Fire end Rapids nine-game unbeaten streak
BY ANTHONY ZILIS Last week, the Fire ended a 10-game winless streak by beating Toronto FC 2-0. This week, they showed it was no fluke, beating the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids 2-0 at Toyota Park. “We’ve got a lot of great players, I think we’re finally jelling as a team. It’s taken way...
Fire Notebook: Pardo not yet fit to start after making practice debut and more
By ANTHONY ZILIS For years, Pavel Pardo planned on ending his career in MLS. Finally, after a long courtship with the Chicago Fire front office, the former Mexican international signed with the team early this week. He practiced the Fire for the first time on Thursday. "In my career, I have always had plans. I...
Fire let lead slip away, falls to Manchester United
BY ANTHONY ZILIS The Chicago Fire weren't favored against Manchester United, especially after the English Premier League side drubbed the Seattle Sounders 7-0 just three days ago. Still, some of the Fire players felt like they let one slip away after they lost 3-1 to Manchester United at Soldier field. “I thought we played well...
Timbers snap winless skid with win in Chicago
BY ANTHONY ZILIS BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Fire outshot them, hit two posts, and had the ball in their attacking third for much of the game. But for the Portland Timbers, who beat Chicago 1-0 Saturday at Toyota Park, it felt great just to get a road win. While it wasn’t necessarily pretty, Jack Jewsbury...
Chicago not expected to throw ‘very gifted’ signing Grazzini into fire right away
Photo courtesy of Chicago Fire By ANTHONY ZILIS New Chicago Fire midfielder Sebastian Grazzini arrived in Chicago on Friday morning. The Argentine playmaker will be available for selection for Saturday's game against Portland, though head coach Frank Klopas doubts he'll play that soon. "I'm not counting it out, but it would be really difficult," Klopas...
Fire tie Sounders in Klopas’ coaching debut
By ANTHONY ZILIS BRIDGEVIEW, Ill -- Maybe Chicago Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas needed to do more than just make tweaks to his team, as he vowed earlier this week when he took over the position. Whatever the case, the Fire had the same result under their new head coach as their old one...
Fire end losing streak, close out out SuperLiga with win
BY ANTHONY ZILIS The Fire's SuperLiga performance can only be viewed as disappointing. Last season's runner-up in the tournament, Chicago was eliminated after the first two games. Still, even though Tuesday's 1-0 win against Pumas was meaningless in the tournament table, it was nice for the Fire to taste victory for the first time in...
Fire bounced from SuperLiga, will look to Castillo for spark
BY ANTHONY ZILIS After losing 1-0 to New England Saturday, the Chicago Fire are officially out of the SuperLiga.Gone are the days of Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Chris Rolfe, who helped lead the Fire to the brink of a title in the same tournament last year, and the Fire are left looking for an offensive spark....
Morelia torches Fire 5-1 in SuperLiga opener
By ANTHONY ZILIS If the Chicago Fire want to make it back to the SuperLiga final, it will have some ground to make up after losing to Morelia, 5-1, at Toyota Park Wednesday night. "Today it looked like everybody was dead," Fire defender C.J. Brown said. "We couldn't hold the ball, defensively we couldn't mark...
Focused Fire faces Morelia tonight
By ANTHONY ZILIS Chicago Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos made it clear after his team's US Open cup loss to Charleston Battery that his team was more focused on the Superliga Tournament. The Fire will kick off Superliga action tonight against Morelia at Toyota Park, and will play only in the tournament for...
Findley penalty kick lifts RSL past Fire
By ANTHONY ZILIS BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - In a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals, which ended in a shootout, it almost seemed fitting that the game's only goal came was a penalty kick, as Real Salt Lake beat the Chicago Fire, 1-0, Thursday night at Toyota Park on a Robbie Findley spot kick.The penalty...
Fire Notebook: Brown questions team’s mentality, injuries pile up and more
By ANTHONY ZILIS It was 90 degrees at the Chicago Fire's practice on Tuesday at Toyota Park, and maybe that contributed to a lackluster attitude.Or maybe it was the loss to Columbus on Saturday, when the Fire gave up two goals while scoring one of its own (on an own goal) in the span of...
