Fire hand Union third straight loss
BY DAVID GUBALA BRIDGEVIEW, Il -- The plan for the Chicago Fire this season was to kick off right where they left off in 2011 and it seems that they're doing just that. A piece of brilliance from Marco Pappa and Dominic Oduro was all it took as the Chicago Fire handled a struggling Philadelphia...
SBI MLS Season Preview: Chicago Fire
Photo by Tracy Allen/ISIphotos.com By DAVID GUBALA For the Chicago Fire, consistency is the magic word. After having one of strongest season finishes in club history in 2011, the Chicago Fire have been keen on keeping the same core together heading into the 2012 season. With leading scorer Dominic Oduro and Patrick Nyarko returning to...
Europa League Rewind: Manchester clubs advance, three Americans reach Round of 16
BY DAVID GUBALA The Europa League crown now lies amongst one of sixteen teams left in the competition after a quite decisive round of 32. The two Manchester clubs still remain in the tournament, although they reached the next round in very different manners. Clubs of three Americans will be partaking in the round of...
Fire Notebook: Klopas discusses roster, Oduro earns Ghana call, and more
BY DAVID GUBALA The Chicago Fire entered their third and final phase of preseason on Tuesday when they traveled to Charleston, S.C. to partake in the annual Carolina Challenge Cup. With less than a month until their season opener, the Fire still have plenty of unaswered questions about the squad. Fire head coach Frank Klopas...
Fire’s Johnson ready after busy offseason
By DAVID GUBALA The Chicago Fire departed for Ventura, Calif., on Wednesday with a long-missed face settling back with the team for the first time since the end of the regular season. After having quite the busy offseason, goalkeeper Sean Johnson finally regrouped with the Fire for their second phase of preseason. The 22-year-old Johnson...
Fire Notebook: Klopas addresses DP rumors, club makes roster cuts and more
By DAVID GUBALA The Chicago Fire are now a good two weeks into their first phase of preseason camp and have been making all of the necessary adjustments as the start of the new 2012 campaign nears. Part of the preseason activity, though, has included shooting down rumors of a superstar Designated Player acquisition. There...
Fire Notebook: Oduro, club ready to pick up where they left off and more
Photo by Tracy Allen/ISIphotos.com By DAVID GUBALA The Chicago Fire will swap the crispy, cold ways of Chicago for the sunny rays of Ave Maria as they travel to Florida to officially kick off the preseason camp for their 15th season in Major League Soccer. Dominic Oduro, the team's leading scorer in 2011, argued that...
Bunbury brace helps Sporting KC topple Rapids
By DAVID GUBALA Sporting Kansas City went into Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal first leg looking to hopefully come away with a draw against the Colorado Rapids to send the series back to Kansas City A nightmarish night for the Rapids helped Sporting KC return to the Midwest with so much more. After a scoreless first...
Fire yet to make decision on Klopas’ future as head coach
Photo by ISIPhotos.com By DAVID GUBALA The Chicago Fire didn't make the playoffs in 2011, but the team's strong finish to the regular season has interim head coach Frank Klopas looking look a good candidate to keep the coaching job. No decision has been made yet, but Klopas, also the team's Technical Director, does plan...
Anibaba’s brace leads Fire past Crew
By DAVE GUBALA BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.-- When the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew squared off on Saturday night it was the Crew that had everything to play for and the Fire just playing out the string. You wouldn't have known it based on how both teams came out though, as the Fire completed a strong finish...
FC Dallas clinches playoff berth, Chicago in post-season jeopardy after home defeat
By DAVE GUBALA BRIDGEVIEW, IL -- The Chicago Fire went into Wednesday night's match against FC Dallas knowing that anything short of a victory would all but erase their chances of reaching the playoffs. For FC Dallas, the match was about trying snap a losing streak and poor run of form. Only one team got...
Timbers top Whitecaps to spoil BC Place opener
By DAVID GUBALA The inaugural Major League Soccer game at the newly renovated BC Place wasn't necessarily a one to remember for the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Portland Timbers managed to spoil Vancouver's stadium opening with a 1-0 upset thanks to a cracker of a goal from Kenny Cooper on Sunday afternoon. The victory moved the...
