Though they were named after a brutal disaster, the Chicago Fire sure have not played like one. The Men in Red have only missed the playoffs once in their entire existence, and they are one of the most successful teams in US Open Cup history (and the most successful MLS side). Unlike the dreadful Cubbies, they do not appear to be under any curse.
They first took the pitch in 1998 and they shocked the US soccer world by winning the MLS Cup and the US Cup in their inaugural season. Since then, they have settled for second twice (2000, 2003) and picked up the Supporters Shield once (2003). Their many supporters groups (of which my fave name is “Mike Ditka’s Street Crew”) have had much to celebrate.
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Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Major League Soccer reached an agreement on a one-year contract extension for the former Mexican international to continue playing for the Chicago Fire, it was announced Friday. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Blanco likely isn’t coming back to make less than his 2008 salary of $2.67 million. In a team press release, Blanco said he has enjoyed his two years with the Fire.
“I’m excited to be back next season,” Blanco said. “I’m very happy in Chicago and I look forward to another year with my teammates. I’m optimistic about 2009 and will continue to work hard to bring a championship to our fans.”
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Recap: The Fire had an extremely strong season, finishing the race for the Supporters Shield behind only Columbus and Houston. They did not play as consistently down the stretch, and whether the Barrett for McBride trade pays dividends is a question that has no answer. Overall, they get a B+ for 2008.
Offense: The Fire had a very hot start, but cooled off to finish tied for fifth in the league in goals with Colorado. Blanco played very well to open the season, but he seemed disinterested down the stretch. Rolfe emerged late after a poor start, and he remains one of the biggest enigmas in MLS. For the O, the Fire get a B.
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The Columbus Crew’s history can sort of be summed up by that old saying:
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
They had been to the playoffs several times, but they had never made it to the “Big Game”, the MLS Cup Final.
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Well, since their leader all those seasons was Brian McBride, I guess it was more like “always a Mcbridesmaid“, but I digress.
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It took four years but the Chicago Fire finally knocked the New England Revolution out of the MLS playoffs.
The Fire comfortable defeated a weakened Revolution 3-0 on Thursday to advance to the conference finals against either the Columbus Crew or the Kansas City Wizards, who will play the second leg of their conference semifinal series on Saturday. The first leg finished in a 1-1 draw.
The Fire scored two goals on either side of half-time to put this game out of reach of New England.
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The New England Revolution and Chicago Fire drew 0-0 in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Thursday night at Foxboro Stadium. Chicago now are firm favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference finals with the return leg taking place November 6th in Chicago.
The Revolution have knocked Chicago out of postseason each of the last three years, including twice in the conference championship, but this is Revolution team that is decimated by injury and suspension. Last night the Revolution were playing without injured captain Steve Ralston (broken leg) and forward Taylor Twellman (concussion-like symptoms), while midfielder Khano Smith was suspended two matches by the league for what it called “an egregious challenge” on Kansas City Wizards forward Herculez Gomez last weekend.
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Former Celtic youth member Charlie Mulgrew dazzled his former supporters with two professional goals as Aberdeen nearly upset Scottish power Celtic in league action. The 22-year old left back/left winger scored his second goal in the 65th minute to put Aberdeen in front. It did not take long for The Bhoys to answer.
Australian international Scott McDonald tied the score at 2-2 in the 77th minute. The match appeared ready to end tied until striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored his second on the day.
Celtic remain tied with Rangers for first in the league with 16 points. In other Scottish Premier League action:
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Forbes.com recently released a report that looked at the economic side of MLS and also put a value on each of the Major League Soccer franchises.
At a macro level, things are looking up for MLS. Seven of the league’s 14 teams play in soccer-specific stadiums, five of which have been built since 2002. Expansion franchises in Seattle and Philadelphia recently agreed to pay $30 million each to join the league, three times what Toronto FC paid to join MLS three years ago. Commissioner Don Garber says the next two expansion teams, to be announced in 2009, will cost $40 million. Some team owners are even floating a $50 million price tag.
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Stop the presses, the Los Angeles Galaxy finally won a game! Yes, the MLS’s flagship team ended a three month winless streak to beat D.C. United this week. This is a a look at this weekends games in Major League Soccer and how the playoff run is shaping up.
LA Galaxy 5 D.C. United 2
Landon Donovan had three goals and an assist as the Los Angeles Galaxy snapped a 12-match winless streak dating back to June 14th with a 5-2 triumph over D.C. United.
Donovan is the league leader with 19 goals this season and his hat trick finally gave Bruce Arena his first win as the Galaxy’s coach.
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The Columbus Crew were the only Eastern Conference team to win and by doing so moved to the top of the division and the MLS overall table to round out Week 23 of the Major League season.
LA Galaxy 2 New England Revolution 2
Landon Donovan scored a pair of goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Shalrie Joseph’s first goal of the season helped the New England Revolution grab a 2-2 tie.
Joseph’s goal in the 71st minute helped New England (11-6-5) extend the Galaxy’s (6-9-7) winless streak to 10.
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