Chicago Fire Return Home (Bonus Video)

The Chicago Fire returned home yesterday, where they will stay, until departing for California on March 2nd. I've been hearing some rumors about who is "in" and who is "out", but I don't want to say anything until it's official. However, if you asked me to name the 24 players who will be on the 2009 Fire roster, I could probably name 23 right now, with the final spot still up for grabs. With very little being advertised on the Fire website and En Fuego Blog, I thought I'd take a little time to talk about the lack of media coverage for several teams throughout the MLS.

It seems like there are a lot of people out there who want to know more about the players, the clubs and the recent draftees, but for some reason the MLS is slacking in the media department. I've been following the Fire website and Blog a lot this preseason, and for the most part, its been somewhat disappointing. I was looking at the Seattle Sounders website the other day, and for a team that just started this year, they really have their s**t together. The site looks great, they interview several players, show several video clips and they also have their own analyst constantly giving updates. The quality of the footage is the best I've seen yet. For a fan and a big follower of the MLS, I really hope they start putting some more effort into preseason footage down the road. Some teams are so secretive about what they are doing, but it's really not helping them gain exposure. It's also a huge turnoff to supporters. Hopefully coverage throughout the entire league picks up quickly because it's really getting annoying looking at the same updates for days and days.

While we're waiting for something new to read about, I thought I'd show you one of my favorite clips of Richard Jata from his time at Campbell. This clip is also in the Highlight Video I put together, but it shows a lot in a very little amount of time and that's why I wanted to show it on it's own. Notice his quickness, the use of his left foot and his ability to find the open player with very little effort.

Chicago Fire Defeats Morelia 3-1 In Mexico

The Fire defeated Monarcas de Morelia in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico last night 3-1. Chicago got things started in the 34th minute when Justin Mapp placed a free kick into the box where Brian McBride was waiting with that brilliant head of his, putting the Fire up 1-0 going into halftime. Morelia would eventually get on the board in the 58th minute on a PK by Sergio Blancas, after Austin Washington was called for a hand ball inside the box. Just four minutes later the Fire would regain the lead off a corner kick by Chris Rolfe. This time Washington was on the recieving end, scoring his first goal of the preseason. The game would stay that way until the 89th minute when Mike Banner placed a free kick around the wall and in, to give him his second preseason goal from distance. Richard Jata, Stefan Dimitrov, Jokull Elisabetarson, David Sias and Roland Paul Bebey Kingue did not see any playing time in last nights' match, which makes it seem like Hamlett really wants to get his starting squad playing full games together in preparation for their season opener against FC Dallas on March 21st. The team will be returning to Chicago on Thursday(February 26th) where they will stay until leaving for California on March 2nd. The Fire will play their final two preseason games against Chivas USA on March 7th, at the Home Depot Center and the LA Galaxy on March 12th in Tempe, Arizona.

This was the Lineup(with subs) for the Chicago Fire:

Nick Noble (Andrew Dykstra 45), Tim Ward, Dasan Robinson, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares (Daniel Woolard 84), Chris Rolfe (Marco Pappa 80), Logan Pause (Wilman Conde 63), Baggio Husidic (Austin Washington 45), Justin Mapp (Mike Banner 80), Patrick Nyarko (Cuauhtémoc Blanco 45), Brian McBride.

This was the Lineup(with subs) for Monarcas de Morelia:

Moisés Munoz, Enrique Perez, Mauricio Romero, Alberto Lucio, Marcos Uribino, Carlos Jiménez (Jesús Castillo 65), Ignacio Carrasco (Oscar Rojas 45), Marvin Carrera (Jorge Kalu Gastelum 45), Miguel Sabah, Ever Guzman (Sergio Blancas 45), Mario Moreno

Scoring Summary

(34') CHI - Brian McBride - Assisted by Justin Mapp
(58') MOR - Sergio Blancas - Unassisted PK
(62') CHI - Austin Washington - Assisted by Chris Rolfe
(89') CHI - Mike Banner - Unassisted

Fire Battle Against Queretaro FC Reserves!

Today the Chicago Fire took on the Queretaro FC reserve squad to make up for the game against Leon that was canceled earlier in the week. The 2nd team started the game for the Fire and went into halftime with a 2-0 lead. The starters came in to play the second half, but gave up two unanswered goals, giving the Fire their second straight preseason draw since arriving to Mexico. Richard Jata played the entire first half at right mid, which I heard worked out in his favor. The Fire will square off against Morelia on Tuesday(8pm), in what will be their final preseason match in Mexico before returning to Chicago on Thursday. More details to come....

Well, I finally found out how the second team for the Fire scored in the first half. Stefen Dimitrov found the net from a couple yards out after Patrick Nyarko slide a pass across the mouth of the goal. Nyarko is continuing to show promise by getting into spaces where he causes a lot of problems for opposing defenders. On the second goal, Nyarko ran onto a punt that bounced over the defender's head. He chipped the keeper on his first touch to give Chicago the lead going into the half. The two second half goals allowed by the first team came off a PK and a breakaway. The Fire's preseason record now stands at 3-1-2 with 12 goals scored and just 6 given up.

No Glory, No Defeat - Chicago vs. Queretaro FC

Well, I just got some news about the Fire's first game in Mexico vs. Queretaro FC. The stadium they played in is called "La Corregidora" and supposedly it seats around 40,000 people. The atmosphere was great and the game pulled in a crowd close to 15,000. From what I heard, the fans down there have been waiting eargely for the Fire's arrival. Kids are mobing the buses and it has to be a really cool experience for the rookies. Tonight's game ended in a 1-1 draw as both teams netted goals late in each half. Chicago got on the board late in the first half when John Thorrington carried the ball towards the center of the field and distributed it to Justin Mapp just outside the box on the left side of the field. Mapp went one on one with the defender beating him to the left and then cutting it back to his right foot for a great goal from about 10 yards out. The Fire went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Jon Busch didn't play in the game at all, but Thorrington and Rolfe both played respectable minutes.

This was the lineup(with subs) for the Chicago Fire:

GK-Nick Noble (Andrew Dykstra 45), D-Tim Ward (Roland Paul Bebey Kingue 45)(David Sias 75), D-Dasan Robinson (Austin Washington 63), D-Bakary Soumare (C.J. Brown 45), D-Gonzalo Segares (Daniel Woolard 45), M-Chris Rolfe (Cuauhtémoc Blanco 55), M-Logan Pause (Jokull Elisabetarson 75), M-John Thorrington (Baggio Husidic 45), M-Justin Mapp (Mike Banner 45), F-Patrick Nyarko (Richard Jata 85), F-Brian McBride (Stefan Dimitrov 65)

Queretaro FC finally got on the board very late in the game just before stoppage time off a direct free kick. The Fire were waiting for the referee's whistle while setting up the wall, and before they knew it, a player from Queretaro FC broke free from the outside of the wall and netted a thru ball to tie the game up 1-1. With less than a minute left in the game, Jata had a chance to shoot from about 30+ yards, but instead he laid it off to another Fire player who was later denied of glory, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.

The Fire were supposed to take on Leon this Sunday, but unfortunately the game has been canceled. I guess we'll just have to wait until next Tuesday, the 24th, to see how they play against Morelia. The game will be at the same time(8pm) so I'll try to have the results of that game up late Tuesday, early Wednesday. Even though I'm enjoying some great weather here in Florida, I really wish I had the opportunity to catch one of these games in Mexico. More updates(and hopefully pictures) on the way.....

They Made It To Mexico!

I've never seen two players fighting for the same spot be so friendly to one another, but I guess that's the way it goes with rookies. Sometimes they don't fit in with the team right away so a strong bond develops. Baggio and Jata were roommates in Bradenton, toured Chicago together and now they are training partners in Mexico. Technically, Jata and Baggio aren't fighting for the exact same spot though. Baggio is a defensive center mid with good attacking qualities and Jata is an attacking center mid with good defensive qualities. Baggio already has a contract and Jata doesn't, but that's not stopping them from living it up. They both are truly enjoying this once in a lifetime experience that only a handful of players get to do each year. Free gear, free traveling expenses and free food doesn't come easy though. These two have worked their whole lives to get this far and it looks as if it is finally paying off. Hopefully Jata will make the team, but it's not going to be easy. Earlier in the week, Jata was informed that he is one of six players fighting for two spots on the final roster. He is going to need a strong showing in Mexico to prove to the coaches that he deserves a spot, and being his brother, I think that's exactly what he'll do.

The Chicago Fire will be playing three games in Queretaro, Mexico over the next 10 days. Their first game will be tomorrow at 8pm against Queretaro FC. Their second game will be against Leon on Sunday, the 22nd at noon and the last game will be on Tuesday the 24th at 8pm. In the third game, Chicago will take on Morelia, which is the team Sonny Guadarrama plays for. For those of you that don't know, Sonny and his brother Willy both played for Campbell University. However, since Jata arrived to Campbell his Sophomore year he missed out on the opportunity to play with Sonny.

I heard the weather is actually somewhat enjoyable down there right now, with the high in the upper 70's (low 80's) and the low in the 40's. This should make the night games very interesting for Jata because he's proven to be very dominate in colder climates. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Tomorrow's game will be here soon enough and I really wish I was there to see it, but I guess I can't complain since I'm in Florida and the beach is just a couple of minutes away. I'll try to have the report up tomorrow night, but if I don't get to it, look for it on Thursday. Adios Amigos!

Watch and Wait (Highlight Video)

While we wait to hear more about the Fire's preseason, I thought I'd give you guys the chance to view Richard Jata's Highlight Video(below) that I made about a month ago. It's about 10 minutes long and by the end it should give you a general idea of how talented this kid really is. He scored 32 goals total in college, but I could only get 17 on here because not all of the games were filmed. I also have a goal from the time he spent with the Carolina Dynamo. The first part of the video is just some passing and dribbling, but the video gets better and better as it goes on. The goals that took longer to find are towards the end, but take the time to watch the whole thing and let me know what you think at the end of it.

The Chicago Fire will be leaving for Mexico tomorrow and I'll try to post the results of their games as soon as possible. I'm curious to see how the team lines up in Mexico with Rolfe, Thorrington and Busch all back from training with the U.S. Men's National Team.

Preseason Game #4 - Chicago vs. Toronto FC

Today the Chicago Fire took on Toronto FC in their 4th and final preseason game at IMG in Bradenton. They played a regular game with two 45 minute halves and the Fire came out on top 1-0. Mike Banner scored the lone goal off a free kick in the 41st minute of play. Each team had some chances, but couldn't find the net. Richard Jata sat out this game to rest a tight groin, but he said that he's doing just fine and expects to be back in action when the team heads to Mexico on the 15th. Rolfe, Thorrington and Busch will also be traveling with the team to Mexico.

The starting lineup for the Fire is as follows:

GK: Nick Noble, D-Roland Paul Bebey Kingue, D-Dasan Robinson, D-CJ Brown, D-Daniel Woolard, M-Logan Pause, M-Tim Ward, M-Baggio Husidic, M-Mike Banner, F-Patrick Nyarko, F-Stefan Dimitrov

The starting lineup for Toronto FC is as follows:

GK-Sutton, D-Kenton, D-Harmse, D-Marco Velez, D-Jim Brennan, M-Ricketts, M-Robinson, M-Cronin, M-Smith, F-DeRosario, F-Barrett

7': Toronto's Chad Barrett carried the ball up the middle and took a hard shot that sailed over the cross bar. - So far, play has been even between the two sides.

9': Dwayne DeRosario took a hard shot to the leg and is taking a moment to recoup - the Fire take this opportunity to hear a few words from head coach Denis Hamlett on the sidelines

15': Mike Banner took the ball up the left side and sent a nice cross into the box, no fire players were there to finish but Nyarko sent another cross that was intercepted by Harmse

20':Johann Smith recieved a great ball from DeRo in the left corner and beat the Fire's Kingue on the endline to slip a cross into the box but the subsequent shot rolled far wide of the right post - CJ Brown is organizing his defensive line

22':Fire keeper Nick Noble tracks Barrett as he entered the box and smothered his shot to keep the game 0-0

27': Yellow card to Toronto's Ricketts for a hard tackle on Mike Banner at midfield

40': Daniel Woolard sends a ball up the field from the Fire defensive end to Dimitrov about 30 yards out. Dimitrov has a great first touch and streaks up the middle of the field, eliminating two defenders and taking a hard shot toward the left post - the shot was saved by Sutton.

41': GOAL CHICAGO - Mike Banner places a free kick just inside the left post upper 90! 1-0

44': Tim Ward one times a TFC clear from 25 yards out - the shot bounces off a TFC defender and looks like it is headed into the net - but it bounces just over the cross bar.

HALFTIME: Chicago leads Toronto 1-0

Second Half lineup is the same except GK Nick Noble is subbed for GK Adrew Dykstra

Toronto FC second half lineup is the same except:

Chad Barrett (Fuad Ibrahim 45'), Johann Smith (Gregory Richardson 45'), Greg Sutton (Brian Edwards 45')

51': Patrick Nyarko took a hard knock and came off - Brandon Prideaux is in at right back and pushed Paul Bebey Kingue up to right mid... Dimitrov and Baggio are your forwards

55': Stefan Dimitrov (Idrissa Kone 55'), Roland Paul Bebey Kingue(Austin Washington 55')

60': Fuad Ibrahim (Danny Dichio 60'), Carl Robinson(Kyle Hall 60')

65': Danny Dichio is into the match and sends a back heel pass into the box the shot from Sam Cronin toward the right post is saved by Fire keeper Andrew Dykstra

66' CJ Brown is off and Ramos Dyoub has entered the match

75': Jokull Elisabetarson enters for Baggio Husidic and Michel Moungue enters for Daniel Woolard

80': Alfonso Ripa comes in for Tim Ward

81': Dasan heads a ball forward from midfield and Kone runs onto the ball but is dragged down by two TFC defenders - there is no call on the foul just outside the box.

FINAL SCORE - Chicago Fire 1-0 Toronto FC

Preseason Game #3 & My New Best Friend

The Chicago Fire beat the Puerto Rican Islanders 1-0 yesterday in their third preseason game. McBride converted on a penalty kick after Nyarko was brought down in the 8th minute of play. The teams played two 45 minuted halves, but played an extra 20 minutes at the end so that all of the subs could get some playing time. Both teams had goals called back, but overall the Fire dominated the game.

Jata sat out to get some rest, but most likely will return to action on Monday. All of the players had Sunday off. The team will finish up at IMG with a training session tomorrow, followed by their 4th preseason game against Toronto FC on Tuesday. The team will then head back to Chicago for a few days before departing to Mexico on February 15th. I expect the team to make some cuts before their next trip, but I think all of the draft picks will stay on no matter what. David Sias and Jokull Elisabetarson have both been sitting out due to injury, but they should be ready to return to action soon.

I went down to Bradenton to see Richard and things seem to be going very well. He's rooming with Baggio Husidic and it looks like they're really getting along great. They both had nothing but good things to say about each other and I expect to see a lot out these two in the future. With the entire starting squad returning from last season, playing time will be hard to come by, but with all of the extra games in the schedule this year I think we'll get to see both of them play at some point in time. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, but I will bring you an update on Tuesday following their game with Toronto FC.

Preseason Game #2 - Fire vs. KC Wizards

Today the Chicago Fire took on the Kansas City Wizards in what would be their first true test after routing UCF 5-0 just a few days earlier. Instead of playing three 30-minute segments like they did in the first game, they played two 45-minute halves.

Richard Jata played the entire second half. He started at forward, but switched to right mid after the Fire gave up three unanswered goals. Jata had a good chance to score when he caught a ball sent over his head on his right foot and took it towards goal. Unfortunately, the Kansas City keeper guessed right and made a great save to deny Jata of his first preseason goal with the Fire.

This was the 1st half lineup for Chicago:

1st 45' - GK-Nick Noble, D-Brandon Prideaux(Roland Paul Bebey Kingue 33'), D-Bakary Soumare, D-Dasan Robinson, D-Gonzalo Segares, M-Marco Pappa, M-Baggio Husidic, M-Logan Pause, M-Justin Mapp, F-Patrick Nyarko, F-Brian McBride

The Fire dominated the first half and in the 38th minute their hard work finally paid off. Roland Paul Bebey Kingue served a cross from the right side to Patrick Nyarko, who headed it home for his first preseason goal. In the 40th minute Nyarko added another goal from 18 yards out to give the Fire a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

This was the 2nd half lineup for Chicago:

2nd 45' - GK-Andrew Dykstra(Tyler Kettering 60'), D-Roland Paul Bebey Kingue(Marco Calich 70'), D-Ramos Dyoub, D-CJ Brown(Igor Lozo 70'), D-Tim Ward, M-Austin Washington, M-Anton Peterlin, M-Peter Lowry(Idrissa Kone 70'), M-Michel Mongue(Alfonso Rippa 70'), F-Richard Jata, F-Stefan Dimitrov

In the 49th minute Kansas City finally got on the board when Aaron Hohlbein headed home a Kevin Souter corner kick. In the 53rd minute Graham Zusi was taken down in the box and awarded a PK. Davy Arnaud shoots left and the keeper guesses right, scoring with ease to tie the game up 2-2.

At the 60-minute mark, Fire GK Andrew Dykstra was subbed out for Tyler Kettering and just minutes later the Wizards scored again to grab the lead. Zusi played a corner kick into the box and Rauwshan McKenzie hits a well placed header just under the bar for the final goal of the game.

Idrissa Kone had an opportunity to tie the game in the closing minutes when he found himself one on one with the Wizards' goalkeeper, but was denied.

Even though Chicago lost 3-2, things aren't as bad as they might seem. They're still missing Jon Busch, Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington, all of whom are still training with the U.S. Men's National Team in California. The rest of the starters from last year only played the first 45 minutes and Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Mike Banner didn't play at all.

Kansas City Wizards 1st Half Lineup:

1st 45' - GK-Hartman, D-Leathers, D-Conrad, D-Hohlbein, D-Harrington, M-Souter, M-Beres, M-Lopez, M-Arnaud, F-Thompson, F-Wolff

Kansas City Wizards 2nd Half Lineup:

2nd 45' - GK-Pardo, D-Leathers(Myers 60'), D-McKenzie, D-Hohlbein, D-Harrington(Besler 60'), M-Beres, M-Souter(Watson 60'), Arnaud (Morsink 60'), M-Zusi, F-Thompson(Pizarro 60), F-Kraus

Scoring Summary

(38') CHI - Patrick Nyarko - assisted by Roland Paul Bebey Kingue
(40') CHI - Patrick Nyarko - unassisted
(49') KCW - Aaron Hohlbein - assisted by Kevin Souter
(53') KCW - Davy Arnoud - unassisted (PK)
(63') KCW - Rauwshan McKenzie - assisted by Graham Zusi

Preseason Opener - Chicago Fire vs. UCF

The Fire handled business in their first preseason match yesterday against the University of Central Florida. The final score was 5-0, with Chicago dominating all three 30-minute segments. Brian McBride scored the first goal of the match and the game-winner in the 25th minute. Justin Mapp crossed a ball from the left corner of the field and McBride headed it home to get things started.

Stefen Dimitrov added two goals in the 31st and 51st minute of play. Richard Jata assisted on the third goal by placing a great thru ball to Dimitrov who chipped the keeper from approximately 30 yards out. Jata also had a scoring opportunity later on after being fouled just outside the box. His free kick attempt from 19 yards out was on target, but the UCF goalkeeper made a great effort to deny him of his first preseason goal.

The Fire finished strong with two goals late in the game from Michel Moungue(87th minute) and Idrissa Kone(89th minute).

The next game for Chicago will be against the Kansas City Wizards on February 4th at IMG Academy.

Here's the Chicago Fire Lineup and Scoring Summary:

1st 30' - GK-Nick Noble, D-Tim Ward, D-Bakary Soumare, D-CJ Brown, D-Gonzalo Segares, M-Mike Banner, M-Logan Pause M-Peter Lowry, M-Justin Mapp, F-Patrick Nyarko, F-Brian McBride.

2nd 30' - GK-Tyler Kettering, D-Tim Ward, D-Dasan Robinson, D-Bakary Soumare, D-Roland Paul Bebey Kingue, M-Mike Banner (Michel Moungue 45'), M-Baggio Husidic, M-Peter Lowry, M-Austin Washington, F-Richard Jata, F-Stefan Dimitrov.

3rd 30' - GK-Joe Nasco, D- Roland Paul Bebey Kingue, D-Igor Lozo, D-Dasan Robinson, D-Daniel Woolard, M-Michel Moungue, M-Baggio Husidic, M-Gerson dos Santos, M-Austin Washington, F- Robson Chavez Santana, F-Idrissa Kone.

Scoring Summary

(25') - Brian McBride - assisted by Justin Mapp
(31') - Stefan Dimitrov - unassisted
(51') - Stefan Dimitrov - assisted by Richard Jata
(87') - Michel Moungue - assisted by Roland Paul Bebey Kingue
(89') - Idrissa Kone - assisted by Dasan Robinson