Philadelphia Union drew 1-1 in a friendly against Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday.
Carlos Valdes scored for the Union. So far, there's little info available on the game, so if you
were there or have photos or more info, please share observations, links, etc. in the comments
below.
For those of you wondering, FGCU made the NCAA tournament last year and will play Seattle next
week.
Chicago Fire original CJ Brown played in his last professional soccer game on October 23, 2010.
Both Brown and teammate Brian McBride had announced their retirements days earlier. Chicago was
already eliminated from the playoffs going into the game. Prior to kick-off the players knew it was
going to be only the second time in the club's history that the Fire did not make the playoffs.
The Chicago Fire put their undefeated preseason streak to the test when they take on Chivas USA
today at 2:00 PM CST. Live audio of the game will be available with Fire Communications Manager
Brendan Hannan and Team Writer Jeff Crandall teaming up on the play-by-play. Per Crandall, this
will be the 4th time the combo has called a game.
Pálsson (#44): The Newest VikingThe New York Red Bulls made the signing of Icelandic
international Victor Pálsson official today, confirming the player's recent comments on his
Twitter account that he had put pen to paper on a two year agreement. Pálsson, a rangy, physical
player a bit in the style of Tony Tchani, joins a crowd of holding midfielders that includes Rafa
Marquez and Teemu Tainio.
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.
Images courtesy of the man himself, Lance Parker.
Footballer and male model, Lance Parker, is obviously cool with posing in his underwear.
Coincidentally, we are too.
Since he seemed down for our interview games and uncontrollable flirting tactics, we decided to
spice up our Q&A style a bit.
Photo: Nick Waters
Philadelphia Union
Porfirio Lopez describes what he will bring to the Union: "Having a winning mentality is the
most important thing in soccer. I'm going to try to bring my experiences and positive attitude into
the group. Without a doubt, winning championships is the priority.
You might have caught wind of reports that the Portland Timbers were getting ready to sign 20
year-old left back Juan David Duque out of Colombia. Stumptown Footy had solid looking reports up
on January 25 and February 1. Here we are on February 8 though and still no Juan David Duque inking
a deal.
The Union confirmed on Wednesday through the team's Twitter account that Zac MacMath is joined
in preseason training by Chase Harrison, who had temporarily joined the club late last season when
Faryd Mondragon and Thorne Holder were both out with injuries before the club declined the option
to sign him in November to make him available for the Re-Entry Draft.
Major League Soccer's seventeenth season begins in less than two months and as the teams prepare
for the on pitch action their fans will prepare to follow them from not only stands, but with
social media.
Their two main online allies? Facebook and Twitter.
Since the beginnings of MLS in the mid-1990s the Internet has exploded and in the last five years
the advent of social media has changed the face of sports in the United States and the world.
In case you missed it, the Chicago Fire defeated Real Espana 3-1 in Saturday night's
international exhibition. Video highlights, goal scorers, and Fire starters are after the break.
The team has a recap with some quotes from Klopas up on the website. The local paper, The
Times-Picayune, had a good recap too.
The Chicago Fire take on Honduran side Real España in an international preseason friendly at
New Orleans' Tad Gormley Stadium today, Saturday, February 4, at 5:00 p.m. CST. This whole trip has
been in conjunction with the Youth Development Program, the Chicago Fire Juniors - Louisiana.
Earlier today, fans had the chance to meet and greet Fire players at three CFJ-LA campuses: Audubon
Park, City Park and Lions Park.
The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that more than 25,000 tickets were already sold for the
home opener at Olympic Stadium, March 17, against the Chicago Fire.
The Impact are hoping to create a new record for attendance at the Olympic Stadium with
additional sales leading up to the home opener.
Didier Drogba to the Chicago Fire. I'm not sure how it even started but now we are really
getting into absurdity.
Chicago Fire confirm talks with Chelsea's Drogba
Thanks for the big headline Tribal Football. On yesterday's conference call, Chicago Fire head
coach Frank Klopas did say all of the following: "Drogba?
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.
Good news everyone!
The remainder of the Dynamo's local TV deal has finally be revealed and it's all about Fox
Sports Houston and FSHouston Plus....more importantly, all broadcast will be in glorious high
definition. Happy dance time!
"This agreement with Fox Sports Houston, coupled with our overall television package, creates
the strongest broadcast situation in club history," said Dynamo president Chris Canetti.
The beginning of the 2012 Major League Soccer season is right around the corner and the folks
over at MLS Soccer have released their first preseason power rankings. As expected the LA Galaxy
are on top, while the New England Revolution get no love, as MLS Soccer ranks them below the
expansion side Montreal Impact.
Toronto and Kansas City have faired pretty well so far this winter. (Getty Images)
Many clubs are a few weeks into their pre-seasons and now that the international transfer window
has shut, it is a good time to look at how each MLS side has done so far this winter. (Note: the
MLS window doesn't close until April, which means players who failed to land new jobs in Europe can
still head to MLS.
Toronto and Kansas City have faired pretty well so far this winter. (Getty Images)
Many clubs are a few weeks into their pre-seasons and now that the international transfer window
has shut, it is a good time to look at how each MLS side has done so far this winter. (Note: the
MLS window doesn't close until April, which means players who failed to land new jobs in Europe can
still head to MLS.
When Chicago Fire defender Cory Gibbs recently appeared on Windy City Live to promote the club's
new sponsorship deal with Quaker Oats, the most astute of supporters may have noticed something
different about his appearance: his jersey did had short sleeves.
"I love my long-sleeves," said Gibbs during a recent interview with Hot Time in Old Town.
It has been over 40 days and 40 nights since we last did an overview of the Chicago Fire roster
going into 2012. In that time Mike Banner has been let go. Yamith Cuesta, Diego Chaves, and Josip
Mikulic have drifted away in circumstances that are still being sorted out. Rafael Robayo, Federico
Puppo, Austin Berry, and Kheli Dube have been brought in with contracts to their name.
This article was sent in by reader/writer/ Fire fan Daniel Casey. Feel free to follow
Daniel's example; send in any articles you like! We love to hear what you have to say, and could
always use the help.
The pre-season for any sport is an exciting time, full of anxiety and hope.
This article was sent in by reader/writer/ Fire fan Daniel Casey. Feel free to follow
Daniel's example; send in any articles you like! We love to hear what you have to say, and could
always use the help.
The pre-season for any sport is an exciting time, full of anxiety and hope.
The Fire have had a tremendous offseason so far. We have fortified our midfield, improved our
defense in the SuperDraft, and even added some forwards to the mix. The Fire midfield is certainly
the most populated on the team, and one I would definitely consider it a strength. It's credit to
the front office for taking what was considered a big weakness last year and turning it into one of
our strong points.
Hector Rueda Lookalike Wilman Conde is New York Bound - FinallyThe New York Red Bulls,
having just wrapped up Tim Ream's long-awaited transfer to Bolton, didn't waste much time in
finding his replacement, announcing today the signing of Colombian central defender Wilman Conde.
Conde was most recently on the books of Mexican club Atlas, where injuries limited his playing time
in 2011 to just 13 games.
Hector Rueda Lookalike Wilman Conde is New York Bound - FinallyThe New York Red Bulls,
having just wrapped up Tim Ream's long-awaited transfer to Bolton, didn't waste much time in
finding his replacement, announcing today the signing of Colombian central defender Wilman Conde.
Conde was most recently on the books of Mexican club Atlas, where injuries limited his playing time
in 2011 to just 13 games.
Wilman Conde is back in MLS with the Red Bulls. (Getty Images)
This news had been around for some time. The New York Red Bulls and the Chicago Fire finally
made it official today though. Wilman Conde is finally going to the Big Apple.
The fun part about this deal however is that it is really a few years too late.
Wilman Conde is back in MLS with the Red Bulls. (Getty Images)
This news had been around for some time. The New York Red Bulls and the Chicago Fire finally
made it official today though. Wilman Conde is finally going to the Big Apple.
The fun part about this deal however is that it is really a few years too late.
Just days after selling Tim Ream to Bolton, the New York Red Bulls have secured the services of
his replacement, signing Colombian centerback Wilman Conde after making a trade with the Chicago
Fire.
The Red Bulls dealt allocation money (which one source put at $150,000) to the Fire for the
chance to sign Conde, who returns to MLS after spending 2011 in Mexico with Atlas.
The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Monday the club has traded the MLS right of first refusal
on defender Wilman Conde to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money. If this kind
of deal doesn't make sense to you, be sure to give this story a read. More after the break.
New York has agreed to personal terms with the out-of-contract Conde and he will be added to the
Red Bull's roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
Highlights from yesterday's D.C. United vs. Chicago Fire preseason game
So I'm sitting at my desk at work around 4pm this past Friday trying to figure out what my plans
for the evening are. Then out of nowhere Illinois Piasa General Manager Matt Williams makes my
plans for me with one short e-mail:
"FYI - Mike Banner, Chicago Fire, will wear #16 for Piasa tonight vs.
There's nothing quite like the phrase 'Chicago Fire game'. In the cold months of December and
January, it can be difficult to remember the team plays these things. It's why the Chicago Fire
Soccer Club exists.
Preseason has been in full-swing for over a week, it's time to see strategy in action.
By Eric Beard
Doesn't vehement hatred get kind of boring after a while? I mean, sure, if you want to let a
little schadenfreude and anger out a couple of times a year, that's fine. Everyone's entitled to
their fair share of irrational fandom. Maybe I'm not as creative as the Spanish press and [insert
name of your Superclub]'s fans, but hatred gets kind of circular after a while.
In all the hoopla surrounding the Seattle Sounders offseason moves, there has been one player
that seems to have flown under the radar more than any other: Servando Carrasco. During the
midfielder's rookie season, he became better known for the person he was dating than anything he
did on the field.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Carolina RailHawks both made players moves late this week. The
Strikers added former MLS player Andy Herron to their roster but in turn lost Mike Palacio
from their 2011 roster. Carolina announced two signings, Palacio and Ty Shipalane who had played
for the RailHawks in 2010.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Carolina RailHawks both made players moves late this week. The
Strikers added former MLS player Andy Herron to their roster but in turn lost Mike Palacio
from their 2011 roster. Carolina announced two signings, Palacio and Ty Shipalane who had played
for the RailHawks in 2010.
Still being several weeks away from the start of a new season for association football in the
US, much of the current chatter surrounding Major League Soccer revolves around the announcement
of this summer's All-Star Game in Philadelphia and, well, oatmeal. Okay, perhaps not specifically
about oatmeal, but rather the unveiling of Quaker as the new shirt sponsor for Chicago Fire SC that
begins with this video of a morning bowl of Quaker Oats and has continued by sending these rather
special packages to not only sports media but also prominent US football bloggers to spread the
word.
The first phase of the Chicago Fire's 2012 pre-season is in full swing. About 36 players are
working with the Chicago Fire technical staff down in Ave Maria, Florida. Marco Pappa recently
arrived in camp. New striker Federico Puppo resolved his visa issues and made his way to the
Sunshine State. Sean Johnson just wrapped up his recent USMNT call-up.
