigando un contrato con cualquier equipo azteca! Entrenadores, jugadores, representantes, "entendidos."

No creo que la MLS esté a la altura de las grandes ligas del mundo. En lo absoluto. Pero se está moviendo y el hecho que me tenga a gran parte del mundo y sobre todo a mí, incrédulo por naturaleza y amante del buen fútbol, pendiente de sus pasos, algo ha de significar.

Q: Qué tan justas crees que son las críticas a la MLS y qué tan mala crees que es la liga estadounidense en comparación a las del resto del mundo (sobre todo las latinoamericanas)?