Immediately after John Guppy parted ways from the Fire last Friday, speculation began that his replacement might be Peter Wilt, who exactly three years earlier had been fired by then-owners AEG from the same position, to the deep disappointment of most Fire supporters (as illustrated by the subsequent supporters' protest).

After a weekend in which Backdraft spent considerable time in the company of Wilt at the Fire game in Oakland and as the dust settles on Guppy's departure, it's time to provide an update on the prospect of Wilt returning to the Fire organization.

Comment (4) Read More...

In the past year, the Fire have had two different owners, three different head coaches, and now the club will soon have a new GM and President as well.

The Chicago Fire announced today that they had parted ways with John Guppy, who replaced Peter Wilt in 2005.

Backdraft wants to know what you thought of Guppy's time with the Fire, and who you'd like to see as a replacement.

Comment (11) Read More...

Revolution supporters are still, would you believe it, complaining about Jeff Larentowicz's di smissal in the seventh minute of last week's Fire home opener. Egged on by Steve Nicol, who as Backdraft reported claimed the Revolution were "playing against the referee", they seem to think that the decision was both wholly unjust and changed the course of the match. We can prove otherwise.

Comment (8) Read More...

4-0? Not bad. Despite the promises of the official game guide, the Fire were unchanged from last Saturday and every player who disappointed against Real Salt Lake made amends last night. A brilliant performance, and Backdraft will be updated later with further reaction, analysis and highlights.

Section 8 also showed up in force. According to one longtimer on the Section 8 forums, the turnout of well over 1,000 in Sections 117 and 118 marked the largest supporters' gathering ever at a Fire home game. The overall attendance of 15,552 was also solid for the earliest ever home opener, on a frigid cold and wet Thursday night.

Below are a few more photos of Section 8 before the game. We will add more from during the game later on; if you have any for us to use, please add them to the Section 8 Flickr group .

Update, April 9th: Many new official Section 8 photos added below.

Comment (7) Read More...

The Fire XI

Plenty of excuses have been made for the Fire's poor performance in the opener, which left the team elated to escape with a point from Salt Lake City after Blanco's late equalizer. It was the altitude, or the cold, or the artificial turf, or the offseason rust, or the missing players, or the referee, or -- you get the picture.

Some of those are valid points, but that doesn't excuse the Fire's failure to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper until 90 minutes had elapsed, nor the insipid performances by Justin Mapp and Chad Barrett.

Tomasz Frankowski's disappearing act can be excused on his MLS debut, but the temptation to move Chris Rolfe to his best position upfront must have grown given the lack of activity from the forward line.

In midfield, meanwhile, Logan Pause plugged many holes and worked gamely, but was often left with too much to do as the sole defensive-minded midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.

At the back, Chicago looked impressively solid despite missing key players. Soumare did score an unfortunate own goal, and once or twice looked like he might play his way into trouble, but was also an imposing physical presence and stepped up to sniff out trouble on numerous occasions.

In goal, Busch's positioning was exemplary, though a slight injury scare in the first half could have left the Fire scrambling, given the lack of depth at that position.

The Fire's official game guide seems to suggest change is coming for the home opener (though it's 'probable lineup' guide is not always accurate). Thorrington is listed on the left in the place of Mapp, who though he was substituted early in the opener, doesn't appear on the injury report -- does that mean his poor performance has earned him a dropping?

Calen Carr is also listed in place of Barrett upfront. Carr came on and did well on Saturday; though many suggest he should be kept as a "super-sub", his effort level relative to other players might have earned him a start.

Let's consider the opposition and the injury report too as we wrap up this preview.

Comment (4) Read More...

MLS.net has an interesting report on a media Q & A with Fire owner Andrew Hauptman that took place "in a private room at a fancy Chicago restaurant." Backdraft was not invited to the event, but we can still glean some insight into the mind of the most important person for the future of the Fire from the article.

It is reassuring to read that he respects the club's past, explaining he sat down with Bob Bradley, Peter Nowak and Frank Klopas to learn about the Fire's traditions. "It all goes back to ensuring we give enough respect to that history," Hauptman said.

It's also encouraging that Hauptman realises the Fire's principal aim should be to make soccer fans in Chicago fans of the Fire, rather than coverting Joe Public into a soccer fan. "We have a huge amount of work to bring in those people who do know about soccer," Hauptman said.

Hopefully we will get to know our owner better over the coming season, but these are encouraging signs.

Comment (0) Read More...

Imagine you watch a kid playing in a Chicago Fire shirt for the youth Academy at the age of fifteen, who catches your eye and makes you think 'he's a bit special'. Then fast-forward five years, and he's scoring the winning goal in an MLS match for the Fire's senior team having signed directly with the club two years earlier.

For the first time ever, that scenario is possible in the future. Last July, the Chicago Fire became the first MLS team to make their Academy, which covers players from age of 13-17, free for all participants. The Academy consists of 44 players making up two teams, at U-16 and U-18 levels.

Throughout the season, Backdraft will be following the Academy closely, and today we explain the set-up and its importance for the future of the Fire.

Comment (0) Read More...

The Fire salvaged a point in the 92nd minute of the season opener thanks to a fine strike by Blanco, after Real Salt Lake had taken the lead twenty minutes earlier. We'll have a full wrap-up of the game later, but for now, you can watch the highlights at the MLS site and consider the varied reaction to the game below:

Comment (1) Read More...

Can you miss something you never had? Dominic Cervi, with his huge frame and promising performances for the U.S. Olympic team this spring, looked to be an ideal solution to the Fire's need for depth at the goalkeeping position and for a future starter, given the departure this offseason of Matt Pickens.

But he left before he even arrived. What does this final twist this offseason mean for the Fire?

Comment (0) Read More...

The Fire today announced a new television deal that will see them broadcast a record 18 games on My50 Chicago WPWR-TV. Good news for the team locally, but long-time announcer Kenn Tomasch will not be part of the commentary team this season. Fred Huebner will be the play-by-play man and he'll be joined by Chris Doran as color analyst. So what happened to Tomasch?

Comment (0) Read More...