Fire's Baggio Husidic -- Getty ImagesWith only two seasons under his belt, Chicago Fire midfielder Baggio Husidic has stepped in comfortably following his University of Illinois-Chicago days.
The 2009 draft pick and Libertyville High School alum earned regular minutes in his second season last year, posting 18 starts in 22 games.

Welcome the first installment of The Equipment Room. Here we will get more in depth on what your favorite Chicago Fire players wear on, and maybe even, off the field. I'm hoping this will allow us to get to know each player's style a little bit better. This will include anything from the jerseys they wear to, like this edition, the type of boots each player wears on the pitch.

The Chicago Fire have now played all four of their scheduled games against the 2011 MLS Expansion teams. Their final record against the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps is 0 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses while getting outscored 9-5. Each expansion team even defeated the Fire 4-2 at one point.

MLSSoccer.com has a great profile on Mundelein, IL native and University of Louisville alum Charlie Campbell. Campbell, like any good Midwestern soccer player, grew up a Chicago Fire fan. He even considers Patrick Nyarko and Baggio Husidic to be good friends. Now there is a twist in that fandom as FC Dallas selected Campbell with the 35th overall pick of the 2011 MLS Draft.

Coach Carlos de los Cobos released 7 more trialists today and added 1, bringing the roster down to within 5 of the expected final count. 33 players remain in camp out of the 28-30 required by March 1. 21 of the 33 have contracts, 10 trialists remain, and 2 unsigned draft picks remain. There are rumors of more potential trialists floating around but time is running out.

We exchange three questions with Daniel Robertson of Big D Soccer in order to get some insider perspective on FC Dallas as the Chicago Fire head to Pizza Hut Park this Saturday. My answer to Daniel's first question is below and the other five questions in the exchange are after the break.

Big D Soccer asks Hot Time In Old Town

1.

In less than three hours. the madness returns to Toyota Park. The 14th home season of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club will get underway. It will be loud and I have no doubts the voices of the many will be a warm relief to the hearts of everyone. What can you expect to see on the field?

I would be surprised if Carlos de los Cobos does not run out the 3-5-2.

Tonight's U.S. Open Cup match kicks off at Peoria's Shea Stadium at 6:30 PM CST. The Chicago Fire website is streaming the game live and team writer Jeff Crandall and team communications manager Brendan Hannan are all lined up to broadcast the call.

Sam Stejskal is reporting that Bratislav Ristic and Marko Maric are both ruled out for the match.

The Chicago Fire have 30 players on the 30 man roster with the signing of Cristian Nazarit. The Major League Soccer Players Union just released the salaries for every player including those on our very own Chicago Fire. MLS' website has recently been upgraded to provide a better looking 2011 Roster Rules page.

The once and future kings of Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake, enter today's game with a mortal 1-2-2 record over their last five games. The Chicago Fire's record of 1-0-4 over their last five is 2 points better for what it's worth. Marco Pappa is available for selection in tonight's game for the first time since May 28th when he started against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Major League Soccer has revealed the names of the players who will be made available in the upcoming MLS Re-Entry Draft.

Bobby Boswell, Bobby Convey, Joe Cannon and Andy Williams are just some of the veterans left exposed by their MLS teams in the Re-Entry Draft, which will be held on Dec.

So Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Draft has just concluded. It was a bit more lively than Stage 1 but still not hugely impactful. Most teams passed outright with the Los Angeles Galaxy taking a starring role by adding four players and picking up two of their own players again.

Unsurprisingly the Portland Timbers passed on Stage 2 and also passed on selecting their own players once again.

Picasso without Velasquez. Family Guy without the Simpsons. Robinho without Garrincha. Unthinkable? No. Sadly, we live in a world that obsesses over the present and increasingly pays lip service to the past. Yet not Junito. Thanks to Youtube, old soccer books, and the art of oral storytelling, I have turned his little world into a land of famous head fakes, jukes, goals, and saves.

No sucker wants to talk to us. Let alone sign. I feel a rejection complex coming on. We're the football equivalent of a cold caller who rings up just on the stroke of teatime to give you the hard sell on some new health insurance. Just as you've tucked a fork into the grey matter on your plate that looks only slightly more appealing than what the cat's eating- or what he's about to leave on the carpet- and it's Keith from the front desk wanting to chat about upgrading your life choices.

Il numero dieci è nel calcio simbolo supremo di signorile eleganza, di capacit tecnica fuori dal comune, di due piedi che prima di essere, creano. La trentesima giornata della serie A, ci ha consegnato le gesta di tre numeri dieci che per dirci per tre volte o per trenta volte, come la somma dei loro [.

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Fabio Capello has been in charge of England for three years yet he feels he only needs 100 words to get his message across. Therefore, this week's main report wonders whether a football manager needs to be able to speak the language of his or her players.

A recent article by MLS writer Sam Stejskal mentions that CDLC is looking at changing the lineup tomorrow night vs. Houston. Specifically, it mentions that Jalil Anibaba may get a rest in place of Dasan Robinson. Keep in mind that Cory Gibbs is questionable/doubtful for the game, and if he can't go, it looks like Yamith Cuesta will get the start.

In attesa di vivere la santa Pasqua, ricco appuntamento calcistico in questo sabato dedicato interamente alla Serie A. A partire dalle 12 e 30, orario nel quale si affronteranno Roma e Chievo, match di apertura della 34° giornata. I giallorossi di Montella, reduci dal ko di Coppa Italia con l'Inter e quello di campionato col [.

In attesa di vivere la santa Pasqua, ricco appuntamento calcistico in questo sabato dedicato interamente alla Serie A. A partire dalle 12 e 30, orario nel quale si affronteranno Roma e Chievo, match di apertura della 34° giornata. I giallorossi di Montella, reduci dal ko di Coppa Italia con l'Inter e quello di campionato col [.

Fire's Baggio Husidic (R) -- Getty ImagesBRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- In the midst of a four-game winless streak and only one point in hand during April, the Chicago Fire are regularly deciphering their shortcomings to turn around a poor start to the 2011 season. The Fire hover near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 1-3-2 record, with Saturday's game at the defending MLS champion Colorado Rapids on the horizon.

Hi!

It is game day so I thought I should check in with a detailed recap of last week's game. I feel this team is very close to being a good side. Some things need to get cleaned up, a couple of guys need not be involved in the rotation anymore and patience needs to be exercised by the fan base.

The Chicago Fire look to break their four game winless streak tonight against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Carlos de los Cobos is returning to the 4-1-4-1 lineup we saw last year:

Jon Conway; Jalil Anibaba, Josip Mikulic, Yamith Cuesta, Gonzalo Segares; Daniel Paladini; Dominic Oduro, Corben Bone, Gaston Puerari, Marco Pappa; Diego Chaves

Daniel Paladini and Corben Bone will get their first starts of the season.

Milan ad un passo dallo scudetto in Serie A. Ad un punto dal 18° trionfo italiano della sua storia. Questo grazie ad un campionato straordinario e, nell'immediato, al goal di Flamini col Bologna, rete che stende i felsinei e scuce sempre più il tricolore dalle maglie dei cugini. Ma ieri, nell'avvincente giornata di campionato, e [.

As we look forward to Saturday's game against the Vancouver Whitecaps, let's mix in some news and notes from this past weekend. The Chicago Fire academy teams faced regional rivals Chicago Magic on Saturday, April 30th. Chicagoland Soccer has full recaps but the U-15/16 team tied 0-0 while the U-17/18 team gave up two goals in the second half to lose 2-0.

I have nothing for you other than a promise I will get this done before the afternoon of the next game.

Anyways here you go for you reading enjoyment a break down of a rather ho hum 1-1 draw.

Weather: 46 degrees, partly cloudy.
Surface: Natural Grass
Location: Stadium somewhere in Colorado
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez
Line Judges: Anthony Vasoli, Darren Clark
4th Official: Jose Carlos Rivero
Attendance: 11,789
Matchday Live announce crew:
Colorado Announcers
Lineups:
Chicago:
Coach: Carlos de los Cobos
GK: Jon Conway
D: Jalil Anibaba
D: Yamith Cuesta
D: Josip Mikulic
D: Gonzalo Segares
M: Daniel Paladini
M: Corben Bone
M: Dominic Oduro
M: Marco Pappa
M: Gaston Puerari
F: Diego Chaves
Bench:
GK: Sean Johnson
M: Baggio Husidic
M: Bratislav Ristic
M: Patrick Nyarko
F: Orr Barouch
D: Dasan Robinson
D: Pari Pantazopoulos
Changes from last week: Paladini and Bone replace Pause (out with injury) and Husidic in the center of the midfield.

The Art Institute of Chicago should come on down to Toyota Park because the drawing going on these days is amazing. The Chicago Fire Reserves drew the Sporting Kansas City Reserves 1-1 in a game that tells us more about the individual players than any kind of team work. More on that and the latest MLS Injury Report Update after the break.

Hey there.

I know a lot of you are already leaving this team for dead and saying crazy stuff like "need a win to resurrect their playoff chances", "we should trade Nyarko" and "what about firing the coach?". Obviously everything is carved in stone right now. The results of 26 more games are clear and definitive and not covered in the fog of flares.

An 11th minute goal from newcomer Cristian Nazirit and a 40th minute equalizer from Chance Myers provided the scoring in the Fire's Reserve League match against Sporting Kansas City this morning at the Toyota Park practice field.

The Fire's starting eleven included Alec Dufty in goal and Dasan Robinson, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Josip Mikulic, and Bratislav Ristic in defense.

Weather: 73 Degrees and cloudy

Surface: Natural Grass
Location: Stadium in Chester behind a couple of abandoned buildings with broken windows.
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Line Judges: Bill Dittmar, Paul Scott
4th Official: Daniel Fitzgerald
Attendance: No official number posted.

Frank Klopas is rolling the dice a little bit by having a starting XI of the following:

Sean Johnson; Bratislav Ristic, Josip Mikulic, Dasan Robinson, Pari Pantazopoulos; Gabriel Ferrari, Michael Videira, Daniel Paladini, Corben Bone; Diego Chaves, Cristian Nazarit

I am sympathetic to injuries and rest but this is a lot of new parts that aren't used to each other.

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.

For the third consecutive game it took a strong second half performance for United to beat an MLS team. And once again it was Wayne Rooney who inspired the second-half performance, just as he did in Seattle last weekend.

Fergie gave debuts to summer signings David de Gea and Phil Jones making their debuts, United conceded a shock goal after only 12 minutes when Jalil Anibaba launched a deep free-kick into the penalty area.

The Chicago Fire tasted their first defeat in Reserves League play yesterday. Colorado pulled out a 2-0 victory in a reversal of Saturday night's senior squad game final score. Guillermo Rivera has a recap on the game play over at Chicago Fire Confidential along with an interesting bit on Eric Wynalda being in attendance and sitting next to Frank Klopas during the match.

Chicago Fire: Sean Johnson; Dan Gargan, Josip Mikulic, Jalil Anibaba, Gonzalo Segares; Marco Pappa, Pavel Pardo, Logan Pause ©; Sebastian Grazzini (Baggio Husidic 25'); Patrick Nyarko (Diego Chaves 66'), Dominic Oduro (Orr Barouch 77')

Substitutes not used: Jon Conway, Yamith Cuesta, Corben Bone, Daniel Paladini
New England Revolution: Matt Reis; Kevin Alston, Franco Coria, Darrius Barnes, Chris Tierney; Ryan Guy, Benny Feilhaber, Shalrie Joseph ©, Kenny Mansally (Kheli Dube 57'); Milton Caraglio, Zach Schilawski (Diego Fagundez 71')
Substitutes not used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Otto Loewy, Zak Boggs, Pat Phelan, Ryan Kinne
Scoring Summary
CHI - Sebastian Grazzini (penalty kick) 5'
CHI - Dominic Oduro (Sebastian Grazzini) 9'
CHI - Patrick Nyarko (unassisted) 30'
NE - Ryan Guy (unassisted) 90'
NE - Ryan Guy (Milton Caraglio, Diego Fagundez) 92'+
Misconduct Summary

NE - Franco Coria (Caution; Reckless Foul) 27'
NE - Darrius Barnes (Caution; Dissent) 46'+
CHI - Dan Gargan (Caution; Delaying a Restart) 76'

CHI - Baggio Husidic (Caution; Tactical Foul) 86'

Referee: Michael Kennedy

Referee's Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry, Paul Scott

4th Referee: Jasen Anno

Attendance: 14,567

Highlights and quotes after the break

Highlights

Quotes

Frank Klopas, Chicago Fire interim head coach
On the result:
"In the second half, being up 3-0 and tough stretch ahead of us, I had the opportunity to give some guys a break and get everyone involved in the game.

As we mentioned last week, the Portland Timbers needed draws from the rest of the MLS. Well, they got 'em. There were four draws in nine weekend matches, and two of them were of the utmost importance to the Timbers. And of course the Timbers did their part with a 1-0 away victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Seattle had an answer for the few riddles Chicago threw at it. The Fire could have given up 3 or 4 goals as the Sounders hit the post twice on offense. That isn't to say Sean Johnson had a poor night. In fact, he made six saves overall including some lightning fast reflex moves we have come to expect but are still extraordinary.

Rivera. Mazzola. Baggio. Mancini. Totti. Del Piero. Zola. The list could go on and on. Since Il Calcio became the sport of choice in the peninsula, the Azzurri have always been blessed with fantasisti, players that could define matches with moments of sublime skill, unerring vision or sheer audacity.

With the MLS Cup Final over, and the LA Galaxy crowned champions, it's time to move on to our next adventure. On Wednesday at 2 pm the expansion draft for the Montreal Impact will take place, consisting of 10 rounds where they'll have their pick out of 198 players. Before any of that happens all teams need to have their protected list of 11 players in by 5 pm today.

Dan Gargan -- Getty ImagesBy Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
The Chicago Fire and other Major League Soccer teams submitted their 11-player protected lists Monday in preparation for Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft for the Montreal Impact.
Among some of the Fire's noteworthy players left unprotected are forward Diego Chaves, midfielder Daniel Paladini, and defenders Dan Gargan, Josip Mikulic and Yamith Cuesta.

Chicago Fire decline options on Jon Conway, Baggio Husidic, and Alec Dufty

Nothing on the web yet but this is official from the front office:

"The following Chicago Fire players will be available for selection in the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Monday, Dec. 5 and Monday, Dec. 12.

· Jon Conway – GK

· Alec Dufty – GK

· Baggio Husidic – MID

The Fire declined to exercise the option on the three above players.