The Chicago Fire announced today that they have signed Paraguayan defender Lider Marmol. Terms of the deal were not released, and he will be able to play once he receives his visa and work clearance.
The official MLS site is -- thanks to the absurd deal with HDNet -- not offering highlights of Saturday's 2-1 win over the Rapids at Toyota Park. Thankfully, a youtube user has come to the rescue. Enjoy.
Denis Hamlet had a lot to talk about after the Fire's impressive 2-1 win against the visiting Colorado Rapids. Hamlett mentioned how pleased he was with the play of John Thorrington, who scored both of Chicago's goals. "Last week he [Thorrington] played well too, he defended well, got himself into some good spots last weekend; and tonight, the same thing, from the 1st minute to 90th minute he was defending, got forward, got 2 good chances and finished them."
Coach Hamlett also talked about what seemed to be his main concern, which was the lack of finishing opportunities by his forwards. "Tonight our attacking guys put on a good display and if we had been clinical in the final 3rd the score would have been more than what it was tonight… Tonight we could have killed the game off by getting a third goal."
Coming off a difficult loss against Kansas City, the team looks to stay the course in the starting lineup. Early predictions have Brandon Pridueax ahead of Dasan Robinson at right back, but considering his absence from the injury report, and Conde's return to the lineup, a backline of Segares-Soumare-Conde-Robinson is not out of the question. Logan Pause has done nothing to lose his space at defensive midfield. Short of the sudden signing of Lider Marmol pushing Conde out of the backline, he should be shoring up the back of the midfield.
In the middle, the standard Mapp-Blanco-Rolfe lineup could return, with Chris Rolfe making a welcome start on the right wing. Thorrington and King have done well in his absence, but Rolfe's place on the right would be assured unless Hamlett determines he could be best used up top in place of Barrett. Mapp is skating on thin ice with some fans, and many expect a performance out of the talented left-mid this Saturday.
Earlier this month Backdraft headed out to Toyota Park to watch the Fire’s U-16 and U-18 academy teams face the U.S. U-17 national team. The Academy initiative, headed by Louis Mateus, has been running for around a year, and is one of the first fully free youth development academies in MLS.
New rules in MLS make such academies critical for the future success of teams, as each clubs can now directly sign (bypassing the draft) up to two players from their academies each year. Backdraft has been watching the games, and recently spoke to Mateus about the program.
Bakary Soumare's early-season performances in defense for the Fire have been one of the biggest positives so far for the team.
To add to that, he's gaining a reputation as one of the toughest Fire players on the field whilst being one of the friendliest to Fire fans off it.
Backdraft talked to Bakary about life with the team, his new role at the heart of the defense, and his views on the recent upheavals and what it means to play for the Chicago Fire.
After a 1-0 loss to the visiting Kansas City Wizards, the mood in the Fire locker room was glum to say the least. The players walked around with their heads low, and there was none of the usual joking around. It was obvious that this was a game the players felt they should have come away with at least a point from.
Posted by: Tom Dunmore in Untagged on
Apr 18, 2008
The long saga of Chicago and New York's battle over the signing of Paraguayan Lider Marmol -- a very promising central defender or defensive midfielder -- has taken its latest twist.
The 22 year-old Marmol will be in Chicago to train with the Fire very soon, presumably with a view to sign. Contrary to this article by Kent McDill on the MLS website, Backdraft has been told by the Fire that Marmol has not yet been signed (that article will be retracted shortly and was an 'honest mistake', we were told).
Frank Klopas had this to say about Marmol:
"He is a young guy, and you look to the future this is a guy you can build a team around. He's a big defender, he's good with his feet, he's good in the air. He can play in the middle, and he is a great guy."
This would be an outstanding addition to the Fire's roster. Backdraft will keep you updated on the situation.
The Fire stood at the top of the league at the end of week 3 in MLS, though it was a fortunate win in Oakland, the expansion Earthquakes striking the woodwork twice and missing an open goal in the dying minutes. A better performance will be needed against a stronger Wizards team.
It's good that the Fire have depth at the back this season. Both Brandon Prideaux (who injured himself in the pre-game warm-up last week) and Diego Guttierrez are listed as doubtful on the injury report, but there should be little to fear with Conde and Robinson set to have stronger performances with one game now under their belts.
Conde played most of the second half against UIC on Wednesday, and looked in excellent shape, intimidating enough to make one feel sorry for the college kids he was bullying around. The Colombian may have annoyed teammates and fans with his offseason demand for a trade, but with it seems all sides have now realized that it's better for Conde to be playing than not. It looks as if CJ Brown is still not ready to return from an apparently mysterious hip injury, so the Fire may be unchanged there from San Jose.
With the departure of President and GM John Guppy last week added to all the turmoil of the past year, Backdraft's writers decided to get together and talk about where the Fire stands now.
Here are their answers to five key questions regarding Guppy's departure, what it tells us about Andrew Hauptman, what qualities the next GM should have, and whether the Fire are in capable hands with Javier Leon stewarding the ship in the meantime.
Backdraft is written by Fire supporters for Fire supporters. Thanks to access provided by Section 8 Chicago, Backdraft is able to provide an original stream of news, interviews and views on the Chicago Fire soccer club.
If you're interested in contributing to Backdraft, please email communications at section8chicago.com
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