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News about the Fire Premier
Fire Premier 2008 PDL Schedule -- Year # 8  # 1 - Thurs. May 15th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Indiana Invaders - 6:00 pm - WON -- 1-0
# 2 - Tues. May 20th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Fort Wayne Fever -- 6:00 pm -- LOST -- 1-0 # 3 - Fri. May 23rd -- on the road at Kalamazoo Outrage (Mayors Riverfront) - 7:00 pm EDST -- WON -- 3-0 #-4 - Mon. May 26th -- on the road at West Michigan (Kentwood HS) - 5:00 pm EDST -- WON -- 2-0 # 5- Fri. May 30th -- on the road at Toronto Lynx (Varsity Center) - 7:30 pm EDST -- WON -- 1-0 # 6 - Wed. June 4th -- on the road at Fort Wayne Fever (Hefner Stadium) 7:00 pm EDST -- WON 2-1 # 7 - Wed. June 11th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Toronto Lynx -- 6:00 pm -- TIED -- 0-0 # 8 - Fri. June 20th -- on the road at Cincinnati Kings (Town & Country Sports Complex - 7:00 pm EDST -- TIED -- 0-0 # 9 - Sat. June 21st -- on the road at West Virginia Chaos (Schoenbaum Stadium) 7:00 pm EDST -- TIED -- 1-1 10 - Wed. June 25th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Michigan Bucks -- 6:00 pm --- LOST -- 2-1 (record: 5-2-3, 18 points # 11 - Sat. June 28th -- at home (Argo High School Stadium) with West Virginia Chaos - 2:30 pm CDST -- [TIED: 1-1 , record 5-2-4, 19 points] # 12 - Wed. July 2nd -- at home (Toyota Park) with Kalamazoo Outrage --6:00 pm -- [WON 1-0, record: 6-2-4, 22 points] # 13 - Sat. July 5th -- on the road at Indiana Invaders (Invaders Soccer Complex) 7:30 EDST -- [TIED -- 0-0 , record: 6-2-5, 23 points] # 14 - Wed. July 9th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Cincinnati Kings -- 6:00 pm # 15 - Sat. July 12th -- on the road at Michigan Bucks (Ultimate Soccer Arena) - 7:30 EDST # 16 - Wed. July 16th -- at home (Toyota Park) with West Michigan Edge - 6:00 pm Fire Premier Super-20s 2008 Schedule  # 1 - Fri. - May 23rd -- on the road at Premier SC - Kalamazoo -- 4:00 pm EDST -- [match postponed]
# 2 - Fri. - May 30th -- on the road at Toronto Lynx Jr. - 5:00 pm EDST --LOST -- 4-2 # 3 - Wed. Jun 4th -- on the road at Penns Forest (Hefner Field # 3) - 6:30 EDST -- WON 6-0 # 4 - Thur. Jun 12th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Mequon United - 6:30 pm -- [match postponed] # 5 - Sat. Jun 14th -- at home (Fire Academy Soccer Park) with Windsor Spartan FC - 2:00 pm -- WON -- 4-0 # 6 - Thur Jun 19th -- on the road at Cincinnati United Premier - 7:30 pm EDST -- WON -- 3-0 , record: 3-1-0, 9 points # 7 - Sat. Jun 21st -- at home (Toyota Park) with Alliance Academy - 6:00 pm -- [rescheduled for July 12th at 3:00 at CF Elite Training] --- [record: 4-1-0, 7 points] # 8 - Sat. Jun 28th -- at home (Argo High School Stadium) with St. Louis Lions -- 12:00 pm noon CDST -- [WON -- 2-1, record 5-1-0, 8 points] # 9 - Sat. July 5th -- on the road at Indiana Invaders - 5:00 pm EDST -- [WON -- 1-0, record: 6-1-0, 18 points] # 10 - Sun. July 13th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Des Moines - 2:00 pm # 11 - Wed. July 16th -- at home (Toyota Park) with West Michigan Edge - 5:00 pm # 12 - Sat. July 19th -- on the road at 1790 Cincinnati (Xavier University) 5:00 pm EDST Fire Premier PDL suffers its fifth draw in last six matches with a 0-0 tie in South Bend SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, Jul 5, 2008 -- The 2008 PDL squad has lost only 2 matches of the 13 matches played so far in 2008, but it has now collected five draws to go along with their 6 early season victories. The holiday weekend match in South Bend, IN against the Indiana Invaders ended up in a 0-0 draw. Carlos Clay's free-kick gem ends the team's winless streak for the PDL squad in their 1-0 victory over the Kalamazoo Outrage at Toyota Park  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jul 2, 2008 -- It didn't take long for midfielder Carlos Clay to make his mark on the game with Kalamazoo in the 1-0 victory after Clay's brilliant free-kick that curled inside the far post for the game winner. Clay entered the match at halftime and he made Coach Larry Sunderland look like a genius on his first touch of the half.
Chicago thus ended its unforgettable five-game winless streak following four ties and a loss to Michigan with tonight;'s victory. . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL continues its winless drought (at five matches) with a 2-2 draw against the visiting West Virginia squad BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jun 29, 2008 -- For a franchise that has the greatest winning percentage in the history of the USL Leagues, the Chicago Fire Premier PDL squad has gone winless in its last five matches with four ties and a loss (to Michigan). Chicago settled for a 2-2 draw against the visiting West Virginia team. See photo gallery of 2-2 match -- LINK : PHOTO GALLERY Fire Premier PDL team earn a 2-2 draw with the visiting West Virginia squad BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jun 28, 2008 -- CFP's PDL squad drops a 2-1 decision against the 2007 national runnersup and 2006 national champions from the Michigan Bucks at home  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jun 25, 2008 -- CFP's PDL squad drops a 2-1 decision against the 2007 national runnersup and 2006 national champions from the Michigan Bucks at home at Argo High School stadium -- adjacent to Toyota Park.
The Bucks rallied from a 1-0 deficit at halftime with two outstanding run-of-play goals during the second half. CFP's goalkeeper Pat Sperry (Univ. of Michigan) kept the Fire in the match with two brilliant saves, but defensive lapses during the second half saw the CFP remain winless in its last four matches. . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL settle for a 0-0 draw in Cincinnati and move on to West Virginia for Sat. night  CINCINNATI, OH, Jun 20, 2008 -- The Fire Premier PDL had to settle for a 0-0 draw on the road in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the second consecutive scoreless draw in a row for the second place CFP in the Midwest Division of the Premier Development League.
Fire's Super-20s earn an impressive 4-0 victory over visiting Windsor squad CHICAGO, IL, Jun 14, 2008 -- Fire Premier settles for a 0-0 draw with the visiting Toronto at Toyota Park in a disappointing offensive effort to challenge the top position in division  CHICAGO, IL, Jun 11, 2008 -- CFP head coach Larry Sunderland was simply disappointed in his squad's effort against the visiting Toronto team in a 0-0 draw at Toyota Park in a mid-week match.Fire Premier adds fourth straight win (2-1) over Ft. Wayne and U-20s win 6-0  FT. WAYNE, INDIANA, Jun 4, 2008 -- The Fire Premier (PDL) squad avenged its only loss of the 2008 season in Fort Wayne this evening with a solid 2-1 victory to move their record to 4-1-0, 12 points. The U20s picked up their first victory of the season with a 6-0 win in Ft. Wayne over Penns Forest, PA.
The CFP's first goal came in the 16th-minute when Chris Schueler scored with an outstanding assist from midfielder Carlos Clay. The team's second goal came just minutes later ( in the 22nd minute) when Peri Marosivic scored with an assist from Michael Ferguson (Loyola - Chicago). For the CFP it was their fourth victory in a row --- all on the road. Chicago returns to Toyota Park on Weds. June 11th against Toronto at 6:00 pm. CDST. . . . Read more Fire Premier extends its win streak to three road matches with a 1-0 shutout in Toronto TORONTO, ONTARIO- CANADA, May 30, 2008 -- CFP head coach Larry Sunderland expected the team's fifth match of the season to be a very good test for his new 2008 squad, but he never envisioned the multitude of challenges they faced in their 1-0 victory over a very stout Toronto Lynx squad.
The Fire Premier director John Dorn decided to leave two of their English-born foreign players in Chicago because possible student visa issues as the team moved to Toronto, Canada for the match. Then two additional CFP players were left in a Detroit hotel because Dorn feared some other visa problems. . . . Read more Fire Premier currently has 17 former players on MLS 2008 rosters  CHICAGO, IL --, May 30, 2008 -- The Chicago Fire Premier has operated since 2000 in the Premier Development League (PDL) and has collected boat-loads of records, championships, and, most importantly, has provided a path for its players to move on to professional soccer for 69 individual players. Now the CFP has now collected a record 17 former players on the rosters of Major League Soccer teams for the 2008 season.
Four more Fire Premier players were added to the MLS from last year's 2007 team to increase the total MLS players to 17 former CFP players. Defender Raushawn McKenzie (Michigan State), forward David Roth (Northwestern), midfielder Cesar Zambrano (UIC) and midfielder John DiRaimondo (St. Louis University). . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL squad prepares for early season matches  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 11, 2008 -- Thurs. May 15th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Indiana Invaders - 6:00 pm -- WON -- 1-0
Tues. May 20th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Fort Wayne Fever -- 6:00 pm -- LOST -- 1-0 Fri. May 23rd -- on the road at Kalamazoo Outrage (Mayors Riverfront) - 7:00 pm EDST -- WON -- 3-0 Mon. May 26th -- on the road at West Michigan (Kentwood HS) - 5:00 pm EDST -- WON -- 2-0 Fri. -- May 30th -- on the road at Toronto Lynx (Varsity Centre) - 7:30 pm EDST -- WON -- 1-0 Wed. June 4th -- on the road at Fort Wayne Fever (Hefner Stadium) 7:00 pm EDST -- WON -- 2-1 # 7 - Wed. June 11th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Toronto Lynx -- 6:00 pm -- TIED -- 0-0 # 8 - Fri. June 20th -- on the road at Cincinnati Kings (Town & Country Sports Complex - 7:00 pm EDST -- TIED -- 0-0 # 9 - Sat. June 21st -- on the road at West Virginia Chaos (Schoenbaum Stadium) 7:00 pm - EDST -- TIED -- 1-1 --- record: (5-1-3, 18 pts.) 10 - Wed. June 25th -- at home (Toyota Park) with Michigan Bucks -- 6:00 pm -- LOST -- 2-1 , [record: 5-2-3, 18 points] # 11 - Sat. June 28th -- at home (Toyota Park) with West Virginia Chaos - 2:30 pm # 12 - Wed. July 2nd -- at home (Toyota Park) with Kalamazoo Outrage --6:00 pm CFP's Robert Younger named to PDL Team of the Week for Week # 5  TAMPA, FL, May 27, 2008 -- Defender Robert Younger was named to the Week # 5 PDL Team of the Week for the Chicago Fire Premier. Younger will be a sophomore this coming fall at University of Illinois - Chicago for 4th-year head coach John Trask. This is his first season with the Fire Premier.
Robert is a native of North Lincolnshire, England where he was the captain on the backline for the Read School.. He also captained the Lincolnshire County F.A. U-18 team that reached the final four at the 2006 National Championship...also served as captain of the Lincolnshire School Boys County U-18 state team that reached the round of eight in the 2005 National Championship. . . . Read more Chicago Fire PDL records franchise's 100th regular season victory with a 2-0 road win with the West Michigan Edge  GRAND RAPIDS, MI, May 25, 2008 -- It was another historic milestone for the Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) with its 100th regular season victory with a 2-0 win on the road at the Western Michigan Edge. In a little more than 7 full seasons the Fire Premier has recorded six conference titles, seven post-season playoff appearances and now a PDL record for the fastest start to the century-victory mark.
Chicago earned its third shutout of the young season and recorded its first goal int he 36th minute when forward Mike Ferguson (Loyola University - Chicago) scored off a brilliant cross from midfielder Charlie Trout. (Univ. of Illinois -Chicago). Chicago took their lead into the half-time intermission and then dominated much of the play during a very physical second half of soccer for the holiday afternoon match. . . . Read more Fire Premier seeks its 100th regular-season win at Western Michigan and another PDL historic record for quickest start to "century-victory" mark  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 24, 2008 -- Last year the Chicago Fire Premier set its first record for collecting its 100th all-time victory which included post-season and US Open Cup victories as well. Now -- early in Year # 8 of the team's incredible history CFP President John Dorn now looks for another record for collecting its 100th regular season victories.
In 2007 the CFP earned its seventh straight post-season record which is also a PDL record. . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL moves back into 1st Place with 3-0 road victory at Kalamazoo KALAMAZOO, Michigan, May 23, 2008 -- Striker Peri Marosivic (University of Michigan) jump-started the CFP offense with a goal in the 36th minute with an assist from Mike Ferguson (Loyola University-Chicago) to take a 1-0 lead in what ended up being a 3-0 road victory in Kalamazoo. The CFP offense had sputtered in their 1-0 loss to Fort Wayne earlier in the week. The CFP moved back into 1st place with a 2-1-0 record (6 points).
The Fire Premier added a second goal in the 46th minute with a goal by Ferguson with an assist from midfielder David Guzman. The Fire closed the scoring with an 87th minute by Eric Gehrig (assist from Carlos Clay). . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL drop 1-0 decision to the visiting Ft. Wayne Fever at Toyota Park  May 20, 2008 -- BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (May 20, 2008) - The Chicago Fire PDL dropped a 1-0 decision to the Fort Wayne Fever tonight at TOYOTA PARK in Bridgeview, Ill. The match tonight served as the second of four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifiers. The top two PDL teams from each of the four Premier Development League conferences, after four league games, will qualify for the tournament this summer. After tonight's loss, the Fire PDL own a 1-1-0 record in league play.
Fire PDL midfielder David Guzman nearly tallied the first goal of the match off a free kick taken in the 43rd minute. Guzman sent a shot toward the left post, but with a diving save, Fort Wayne keeper Rudy Ramirez cleared the ball wide and over the end line. The Fire PDL dictated play throughout the first half but were unable to capitalize on any of their scoring opportunities. . . . Read more Fire Premier PDL defeats Indiana Invaders in season opener by 1-0  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 15, 2008 -- BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – The Chicago Fire PDL team opened their 2008 season tonight with a 1-0 win over the Indiana Invaders at TOYOTA PARK in Bridgeview, Ill. The Fire PDL took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute, as forward Brandon Barklage tallied his first goal of the season.
The match tonight served as the first of four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in games. The top two PDL teams, after four league games, from each of the four Premier Development League conferences will qualify for the tournament this summer. . . . Read more Former CFP star Stephen Bode joins Chicago Fire Reserves in 2-0 win over DC United  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 10, 2008 -- Former Fire Premier star defender Steve Bode (U of Wisc. - Milwaukee) was selected by the Chicago Fire in the 2008 Supplemental Draft. He was invited to the First Team's pre-season training in Florida and Mexico this winter.
Bode now joins the Chicago Fire Reserves and appeared in the final 45 minutes of the match against DC United last weekend. Chicago collected a 2-0 victory over DC United and saw their record move to 2-1-1 for the 2008 campaign. Open Tryouts for Y-League Teams postponed until Friday, May 9th  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 2, 2008 -- Due to inclement weather tonight’s Super Y tryouts have been postponed until Friday May 9th.
Where: Moraine Valley College Address: 9000 West College Parkway, Palos Hills, IL 60465 Times: Boys U13, U14, U15 Tryouts – 5:00pm to 6:30pm Boys U16 & U17 Tryouts – 6:30pm to 8:00pm Closed Tryouts for the Chicago Fire Premier PDL & Super-20s teams changed from Moraine College to Max Indoor Center (in McCook) BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 1, 2008 -- Coach Paul Cadwell of the CFP staff announced that due to the inclement weather and poor field conditions at Moraine Valley College tomorrow’s (Saturday - May 3rd) Chicago Fire Premier Closed Tryout is now being held at the Max Soccer Indoor Center located at -
McCook Athletic and Exposition Center ---- 4750 Vernon Avenue, McCook, IL 60525 . . . Read more Chicago Fire Juniors and Chicago Magic merge U-19 Boys team for this summer  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 1, 2008 -- The Chicago Fire has announced that the Fire Juniors, the official youth club of the Fire, and the Chicago Magic SC, one of the top youth soccer clubs in the country, have joined forces at the U-19 age group for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.
Under the agreement, the combined team will enter various competitions, including the Illinois State Cup, under the Fire Juniors name. The new team will be known as the Chicago Fire Juniors U-19 team and will be coached by CFJ staff and Fire Premier Technical Director Larry Sunderland beginning immediately. . . . Read more Chicago Super-20s ready for 2008 Opener in Kalamazoo on Friday, May 23rd  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 26, 2008 -- CFP President John Dorn says that Larry Sunderland and his coaching staff are anxiously preparing for the 2008 campaign with nearly the entire team returning from last year's action.
"In 2007 we finished as national runnersup with a very, very young team," said Dorn, "so naturally Larry and his staff are very excited about the upcoming season. We have the nucleus of the team returning for 2008 plus the addition of several national caliber players this year." . . . Read more Record turnout for CFP tryouts on April 20th CHICAGO, IL --, Apr 21, 2008 -- More than 90 outstanding candidates for the 2008 CFP teams for the PDL and Super-20 Y-League squads turned out on a beautiful morning on the south side of Chicago.
"We saw a exceptional players today," said CFP President John Dorn. "There dozens and dozens of really outstanding players out here today -- at both levels. I only wish we had the space to bring them all back for further consideration for the upcoming season, but we really only have several open spots for both teams ---based upon the returning players from last year." . . . Read more Fire Premier set Open Tryouts for Super -Y Teams (U-13,14, 15,16, and 17s) on May 2nd BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 12, 2008 -- Chicago Fire Premier President John Dorn has announced that the Super-Y teams for the 2008 season will host "open tryouts" for the U-13, 14, 15,16, and U-17 boys teams for the upcoming summer season on Friday, May 2nd. The five CFP "super-youth" squads will play in the USL's Midwestern Division during the summer months.
The U13, 14, and U15s will tryout at 5:00 pm and Moraine Valley College (111th and 86th Avenue) and the U16s and U17s will be hosted at 6:30 pm. . . . Read more Three Chicago Fire Premier Players Sign 2008 MLS Contracts  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 6, 2008 -- Three Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) products taken in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft have signed MLS contracts for the 2008 season. Rauwshan McKenzie (CFP 07, Michigan) signed with the Kansas City Wizards, David Roth (CFP 06/07, Northwestern) signed with the New York Red Bulls, and Cesar Zambrano (CFP 06/07, UIC) signed with the Colorado Rapids.
This brings the total number of Fire Premier Alums who have played or still are playing professionally to 63 in only seven seasons of existence. Try-out FORMs for all Chicago Fire Premier teams for 2008 BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Mar 3, 2008 -- Players interested in registering for the 2008 tryout trials scheduled for Sunday, April 20th from 9:00 to 11:00 am at Moraine Valley Community College (111th and 88th Avenue) for all Chicago Fire Premier teams including both the U-20 and PDL squads. This is an open tryout to all applicants. Just move to the following LINK: Fire Premier Tryouts . . . Read more DiRaimondo invited to Colorado Rapids preseason training along with Cesar Zambrano  Florida, Feb 19, 2008 -- Former Chicago Fire Premier star midfielder John DiRaimondo (St. Louis University) is participating in the pre-season training with the Colorado Rapids in Florida as the team prepares for the 2008 campaign. He joins 3-year CFP starter and UIC star Cesar Zambrano in the Colorado pre-season training.
DiRaimondo was a two year starter with the Chicago Fire Premier. He was not drafted in the MLS SuperDraft, but was anxiously invited to the team's pre-season training. . . . Read more CFP's Steve Bode is drafted by Fire in Supplemental Draft and MISL's Milwaukee Wave CHICAGO, IL --, Jan 31, 2008 -- The Fire Premier's 3-year veteran defender Steve Bode (University of Wisc - Milwaukee) was drafted in the first round of the 2008 Major Indoor Soccer League SuperDraft by the Milwaukee Wave.
Bode played sparingly in 2007 with the CFP, but was a key defensive starter for the 2006 Fire Premier. Bode has had an outstanding collegiate career at the UWM. CFP's Roth and McKenzie selected in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft  CHICAGO, IL, Jan 18, 2008 -- Two more former Chicago Fire Premier players were selected in the MLS 2008 SuperDraft with Northwestern's David Roth and Michigan State's Rauwshan McKenzie being selected.
Midfielder David Roth (St. Louis) played with the Fire Premier the past two seasons and had both an outstanding senior season in the 2007 Big Ten season and a great PDL season as well. He was honored as a 2nd team All-American in 2007 and a two-time All Big-Ten player (2006-2007). He was selected in the 4th round (Pick # 44) by New Jersey's Red Bull after they traded for the spot from Toronto FC. . . . Read more Boston University's Neil Hlavaty named Offensive Player of the Week for America East Conference  Cambridge, Mass, Oct 6, 2007 -- Junior midfielder Neil Hlavaty (Lombard, Ill.) scored two goals in the Boston University men's soccer team's wins over UCF and Rhode Island last week to earn America East Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 24.
Hlavaty's goals were his first of the season. The junior received a pass from sophomore Samuel Appiah at 45:49 against UCF to post BU's first goal against the Knights on Monday, Sept. 17. Hlavaty struck again last Friday, tallying the Terriers' second score of the game against the Rams. He sent home a free kick from just outside the box at 44:35 to put BU up 2-0 on URI going into the half. . . . Read more Drew Ratner of Northwestern named Defensive Player of the Week in the Big Ten  CHICAGO, IL --, Oct 6, 2007 -- CFP's Drew Ratner, Northwestern University, (Dallas, Texas) earned the first weekly accolade of his career after anchoring the Northwestern defense that held No. 19 Ohio State scoreless last Sunday afternoon. The shutout was the fourth consecutive for Northwestern as the Wildcats have held each of those opponents to just two shots on goal in each contest. The 6-0-1 start is the best in Northwestern program history.Sperry and Marosevic lead #18-ranked Michigan (6-0-0)  CHICAGO, IL, Sep 16, 2007 -- Pat Sperry (PDL) 0.17 goals against average and Peri Marosevic (PDL and 20s) with 3 goals leading Michigan to #18 national ranking (will go up this week) and current (6-0-0) record.Strider Elass leads D3 nationally ranked Wheaton College as the 2007 season gets underway  CHICAGO, IL, Sep 16, 2007 -- CFP super-sub Strider Elass (PDL) is the leading scorer for his Wheaton College team and was recently named CCIW player of the week for D3 nationally ranked Wheaton College.CFP captain DuGurian leads Bradley (4-4-1) with 3 goals and 2 assists  CHICAGO, IL, Sep 17, 2007 -- Three-year veteran CFP captain Drew DeGurian (PDL) is the leading scorer, 3 goals and 2 assists, for Bradley University (4-1-1) in Peoria, IL through its first 6 matches. Bradley's only loss has been to #1 ranked Wake Forest.CFP's Roth and McKenzie selected in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft  CHICAGO, IL, Sep 17, 2007 -- Two more former Chicago Fire Premier players were selected in the MLS 2008 SuperDraft with Northwestern's David Roth and Michigan State's Rawnshan McKenzie being selected.
Midfielder David Roth (St. Louis) played with the Fire Premier the past two seasons and had both an outstanding senior season in the 2007 Big Ten season and a great PDL season as well. He was honored as a 2nd team All-American in 2007 and a two-time All Big-Ten player (2006-2007). He was selected in the 4th round (Pick # 44) by New Jersey's Red Bull after they traded for the spot from Toronto FC. Five CFP players help #10 Northwestern to best start in school's history  CHICAGO, IL, Sep 17, 2007 -- Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) of the Big Ten is off to its best start (5-0-1) in the school's history with the help of five former CFP players from this past summer including David Roth (PDL), Drew Ratner (PDL), Matt Witt (PDL), Brian Usinger (PDL and 20s), and
Geoff Fallon (PDL and 20s). All five Wildcats have been regular starters for NU head coach Tim Lenahan in his seventh year in Evanston. CFP's Patrick Sperry (University of Michigan) named to Top Drawer Soccer's College Team of the Week  CHICAGO, IL --, Sep 3, 2007 -- CFP's star goalkeeper The former Hinsdale Central HS and Chicago Magic keeper started the college season with the same success that he had with the Chicago Fire Premier he ahd this past summer. Klopas helps sponsor FireWorks Golf Outing at Silver Lakes CC on Sept. 10th  CHICAGO, IL --, Aug 28, 2007 -- Hall of Famer and former Fire star Frank Klopas has agreed to help sponsor the Fire's Foundation arm in the promotion of their annual golf outing.
On Monday, Sept 10, 2007, the FireWorks for Kids Foundation will hold its 6th annual golf outing at Silver Lakes Country Club, in Orland Park, IL. Frank Klopas, former Fire player and coach, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the FireWorks for Kids Foundation, gives his name and support to this golf outing. Celebrities who have attended in the past have included: Billy Pierce, Gene Heiser, Willy Roy, Paul Popovich, Ronnie Bull, Mike Pyle, Bill Wennington, Bob Love, and Billy Leagans. . . . Read more Fire Premier's Super-20s Braden Fleak and Chris Schueller are named to the 2007 National Finals All-Tourney Squad  TAMPA, FL, -- Michigan Buck fail to defend their 2006 National PDL Title in a rematch with Laredo, TX by dropping the penalty-kick shootout 4-3 after scoreless draw  LAREDO, TEXAS, Aug 11, 2007 -- The Michigan Bucks dominated the PDL play this season after winning their first National Title in 2006, but they failed to repeat as the National Champions by dropping a 4-3 PK-shootout with the Laredo Heat after a scoreless draw.
The blazing heat took its toll on both teams in the 0-0 draw that allowed the national title to come down to execution of the penalty-kick shootout. Laredo was just a little better and it proved to be the difference in defining the National Title for 2007. CFP's David Roth (Northwestern University) is listed among the pre-season candidates for the 2007 Herman Award  St. Louis native David Roth (Northwestern University) has been listed as one of the college players to watch for the upcoming 2007 NCAA Collegiate Herman Awards as college soccer's top player. The two-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Premier had an outstanding year with the Fire Premier and drew rave reviews from the Chicago Fire's new head coach Juan Carlos Osorio during the this past week's friendly match between the Chicago Fire and the Fire Premier.
The left-sided midfielder is expected to be among the top scoring threats for the NU Wildcats and the Big Ten as the collegiate season will be underway in a couple weeks. . . . Read more Fire Premier close 2007 season with full scrimmage-friendly against Chicago Fire and fall 4-0  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Aug 9, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire's new head coach Juan Carlos Osorio jumped at the chance for his first team Chicago Fire players to participate in a full scrimmage match with their affiliated developmental of the Chicago Fire Premier for two simple reasons. First -- most of the CFP players are due to report for the official beginning of their 2007 college seasons on Monday, the preceding Friday morning seemed like the perfect time for the CFP players to show the new "head man" just how much they had learned during their important summer training months with Larry Sunderland and Paul Cadwell of the CFP. And second, the Fire have the weekend off from the MLS schedule, so he wanted to keep his new squad sharp for the remainder of the tough MLS schedule.
The CFP youngsters didn't disappoint the new head coach of the Fire with the quality of their play and the Chicago Fire didn't disappoint the young college-bound CFP Players. When the CFP took the field at 9:00 am for the full-out scrimmage with an experienced FIFA referee crew they were pitted against Blanco, newly acquired Paulo Wanchope, CJ Brown, former CFP players Chris Rolfe, Dasan Robison, and Brian Plotkin, as starters in their "friendly" match. . . . Read more CFP Super-20s finish second in the National Finals to Player Development Academy from Zarephath, New Jersey by final score of 3-1 Fire Premier Super-20s knock off Red Bull Super-20s by 1-0 score to advance to the USL National Finals on Sunday  EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Aug 4, 2007 -- The Fire Premier Super-20s knocked off their second MLS development squad of the day by defeating the NY Red Bull 1-0 to advance to Sunday's national finals. Chicago and New York were scoreless at the half-time intermission, but in the 67th minute Chicago's Alex Jones (Loyola University) collected a brilliant feed from Chris Schueler to give the Fire Premier a 1-0 lead -- which they made hod up through the final23 minutes of the match.
Chicago will now play PDA (out of New Jersey) in the National Championship match tomorrow in New Hampshire at 11:00 am (CDST). . . . Read more Fire Premier Super-20s pull a 2-1 upset of DC United to win group A and advance to semi-finals on Saturday evening EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE, -- The Fire Premier Super-20s have made a habit of taking the toughest road to get to their destination throughout the 2007 season. Chicago was one of only four teams in the national Super-20 League that went undefeated (although they collected three ties throug the regular season). Now they continue to defy the odds by knocking off DC United for the right to advance to the national Semi-Finals later this evening.
Of course, the CFP needed some help when Diablo Valley SC met Beachside SC in the other Group A match (at 9:00 am) and they got exactly what they needed because Diablo defeated Beachside by a 3-2 score. Beachside had lost to DC United but defeated the CFP yesterday, so a Beachside victory would have put DC United through to the semis -- even if Chicago could knock off DC United. . . . Read more CFP Super 20s drop a tough 2-1 decision to Beachside with a "must-win" coming with DC United on Saturday EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Aug 3, 2007 -- The CFP Super-20s may have been looking too far ahead (to Saturday's match with DC United) when they failed to win a critical pool match against the Beachside SC by dropping the 2-1 decision.
Chicago has now set the stage for a must-win scenario against DC United -- who leads the pool with a 2-0-0 record, but they will also need some help from Diablo Valley who meet Beachside in the 9:00 am matchup. A Diablo Valley victory will likely put DC United through to the semi-finals regardless of the outcome of Chicago-DC United match. Super 20s win 3-2 over Diablo Valley Soccer Club in opening match of National Final Pool Round (24 teams) on Braden Fleak hat-trick  EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Aug 2, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier Super-20s won their opening match in the pool round over the Diablo Valley Soccer Club (San Francisco area) as striker Braden Fleak picked up a pair of goal within 60 seconds of each other in the 26th and 27th minutes for an early 2-0 lead.
Their opponents, Diablo Valley, scored in the 51st minute before Fleak (Wright State University) added his third goal of the afternoon. . . . Read more Fire Premier Super 20s head for USL National Finals in Epping, New Hampshire BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jul 31, 2007 -- Super 20s head coach Paul Cadwell leads his first-year squad into the USL National Playoff Finals in New Hampshire along with 15 other top-ranked invited teams into the prestigious tourney.
Prior to boarding bus for the 16-hour bus-ride to New Hamphire the team met with new head coach of the Chicago Fire 1st Team Juan Carlos Osori who had some words of encouragement and focus for the upcoming tourney. . . . Read more Fire Premier fall to Michigan Bucks by a 3-0 score to end a great 2007 campaign DETROIT, MI, -- CFP head coach Larry Sunderland explained that the Michigan Bucks simply have too much talent and experience to be playing at the PDL level, so his squad's 3-0 loss to the defending national champions was not all that surprising. "We played as well as we have this season," said Sunderland, "but the Bucks are really a handful. They have four players that are clearly older, more talented, and more experienced than any PDL team we play with this year.
"Our fellows held them scoreless for 57 minutes, but they just keep coming at you and eventually they scored their first goal. I have to believe that would make it to the PDL's Final Four if we didn't have to get past a very talented Michigan squad in order to accomplish that." . . . Read more Fire Premier win 3-1 over 1st place Thunder Bay Chill to advance to Conference Finals  With the match knotted at 0-0 at the half-time intermission CFP substitute, 19-year old forward Braden Fleak (Wright State) collected two goals in the th 76th and 77th minutes to push the Chicago Fire Premier into the Conference Finals with an impressive 3-1 victory over the first place Thunder Bay Chill. However the "Man of the Match" was clearly Mike Stephens(UCLA) who earned the assist on the game-winning goal by Fleak and played brilliantly throughout the early evening match.
According to the victorious CFP head coach Larry Sunderland, the 19-year old Stephens (from Naperville, IL) was on top of his game tonight and was clearly the best player on the pitch as he delivered an important post-season win for the dark-horse Fire Premier squad. . . . Read more Fire Premier ready for opening playoff match with Thunder Bay Chill in Michigan on Friday evening  CHICAGO, IL --, Jul 25, 2007 -- The record-setting Chicago Fire Premier (8-4-4) will open the Central Conference post-season playoffs against the 1st -place Thunder Bay (Canada) Chill on Friday evening at 5:30 pm (EDST) in Rochester, Michigan -- just outside Detroit. The Central Conference is being hosted by the defending national champions for the 2006 PDL - Michigan Bucks at Lake Orion High School. The field-turf pitch is 106 yds. x 76 yards. Veteran defender Steve Bode(UW-Milwaukee) is returning to the lineup with the CFP and will join the CFP this weekend in Michigan.
The Thunder Bay Chill (10-3-3) won their first division title in the team's history and will meet the CFP in their opening match. Chicago has had a very successful record against the Chill over the past 5 years, but 2007 is a new season and Thunder Bay was very successful in -- perhaps -- the second toughest division in the PDL. . . . Read more PDL Playoff Picture for 2007 is set for all 16 qualifiers TAMPA, FL, -- The Chicago Fire Premier set a new PDL record with their seventh straight post-season playoffs. The CFP will be playing in the Central Conference post-season along with the Michigan Bucks, the defending 2006 national champions, the St. Louis Lions and the Thunder Bay Chill. The Central Playoffs will be hosted by the Michigan Bucks - July 27-28th.
The other three conferences will have four qualifiers who will enter a single-elimination playoff for the right to advance to the national playoffs and a chance to earn the National Championship for 2007. . . . Read more Fire Premier drops a 2-0 road loss at Cleveland in regular season final match as team focuses on post-season appearance in playoffs for 7th straight year CLEVELAND, OHIO, Jul 21, 2007 -- For the Fire Premier it was pretty obvious that their final match of the regular season would be a difficult task, because they had already qualified for the post-season playoffs but they couldn't win their seventh straight division title. So the match really didn't mean as much to them as it did to the steadily improving Cleveland Internationals squad.
As a result Cleveland (5-10-1, 16 points) picked up a 2-0 home victory over the Chicago (8-4-4, 28 points) squad. . . . Read more Fire Premier lock up playoff berth with a 1-0 win over visiting Cleveland team at Lemont for new PDL record for post-season appearances LEMONT, IL, Jul 14, 2007 -- Fire Premier President John Dorn learned at half-time of tonight's match with Cleveland that his CFP squad needed only one point in the two remaining matches of their regular season to make the 2007 post-season playoffs for a new PDL record seventh straight years. The Fire Premier seemed to be in very good shape at the half-time intermission as they had a 1-0 lead against the visiting Cleveland Internationals thanks to a 33rd minute goal by midfielder Neil Hlavaty (Boston University).
The Fire Premier made their 1-0 lead hold up through the final 45 minutes of the match despite being outshot by Cleveland 19-8, but thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping by Patrick Sperry (University of Michigan). . . . Read more Super-20s record an 8-1 win over Louisville United 1996 FC at Lemont Soccer Complex  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 14, 2007 -- CFP head Coach Paul Cadwell moved his undefeated Chicago Fire Premier Super 20s (5-0-3, 18 points) another step closer to the post-season playoffs with an 8-1 victory over the visiting Louisville United 1996 FC at the Lemont High School Soccer Complex on 131st and Bell Road in southwest suburban Lemont, IL.
The 3:00 pm kickoff saw the Super 20s gather a pair of goals from MOM (Man of the Match ) Ian Sarachan (UIC) and a pair of assists. . . . Read more CFP Super20s win again 2-0 over Western Michigan to remain unbeaten in 2007  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 10, 2007 -- The Super20s notched another victory with a 2-0 win over the visiting Western Michigan Edge to extend their unbeaten streak to 7 matches. Super20s coach Paul Cadwell saw his young Fire Premier squad move to a season record of 4-0-3, 15 points with a solid opportunity to advance to the post-season playoffs.
Both of the second half goals were collected by the MOM (Man of the Match) Braden Fleak (Wright State University) with assists from Geoff Fallon (Northwestern University) and Adrian Oritz (Valparaiso University). Chicago Fire Premier fast approaching the century victory mark in regular season wins CHICAGO, IL, Jul 9, 2007 -- When the Chicago Fire Reserves started operations in May of 2001 no one really could have foreseen the success that the Chicago franchise has found in its first seven season. With a 7-3-4 record in the 2007 campaign, the Chicago Fire Premier now has a cumulative regular season team record of 96-15-9 in its first seven years with two remaining regular season matches. The franchise's overall record is currently 102-21-9 for all matches including post-season activity.
 CFP President John Dorn was confident that the new PDL team would eventually be successful, but the pace of the team's success has exceeded even his wildest dreams. . . . Read moreThree former CFP stars play for US MNT against Colombia in Copa America Cup in Venezuela  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 8, 2007 -- It was a memorable evening for three former Chicago Fire Premier players as they represented the USA in the final match of the Copa America 2007 tourney in Venezuela. US Men's National coach Bob Bradley penciled in goalkeeper Brad Guzan (2003-2004) , defender Drew Moor(2004-2005) , and midfielder Ricardo Clark (2003-2004) into the starting lineup for the US Men.s Team.
Guzan (Homer Glen, IL and University of South Carolina) appeared in his third cap, for Moor (Dallas, TX and Indiana University) it was his first US cap, and for Clark (Jonesboro, GA and Furman University) it was his 9th US cap. . . . Read more Fire Premier win 3-2 on the road against Fort Wayne to begin to close in on a seventh straight post-season berth  FT. WAYNE, INDIANA, Jul 7, 2007 -- The Fire Premier took another giant step forward towards a 7th straight post-season playoff berth with a commanding 3-2 victory over the Fort Wayne Fever on the road. The Fire Premier moves to 7-3-4, 25 points with just two remaining regular season matches -- both against the Cleveland.Internationals who halted Michigan's 19-match unbeaten streak this past weekend.
The Fort Wayne took the early lead in the 11th minute when PJ Wilson scored for a 1-0 lead. The Fire Premier tied the match in the 19th minute when striker Marcus McCarty (Northern Illinois University)netted the match at 1-1 with an unassisted goal. . . . Read more CFP's Stephens and Marosevic named to US Pan American Team going to Brazil for July competition  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 6, 2007 -- Fire Premier President John Dorn learned that two of this year's brightest young CFP players Michael Stephens (UCLA) and Peri Marosevic (University of Michigan) have been named to the 2007 US Pan American Team that will play in Brazil beginning next week against some very strong international competition.
 Marosevic is a native of Rockford, IL and is also a member of the U-18 Men's National Team. Peri graduated from high school a year early after attending the national training camp in Bradenton, Florida, so that he could enroll at Michigan as a 17-year freshman. Stephens is a native of Naperville, IL and is also a member of the US Men's U-18 National Team and likewise will be a sophomore at UCLA this coming Fall.
. . . Read more CFP's Patrick Sperry named to the PDL Team of the Week in Week #12  TAMPA, FL, Jul 5, 2007 -- Goalkeeper Patrick Sperry (University of Michigan) has been spectacular during the past two weeks and he has earned the PDL recognition by being named to the PDL's Team of the Week.
The Chicago Fire Premier has a great history of presenting some great goalkeeping over its 7 year history -- in fact -- many of those former CFP players are now mending the nets in the MLS and other professional leagues. . . . Read more Fire Premier drop a tough 2-1 decision to 1st place Michigan Bucks at Toyota Park BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jul 3, 2007 -- When the top teams in the Great Lakes Division met earlier this season the Michigan Bucks collected a 4-0 victory at home against the visiting Chicago Fire Premier, but at Toyota Park the defending PDL National Champions squeaked out a 2-1 road win on a brilliant 86th minute goal by 2nd half super-sub Kenny Uzoigwe (#10). It was his third game-winning goal of the season.
It was the third consecutive victory over the CFP by the defending national champions.  The CFP had hoped to pick up a point after they netted the score at 1-1 in the 43rd minute on a goal by Neil Hlavaty (Boston University) with an assist from.David Roth (Northwestern). . . . Read moreSuper-20s come back to get a 3-3 draw in key match against Kalamazoo Kingdom CHICAGO, IL, Jun 29, 2007 -- The Super-20s came back from a 3-2 deficit to earn a point and an important draw against the Kalamazoo Kingdom on the road in Michigan. Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Braden Fleak (Wright Sate University) with an assist from Ian Sarachan (UIC). Kalamazoo tied the match at 1-1 in the 31st minute, which was the score at the intermission between the top two teams in the Great Lakes Division.
Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the 54th minute when the same combination of Fleak and Sarachan tallied again for the CFP. However, Kalamazoo came back and scored goals in the 62nd minte and then again in the 72th minute to take the 3-2 lead. . . . Read more Fire Premier hang on for 0-0 draw with Western Michigan as defenders and keepers shine CHICAGO, IL, Jun 28, 2007 -- Both teams played outstanding defense and when the respective offenses mounted their scoring efforts, it was some outstanding goalkeeping that kept two very fine teams locked in a 0-0 draw. The Campton United Soccer Complex in St. Charles, IL was the host of the mid-week match between the Chicago Fire Premier and Western Michigan Edge.
The CFP goalkeeper Patrick Sperry University of Michigan) was simply brilliant when he needed to be in helping his defense collect another clean-sheet against a very aggressive Western Michigan offense. For the visiting Edge squad goalkeeper Christopher Austin came up several second-half saves that neutralized the CFP attack and kept the match in a well-played scoreless draw. Super-20s settle for a 1-1 draw with the visiting Western Michigan squad CHICAGO, IL, Jun 28, 2007 -- Fire Premier ready for Thurdsay night doubleheader at Campton Hills Complex in St. Charles  CHICAGO, IL, Jun 23, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier will host the visiting Western Michigan Edge on Thursday (June 28th) evening at 6:30 at the Campton Hills Soccer Complex in St. Charles.
See Campton United website ---- Special Doubleheader Fire Premier moves into 1st place with a 2-1 victory over St. Louis in a cross-over match CHICAGO, IL, Jun 21, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier moved back into a tir for first place in the Great Lakes Division with a tough 2-1 victory over the St. Louis' 2nd year squad at the Fire Elite Training facility in Minooka. The winning margin came in the 85th minute on a penalty kick converted by David Roth (Northwestern University) after Cesar Zambrano (UIC) was taken down in the 18-yard penalty area.
Chicago collected the first goal of the match in the 13th minute with Brendan Fleak's (Wright State ) score and the assist of Neil Hvalaty (Boston University). As they went to the intermission with the 1-0 lead. . . . Read more First place Chicago Fire Premier Super20s defeat Chicago Magic --Sunday, June 17th (6:00 pm) at SportsClub in Frankfort by a decisive 1-0 final score  CHICAGO, IL, Jun 16, 2007 -- It was a meeting that lots of soccer people in the Chicago soccer community were looking towards as soon as the Super-20s announced the spring-summer schedules. Two of the top squads in Chicago-area soccer were pitted against each other when the Chicago Magic hosted the Chicago Fire Premier Super-20s in the Y-League.
The Magic are the defending national champions and have collected an array of state cup and regional titles over the past 7 years of competition. The Chicago Fire Premier has a long list of accomplishments over the past 7 seasons, so it was a meeting of two titan squads -- with lots of post-season playoff considerations. The Fire Premier moved into sole possession of 1st place in the Midwest Dvision with an impressive 3-0-1, 10 points. . . . Read more Fire Premier to meet St. Louis in Thursday night match (June 21st)  CHICAGO, IL, Jun 16, 2007 -- The Fire Premier will meet the St. Louis Lions at the Chicago Fire Juniors Elite Training Field located at Grove Road and Chicago Road in Minooka. Kickoff will be at 6:00 PM. See MAP --- Chicago Fire Elite Training Center
The field is a top quality 110 x 75 Bermuda-grass pitch located in the middle of miles of farmland. There will be no bleachers seats so fans are urged to bring lawn chairs. Concessions will be available at the location. Admission will be $3 per person at the gate. . . . Read more Super-20s earn a 2-0 victory in South Bend over the Indiana Invaders SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, -- The Super-20s took a important step forward in their efforts to make the playoffs in the first year of their competition in the Super-20s league. Fire Premier drops first place position in a 2-1 decision in South Bend to Indiana SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, -- After a scoreless first half The Fire Premier gave up goals in the 54th and 65th minutes to trail 2-0 to the second place Indiana Invaders in South Bend this evening. Although they scored a late goal in the 87th minute the CFP could not close the gap and earn a 1-point draw on the road.
The Premier's loan goal on the night came from defender Drew Ratner (Northwestern) with an assist from Neil Hvalaty (Boston University). Goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja is named to the PDL team of the Week for Week # 6  After collecting two clean sheets a week during a very important stretch of matches for the Chicago Fire Premier veteran goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja (UIC) was honored by being named to the PDL National Team of the Week for Week # 6 of the season.
Jovan is in his second year with the CFP and has collected a number of important wins for the PDL entry, but last week's efforts earned him the national acclaim that he has experienced ont he collegiate level at UIC. Fire Premier pick-up a huge road victory with a 2-0 win against the Indiana Invaders to move into 1st place in the Great Lakes Division SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, Jun 10, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier moved into first place in the Great Lakes Division with a huge 2-0 road win over the Indiana Invaders in South Bend, Indiana. Chicago scored both goals early in the first half with a Marcus McCarty (NIU) 3rd-minute goal that was assisted by Neil Hvalaty (Boston University ). The second goal came in the 15th minute that was scored by midfielder Cesar Zambrano (UIC) with an assist from David Roth (Northwestern).
CFP coach Larry Sunderland was delighted with the victorious result in what the squad's third game in four days -- in which they earned seven points and moved into first place in the division. . . . Read more Fire Premier settle for 0-0 draw with visiting Toronto Lynx at Lemont Stadium LEMONT, IL, Jun 9, 2007 -- Fire Premier return to the winning way with an impressive 5-0 win over Ft. Wayne at Loyola Soccer Complex CHICAGO, IL, Jun 7, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier turned in an impressive 5-0 victory over Fort Wayne Fever at the north-side Loyola University Soccer Complex. CFP head coach Larry Sunderland wasn't in a very good mood after the CFP Super-20s completed the first half of the evening double-header against the visiting Kalamazoo squad in a less than stellar performance.
The Super-20s meandered -- hopelessly -- through a dreadful first half of soccer and trailed at the intermission by 2-0 score to the visiting Kalamazoo team. The Super-20 had to sit through the wrath of Sunderland's half-time comments and the sentiment must have stiffened the resolve of the members Fire Premier who could easily hear their coach's comments from across the field. The Premeir wasted no time to improve their 2007 record -- which now moves to 4-1-2, 14 points. . . . Read more Fire Premier collect another road victory in Cleveland with a 2-1 margin  CLEVELAND, OHIO, Jun 1, 2007 -- Chicago has moved their season record to 3-1-2, 11 points with an important road victory against the Cleveland Internationals.
The CFP are currently tied for second place in the Midwest Division with the Indiana Invaders. Fire Premier succumb to tough 4-day, 3-match road trip and Michigan Bucks in a 4-0 decision DETROIT, MI, May 26, 2007 -- Head Coach Larry Sunderland knew that the third leg of their 4-day road trip was going to very difficult because they would tired, short-manned, and playing the defending national champions from the Michigan Bucks. Well he was right. The Fire Premier kept the game netted at 0-0 until the 63rd minute when the Bucks scored the first of their four goals in the 4-0 defeat of the Chicago Fire Premier.
Sunderland lost three members of his starting defensive unit (Drew Ratner, Matt Witt, and Geoff Fallon) to final exams at Northwestern in Evanston, and he also lost this season's leading scorer Marcus McCarty who flew home to Dallas on Saturday morning before the match. . . . Read more Premier earn 2-2 draw in Toronto in second leg of 3-match road trip on late Strider goal and move into 1st place  Toronto, Canada, May 25, 2007 -- The second leg of the three-city road tour for the Chicago Fire Premier probably meets with the approval of first-year coach Larry Sunderland, because he is definitely focused on the big Saturday night match in Detroit against the Michigan Bucks. The winner of the Saturday night match will likely advance to second round action in the 2007 US Open Cup playoffs sponsored USSF.
Sunderland would have certainly liked to have gained three points against Toronto, but considering the importance of the Saturday night match he already decided to juggle his line-up in order to save some of the legs of players who have logged lots of minutes thus far this summer with the Fire Premier. . . . Read more Fire Premier collects a 1-0 road victory in Grand Rapids on the first leg of a 3-match road trip Super-sub Elass Strider (Wheaton College) picked up the assist on the game winning goal when he stripped an Edge defender of the ball and then made a perfect cross from the left flank to McCarty who picked up the game winning goal. . . . Read more The Fire Premier collects a 2-0 victory over Ft. Wayne Fever before three road matches in next six days  CHICAGO, IL, May 20, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier were puzzled with a small soccer pitch at Marist High School and a well-prepared Fort Wayne Fever squad that managed the small field before pulling out a 2-0 victory.
Despite the fact that CFP head coach Larry Sunderland added several new players this past week, his starting lineup couldn't manage anything more than a scoreless first half. Things didn't improve much more in the second half ----- until Fort Wayne gave the Fire Premier an unfortunate "own-goal" and a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute. . . . Read more Fire Premier pull out a 1-1 draw on final touch of the match Chicago had dominated the play throughout the second half after trailing 1-0 at the intermission to a very stout Invader squad. They peppered Indiana's 18-yard area, but the Invader goalkeeper Justin Holmes turned away shot after shot and perhaps 7-8 dangerous crosses. . . . Read more Fire Premier to host the Indiana Invaders on Weds, May 16th at 4:00 pm  CHICAGO, IL, May 8, 2007 -- The new year brings about a new season, a new coach, a new team with loads of new players, a new coach, and a new home field location. That seems like a lot of changes for the PDL's most successful franchise during the past decade.
Now CFP General Manager John Dorn would like to keep a few things constant or at least -- like the good old days. He would like to see the Fire Premier collect their seventh consecutive PDL Conference title in the new season. . . . Read more Fire Premier Opening Match changed to Weds. - May 16th at Toyota Park - 4:00 p.m.. BRIDGEVIEW, IL, May 7, 2007 -- The CFP's season opening match has been changed to Weds. night, May 16th at 4:00 p.m. as a result of the Fire's Thursday night match against FC Dallas that will be broadcast on ESPN as the MLS Game of the Week.
The Fire Premier will open the 2007 campaign against the Indiana Invaders as their 7th season is set to begin with new head coach Larry Sunderland. . . . Read more Fire Premier is set to begin practices on May 5-6  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 23, 2007 -- Following the record turnouts for the open tryouts for the 2007 CFP teams, head coach Larry Sunderland says he is ready and anxious to begin pulling this season's teams together.
Informal practices are set for May 5-6 and May 12-13 before the regular practice schedule for both CFP teams (the PDL squad and Super-20s) begins on Tuesday, May 15th. Teams will be practicing at two soccer fields in Burr Ridge near 74th and Wolf Road . . . Read more CFP has 80 plus players tryout for Super-20s and Fire Premier  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 21, 2007 -- The 70-degree temperatures and blue skies brought out more than 80 local soccer players for a chance to make one of two Chicago Fire Premier teams this spring. Players from as far away as Mexico and England joined the CFP coaching staff for a chance to showcase their skills and abilities.
CFP General Manager John Dorn was excited with the turnout. "We were expecting 25-30 players," said Dorn, "but there were dozens and dozens of very talented players from the age of 18-25 who showed up. Our coaches were a little overwhelmed with pool of players. . . . Read more 9 former Fire Premier players see action in first weekend of MLS play  CHICAGO, IL --, Apr 7, 2007 -- The first weekend of MLS action saw nine (9) former Chicago Fire Premier players in the line-ups for their respective squads in the league's first five matches of the 2007 campaign.
In the sixth match (on Sunday evening) of the opening weekend several injuries to the Houston Dynamos' Gavin Glinton and Ricardo Clark might have pushed the numbers even higher for the cadre of former Chicago amateur stars to have found great success at the next level of play. . . . Read more April 6th tryouts postponed due to weather conditions  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Apr 3, 2007 -- The Chicago Fire Premier tryouts for the PDL squad and the Super 20s squad have been postponed due to a poor weather forecast.
Cold temperatures and the possibility of very wet grounds and a chance of snow showers forced club officials to postponed the Friday, April 6th tryouts at Moraine Valley Community College. The next tryout is scheduled for Saturday, April 21st from 9:00 a.m. to noon at MVCC. . . . Read more PDL Players selected in the 2007 SuperDrafts  TAMPA, FL, -- A larger and more definitive list of players with PDL experience were selected in the 2007 MLS Drafts. The Regular 2007 Draft and the Supplemental Draft netted more than 66 players with PDL experience for the 2007 pool of college and prep players who will have the chance to make an MLS roster this spring.
Players can be added to the 13 MLS teams as a rostered or non-rostered player who will join each team's respective Reserve teams. . . . Read more CFP's former star striker Brad North signs contract with DC United  WASHINGTON, DC, -- Brad North starred for the CFP throughout the 2006 PDL season. The Northwestern University graduate from Texas will see lots of time for the DC United Reserve team during the 2007 campaign.
The former Big Ten star strikers was selected 24th overall in the 2007 Super Draft after a spectacular fall season for the Northwestern Wildcats Former CFP David Guzman sticking with Toronto FC as season nears  TAMPA, FL, -- Attacking midifielder David Guzman has had a great start with his professional days with the MLS's newest squad in Toronto. Guzman (from the University of Louisville) helped lead the Chicago Fire Premier last year as the club completed its sixth season and sixth straight Midwest Division title.
Guzman joins his former head coach with the Fire Premier Mike Matkovich who now is one of the assistant coaches of the MLS's newest team. . . . Read more Fire Premier Super-20s to join 12-team Midwest Division for 2007 BRIDGEVIEW, IL, -- The Chicago Fire Premier Super-20s will join the broadly expanded 12-team Midwest Division for the 2007 season. The newly formed CFP squad is one of seven new teams that are scheduled to begin play this summer in the 10-game schedule.
CFP head coach Larry Sunderland will hold tryouts for the newly formed Super-20 squad on Friday April 6th and Saturday, April 21st at Moraine Valley College. . . . Read more Super-20s Fire Premier are set for home opener on May 17th at Toyota Park  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, -- The newly formed Chicago Fire Premier Super-20s will host the Indiana Invaders at Toyota Park in Bridgeview on Thursday, May 17th.
The time of the historic first-ever match is to be determined. The first tryouts for the U-20s is set for April 6th, 2007 at Moraine Valley College -- 11100 South 88th Avenue in Palos Park. . . . Read more Chicago Fire Premier adds Super-20 Team for 2007 campaign BRIDGEVIEW, IL, -- The Chicago Fire have announced the formation of a Super-20 team that will compete in the United Soccer League (USL) this summer of 2007. This new U-20 squad will complement the already existing Chicago Fire Premier which has been the most successful PDL franchise in the history of the USL.
The latest entry into the Fire youth development program will fall under the direction of current Fire Juniors Director of Coaching Larry Sunderland, who will serve as Technical Director for the Super-20 program and the Chicago Fire Premier of the Premier Development League (PDL). . . . Read more CFP tryouts scheduled for April 21st BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Mar 7, 2007 -- CFP General Manager John Dorn has announced the first official tryouts for the 2007 season. The first tryout is scheduled for Saturday, April 21st from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon at Moraine Valley Community College. MVCC is located at 8800 West 111th Street in Palos Park, IL.
Tryouts will be held at the soccer stadium on the southwest suburban campus. The tryouts will be coordinated by new CFP head coach Larry Sunderland and his 2007 staff. For additional information contact the coaching staff at ----- lsunderland@aol.com Download the registration form Former CFP star Julian Dieterle (Indiana University) selected in MISL College Draft by Chicago Storm  CHICAGO, IL, Mar 7, 2007 -- The former Chicago Fire Premier star midfielder Julian Dieterle of Indiana University was selected in the first round of the 2007 MISL College Draft by the Chicago Storm.
Dieterle is from the Chicagoland area and played for the Chicago Sockers FC . . . Read more 2007 Schedule Released -- Opening Day is May 17th at Toyota Park CHICAGO, Jan 25, 2007 -- The CFP 2007 schedule has been posted on the website. Mark your calendar today!Fire Premier looks to replace former head coach Mike Matkovich in the near future CHICAGO, IL, Jan 7, 2007 -- CFP General Manager John Dorn says that he is constructing a long list of extremely qualfied candidates for the head coaching position for the 2007 Chicago Fire Premier squad.
With the off-season hiring of former head coach (2001-2006) Mike Matkovich by the MLS's newest franchise in Toronto, Dorn will be looking to hire a new head coach for the upcoming 2007 campaign. The Fire Premier has been the most successful USL team over the course of the last 6 seasons. . . . Read more Two former CFP stars compete in the MLS 2007 College Combine in Florida CHICAGO, IL, Jan 5, 2007 -- CFP midfielders John DiRimando (St. Louis University) and Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Akron University) will represent the Chicago Fire Premier at this weekend's MLS Collegiate Combine prior to the upcoming 2007 SuperDraft. Both players are graduating seniors and are expected to be selected during the early rounds of next week's SuperDraft.
The January 12, 2007 draft will be held during the National Coaches Convention in Indianapolis. . . . Read more David Roth and Brad North (Northwestern) are both named to All Big-Ten Honors for 2006 season Former CFP stars David Roth and Brad North (right) from Northwestern University were named to the 2006 All Big-Ten honors as well as the 2006 Great Lakes Region - All-American honors.
The duo led the Northwestern Wildcats to their school's best finish ever for men's soccer when they advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and Wildcats finished the 2006 seaosn ranked # 8 for the season. . . . Read more CFP Coach Mike Matkovich named as assistant MLS coach for new FC Toronto squad  CHICAGO, IL, Dec 14, 2006 -- After five years at the helm of the USL's most successful team CFP head coach Mike Matkovich was named as the assistant coach for the new MLS franchise in Toronto. He joins head coach Mo Johnston as the team's first coaching staff.
Matkovich also headed the very successful Chicago Magic SC or the past 15 years as it was named the #1 youth soccer club in the nation. He has collected 14 national titles during his reigh over the CMSC. Ubiparipovic and DiRaimondo named as 2006 College All-Americans CHICAGO, IL, Dec 13, 2006 -- Two of the stars for the 2006 Fire Premier collected All-American honors during the 2006 fall collegiate season. CFP captain midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Akron University) , Mentor, Ohio was named to the NSCAA - 2nd team and midfielder John DiRaimondo (Saint Louis University) St. Louis, Mo was named to the 3rd team All-American squad. . . . Read more Northwestern's Brad North named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and also to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week CHICAGO, IL, Sep 18, 2006 -- CFR's star forward Brad North has continued his scoring mechanics as a senior striker with the # 14 ranked Northwestern Wildcats.
North leads the Wildcats with three goals and 1 assist through Northwestern's first seven matches (6-0-1). Three Chicago Fire Reserve players named in the pre-season "watch list" for the Hermann Trophy as the top player for 2006 NCAA College season  CHICAGO, IL, Aug 25, 2006 -- CFR stars Ryan Anderson ( Missouri State), John DiRaimondo, (St. Louis University), and Sinisa Ubiparipovic (University of Akron) were all named to the preseason watch list of the top players in the nation for the 2006 Hermann Award.
 The Chicago Fire Reserves have had players on this much-discussed preseason "watch list" and ultimately the finalists for the top college annual honor in men's college soccer for each of the last six years of their existence.
. . . Read more Fire Reserves defender Eric Lichaj (Downers Grove, IL) may miss the season at # 1 ranked North Carolina University with an ankle injury  CHICAGO, IL, Aug 23, 2006 -- Former US U-17 National Team defender Eric Lichaj (Chicago Magic Soccer Club) is expected to miss the 2006 college season at North Carolina according to reports in Soccer America. The Chicago Fire Premier outstanding defender helped Chicago Magic Coach Mike Matkovich finish second in the USYA National Finals for the U-18 boys this past summer.
 Lichaj, a sophomore, is expected to be redshirted for the 2006 season, although most soccer scouts feel that Lichaj will enter the MLS SuperDraft in another year or two or look to move to Europe to begin his professional soccer career. . . . Read moreFire Reserves' keeper Evan Bush and Uriparapovic are named to PDL 2006 All-Conference Team  TAMPA, FL, Aug 22, 2006 --  CFR goalkeeper Evan Bush and midfielder Sinisa Uriparapovic (both from the University of Akron) were named to the 2006 Midwest Conference All-Conference Squad. Bush is a native of Concord, Ohio and was a big reason why the Fire reserves were lead to its sixth consecutive Great Lakes Division title as the Fire Reserves collected a remarkable 14-2-0 record. Uriparapovic (from Mentor, Ohio) is a recoginized as one of the top midfielders on the college scene in 2006.
For other selections to the post-season PDL honors --- PDL Post-season honors . . . Read more Michigan Bucks advance to PDL National Finals by defeating Orange County 2-0 DETROIT, MI, Aug 5, 2006 -- The Michigan Bucks from the Great Lakes Division advanced to the finals of the PDL National Championship Finals next weekend. . . . Read moreFire Premier's season ends with 4-1 loss to the Michigan Bucks in Central Conference Finals in Des Moines  DES MOINES, IA, Jul 29, 2006 -- The Michigan Bucks have been scoring goals in bunches -- here at the end of the 2006 season. Tonight's final match was no exception as they dominated the Fire Premier, 4-1, to win the Central Conference title and move on to the national semi-finals next week at their home field against Orange County (CA) . Three distinct things hurt the Fire Premier's effort against Michigan. First was the extended overtime match on Friday night. Second was the very limited bench that brought an end to the Fire Premier's 2006 season. And third was the missing group of five players who helped the CFP throughout the season, but were playing in the USYSA National Finals with Chicago Magic U-18 boys squad who lost the national title on PKs. The Chicago Fire Premier (15-3-0) could never get on track against the Michigan Bucks who were clearly the best team in the four-team playoffs in DesMoines, despite the strong field of competition with Chicago, Boulder (CO), and Des Moines.
Michigan's fleet footed forwards and speedy midfield simply wore down the depleted CFP who played a very tough and physically draining 120-minute match that ended nearly at midnight on Friday evening. After a series on unfortunate injuries during the week of practices and the absence of several other players, Coach Mike Matkovich found his bench had only two substitutes for the difficult weekend's matches. . . . Read more Fire Premier advances on PKs over defending PDL Champs Des Moines Menace after a dramatic 3-3 draw in OT DES MOINES, IOWA, Jul 28, 2006 -- The Chicago Fire Premier (15-2-0) began their post-season run with the playoff cards stacked against them. They had to travel to Des Moines, Iowa and they opened the post-season against the 2005 PDL Champion Des Moines Menace (10-4-2). They arrived with only 13 players and faced some extremely hot temperatures in the capital city of the Iowa. In the end, Chicago advanced with a 5-3 advantage in the PK shoot-out that followed one of the truly historic PDL playoff matches ever after Chicago's Brad North put his stamp on the OT play with a pair of goals.
Each team managed just one goal in regulation time, moving the game into the once-again changed overtime format. Last year the PDL played under a "golden goal format", but in 2006 the USL adopted the FIFA rules for two full 15-minute periods. . . . Read more Chicago Fire Premier prepares for the playoff match with defending national champs from Des Moines on Friday night at 8:30 pm CDST  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 26, 2006 -- The Fire Premier will attempt to extend their season another week with two matches this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa for the Central Conference Championship. Chicago meets Des Moines in the 8:30 pm (CDST) match, while Boulder meets the Michigan Bucks at 6:00 pm. The winners from Friday evening will meet on Saturday night for the Conference title and another week of training and practices.
Preparations for the big Chicago-DesMoines match will be left to assistant coach Steve DeCou while head coach Mike Matkovich will already be in Des Moines with two of the Chicago Magic Soccer Club teams who are competing for the National Championships in youth soccer. Matko's U-15 boys and U-18 boys begin three-match round play on Wednesday, July 28th. The U-15 boys tied in the first macth on Weds. and the U-18 boys won (3-1) to lead their age group. . . . Read more Fire Premier adds 14th win to close out the regular season with a 4-0 win in Canada  Thunder Bay, Ontario, Jul 22, 2006 -- The Fire Premier finished their 2006 regular season with a commanding 4-0 win over the Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada) Chill to push their final regular season record to a 14-2-0 mark and 42 points which gave them a 14 point lead over the second-place Indiana Invaders who finished 8-4-4, 28 points.
Midfielder Pat Robertson (Coastal Carolina University - Woodland, TX) gave the CFP a 1-0 lead with his 17th minute goal. The Fire Premier added a second first-half goal when midfielder Cesar Zambrano (University of Illinois - Chicago) scored in the 34th minute with an assist from Pat Robertson. . . . Read more Chicago plays second half with only 10 men after PK-ejection, but eke out a 2-1 win over Thunder Bay  Thunder Bay, Ontario, Jul 21, 2006 -- The Chicago Fire Premier win the first of the back-to-back matches in Thunder Bay by a score of 2-1. The 10-hour (645 miles) bus ride to Thunder Bay, Ontraio on the western shores Lake Superior is one of the longest commutes in the PDL and especially for a non-divisional match.
Chicago made the evening difficult for assistant coach Steve DeCou as CFP jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a midfielder Drew Dugarian's (Bradley University) 39th -minute goal. Premier defender Matt Wieclaw (Westerm Illinois) was ejected and a penalty-kick was awarded to Thunder Bay. The PK was made and the score was netted at 1-1 for the intermission. . . . Read more Fire Premier prepares for post-season playoffs as it looks to its unmatched success of moving more than 59 former players into the professional ranks of soccer players  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 20, 2006 -- No one could have imagined that Chicago Fire Premier owners John Dorn and Mark Boyle would provide a path for some 59 soccer players to move from the amateur level of soccer into the professional ranks around the world.
In the team's first five seasons the Fire Premier (and previously the Fire Reserves) it moved a total of 59 former players in various levels of professional soccer. From Jonathon Spector who plays in the English Premeir League to Tim Regan who is in the midst of his fourth season in the MLS and Chris Rolfe who now plays for the Chicago Fire.. . . . Read more Fire Premier drops a 3-1 decision to Western Michigan Edge as the regular season matches wind down  GRAND RAPIDS, MI, Jul 18, 2006 -- The Fire Premier broke their consecutive win streak at 11, but it is a mute point since the Fire Premier has already wrapped up its sixth straight divisional title and its sixth straight playoff berth with a 3-1 loss to the Western Michigan Edge on the road.
Chicago's head coach Mike Matkovich remained in Chicago as assistant coach Steve DeCou led the 2006 Great Lakes Champs in match # 14 of the season. Matkovich is helping to prepare two of his Chicago Magic SC youth teams for the upcoming National Finals in DesMoines starting July 25th. So that left Coach DeCou with the opportunity to give some of the backup CFP players some meaningful minutes against a solid opponent like Western Michigan. . . . Read more Fire Premier heads to Grand Rapids for a Tuesday July 18th match with Western Michigan  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 17, 2006 -- Fire Premier head coach Mike Matkovich has had to juggle his lineup so many times this season for a wide variety of reasons, it shouldn't be too tough to come up with another new lineup when the Fire Premier meet Western Michigan on Tuesday night in Grand Rapids. Matkovich has used three different goalkeepers and 27 different players in the team's first 13 matches.
Chicago's goalkeeper Evan Bush is named to the Week #12 PDL Team of the Week  TAMPA, FL, Jul 13, 2006 -- Following last week's stunning 2-0 victory over the Michigan Bucks on the road, Premier goalkeeper Evan Bush was named to the PDL Team of the Week for Week #12. The Fire Premier has collected an enviable 11-1-0 record through the end of Week #12, including four other shutouts.
The 20-year old Concord, Ohio native will be a red-shirted sophomore at the University of Akron for new head coach Caleb Porter who started in January of 2006 after many years at Indiana University. The Akron Zips finished the 2005 season ranked #5 in the NCAA - Division I ratings and should begin the 2006 campaign with similar respect from the polsters. . . . Read more Fire Premier closes out their home schedule with come-from-behind 3-1 win over the Kansas City Brass LEMONT, IL, Jul 15, 2006 -- The Kansas City Brass had the balance of their 2006 season at stake for a playoff spot when they traveled to Chicago to meet the championship Chicago Fire Premier. However the Brass saw their early second half 1-0 ead evaporate as they fell in a 3-1 loss to Chicago (12-1-0, 36 points -- Great Lakes Division) who collected their 11th consecutive win of the 2006 campaign. Forward David Roth (Northwestern University) was named Man of the Match after collecting the CFP's second and winning goal in the 87th minute on a penalty kick following a hand ball call in the penalty area.
The 8:00 pm kickoff at the beautiful Lemont HS Soccer Complex saw temperatures drop more than 20 degrees from earlier in the day 100+ degree readings as both teams suffered through a torturous challenge of game fitness. Chicago had only 3 substitutes as a result of a number of key players taking a few days off in order to return to their homes before the post-season competition begins and soon after taht their collegiate seasons. . . . Read more Chicago celebrates its sixth straight Great Lakes Division title (2001-2006) as the focus turns towards post-season play  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 10, 2006 -- When John Dorn (photo left) set his mind to bring back USL soccer to Chicago there was no way he could have imagined the success his efforts would find during his tenure as President of Agamon Soccer. After the 1999 season Palatine's Peter Richardson decided to fold up the tent on his Chicago Stingers operations following a very successful run as one of the premier teams in the USL. So that left a void because there weren't any organized soccer programs at the semi-professional level for developing youth-aged and college-aged players.
In the process of developing a conceptual and operating model for the Chicago Fire Reserves (later renamed -- the Chicago Fire Premier) Dorn added a couple partners including his co-general manager Mark Boyle of Chicago's Beverly neighborhood. . . . Read more Chicago wins its 10th match in a row to cement division title and top playoff spot DETROIT, MI, Jul 8, 2006 -- The Chicago Fire Premier captured their sixth consecutive Great Lakes Division title with a 2-0 victory over the Michigan Bucks in the northern suburbs of Detroit. Chicago's record now moved to 11-1-0, 33 points in securing the title with 10 consecutive victories. The Fire Premier got their first goal in the 23rd minute by Ryan Anderson (Missouri State) with an assist from Sinais Uriparapovic (University of Akron) and maintained their 1-0 lead through the intermission with some outstanding goalkeeping from CFP's John Bush (photo-left) (University of Akron) .
Chicago earned their second goal by forward David Guzman (University of Louisville) in the 66th minute - unassisted. It was Chicago's sixth shutout of the 2006 season with John Bush in the net for the Fire Premier. Bush stopped two second-half breakaways to secure the shutout and the victory for the champions from Chicago. . . . Read more Fire Premier defeats Minnesota Thunder's PDL Provisional Team 5-1 in exhibition match  CHICAGO, IL, Jul 6, 2006 -- The Chicago Fire Premier hosted the visiting Minnesota Thunder's Provisional PDL Team at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, IL in a special exhibition match and defeated the Thunder 5-1. The match was rescheduled from several weeks ago to accommodate the Minnesota schedule.
Chicago was staked to a 3-0 lead at the intermission with a 5th-minute unassisted goal by Brad North (photo-left)(Northwestern University), a 31st-minute goal by Jack Smithson, and a 36th-minute goal by Brad North. . . . Read more Premier's striker Ryan Anderson is once again named to PDL Team of the Week  TAMPA, FL, Jul 5, 2006 -- Chicago's swift-footed striker Ryan Anderson (photo-left) has once again been named to the PDL Team of the Week for Week # 11. Anderson (Missouri State) collected three goals in the Fire Premier's three victories in three matches last weekend. Chicago was mightally tested by playing three matches in a 65 hour period -- with three more victories and solid lead in the Great Lakes Division.
Anderson has collected eight goals in the limited seven matches in which he has played. Injuries and match-frequency have limited his appearances for the Fire Premier to just 7 matches during the first 11 matches of the 2006 Premier campaign. The 20-year old forward has scored some spectacular goals for CFP's had coach Mike Matkovich. Chicago is moving in a position of recording their sixth straight Divisional title in its six year history. . . . Read more Fire Premier prepare for road match with Michigan Bucks on Saturday night CHICAGO, IL, Jul 4, 2006 -- With just five regular season matches remining on the Chicago schedule the Fire Premier travel to Rochester Hills, MI for a Saturday evening match (7:30 pm EDST) with the 2nd place Michigan Bucks (6-3-2, 20 points). Chicago will commute nearly 275 miles to the north side of Detriot for the all-important divisional match.
 Chicago will regain the services of several key players including David Guzman (Louisville) and Steve Bode (Univ. of Wisc. - Milwaukee) (photo-right) for this weekend's match. Guzman had returned home (in Canada) for a couple weeks for some family matters and Bode will be nearly healed from his broken nose that occurred in the earlier Michigan match in Chicago on June 3rd. . . . Read morePremier win 9th in a row with 5-0 victory over Cleveland Internationals  LEMONT, IL, Jul 1, 2006 -- Chicago cruised to a 5-0 victory over last-place Cleveland Internationals despite playing 3 full PDL matches in a 65-hour period. The first place Fire Premier has all but locked up it 6th consecutive Great Lakes Division title with a record of 10-1-0, 30 points. Chicago now has a 10 point lead over second place Indiana and Michigan with only 5 divisional games remaining.
Chicago started early with their first score in the 8th minute with an unassisted goal from forward Ryan Anderson (Missouri State - photo left). The swift-footed Anderson added a second first-half goal, his 3rd of the week, to give Coach Matkovich a comfortable 2-0 half-time lead. . . . Read more Fire Premier extends divisional lead with 2-1 win over Thunder Bay  CHICAGO, IL, Jun 30, 2006 -- Striker John Dimairondo (St. Louis Univ.) put the Fire Premier in to the lead with a 4th minute goal, but it was 2nd half-substitute Ryan Anderson's unassisted 74th-minute goal that proved to be the winner in the Fire Premier's 2-1 victory over the visiting Canadians from Thunder Bay (Ontario). The Lemont Soccer complex was in great form for the two PDL opponents on a warm summer night as Chicago moved to a record of 9-1-0. 27 points, while Thunder Bay fell to a 1-7-2 record, 5 points.
Chicago dominated the possession throughout the evening, but tired legs and a deep turf slowed the play through the Chicago midfield. It was Coach Matkovich's substitutes in the 2nd half that proved to be the defference in Chicago moving one step closer to cementing another post-season playoff berth for 2006. . . . Read more Fire Premier collect three second-half goals to defeat Ft. Wayne 3-1 in their Toyota Park debut  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jun 28, 2006 -- The Premier's Jack Smithson (University of New Mexico) earned Chicago's first goal on a brilliant shot and suddenly the momentum of match swung over to the five-time defending Great Lakes champions in their 3-1 victory over 7th place Ft. Wayne. Chicago moves to an 8-1-0, 24 points record while Ft. Wayne falls to a 2-6-1 record. Chicago's coaches include Tom Chowela, Mike Matkovich, and Steve DeCou (photo left).
The Ft. Wayne Fever played an inspired first half at the brand new Toyota Stadium, while Chicago struggled through the first half on the match that was delayed by a 45 minute lightning delay in the Fire and Real Salt Lake match that was won by Chicago. . . . Read more Fire Premier ready for debut match at new Toyota Stadium on Weds. night  CHICAGO, Jun 26, 2006 -- The Chicago Fire Premier have been the perennial champions of the Great Lakes Division since they came on the scene in 2001. Now the PDL club that has placed more players in to the professional ranks of Major League Soccer will host the Fort Wayne Fever on Wednesday night at brand-new Toyota Stadium following the Chicago Fire's home match against Real Salt Lake at 10:00 pm.
The special double-header would seem to be a real treat for local Chicago-area soccer fans who will be attending the weekday, summer-evening match. The Fire Premier, once again, has a healthy crop of potential MLS-draftees up-and-down its star-studded lineup and continues to lead the Great Lakes Division (7-1-0, 21 pts.) . . . Read more CFP striker David Guzman named to the PDL Team of the Week for Week # 9 TAMPA, FL, Jun 22, 2006 -- David Guzman (photo - left) collected three goals in the Fire Premier's pair of weekend victories. He had one goal in the CFP's 3-2 revenge victory on Friday night and two more goals on Sunday in the team's 4-3 win over Indiana Invaders.
Guzman is a Canadian-born University of Louisville junior forward. He stands 5' 5" and has collected five (5) goals and 2 assists through the first 8 matches of the 18-game schedule for the 2006 season. . . . Read more Fire Premier will meet Minnesota Thunder's provisional PDL squad for scrimmage on Sat. June 24th  CHICAGO, Jun 21, 2006 -- Chicago has an 11-day break in their 2006 schedule so team president John Dorn was anxious to accommodate the USL's request to host a match with the provisional team from the Minnesota Thunder organization. A provisional or "trial" PDL teams allows the highly respected Minnesota Thunder organization to guage the acceptance of the team for future inclusion the official roster of PDL teams --- now standing at 59 active teams across the nation.
The Fire Premier will likely host the Minnesota lads at Moraine Valley Community College 9000 West 111th Street (in Palos Heights) for the Saturday afternoon tune-up at 3:00 pm. Coach Mike Matkovich will be able to work in some of the younger players into some serious playing minutes in the upcoming match. . . . Read more Fire Premier hangs on to 4-3 win over Indiana Invaders  CHICAGO, Jun 18, 2006 -- The Premier had given up only 5 goals in their first 7 matches of the 2006 season. So Premier head coach Mike Matkovitch had every reason to question what turned his defense into a porous mess as the Indiana Invaders collected 3 goals in the Premier's 4-3 win. Late substitute striker Kevin Noschang (photo - left) (Indiana University) actually collected what would prove to be the winning goal in the 78th minute as the CFP hung on to a 4-3 advantage and the win.
The Fire Premier (7-1-0, 21 points) appeared weary after having played a tough match in Kalamazoo on Friday night with a 3-2 win. The defense had difficulty maintaining the marking responsibilities in the final third of the field during the 2nd half. Indiana (4-3-1, 13 points) collected two run-of-play goals and penalty kick goal to put a scare into the the Premier faithful fans. . . . Read more 1st place Fire Premier set to put distance between others in Great Lakes Division  CHICAGO, Jun 18, 2006 -- The Fire Premier is currently leading the Great Lakes Division with a 6-1-0, 18 points record while 2nd place Kalamazoo trails with 16 points (5-4-1) . However, they will have a chance to put put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division when the Premier takes on the visiting Indiana Invaders (South Bend, IN). The Invaders (4-2-1, 13 points) are currently in 4th place, but have been playing well as the midpoint of the PDL season nears.
Fire Premier defender John McClain (photo-left) will lead Chicago's defense that continues to stiffle the opposing team's attackers. Chicago has given up only 5 goals this season and shutout the Indiana squad by a 4-0 score back on May 27th in South Bend. . . . Read more Chicago avenges only loss of the 2006 season in Kalamazoo with 3-2 victory  KALAMAZOO, Michigan, Jun 16, 2006 -- The Fire Premier has lost just 11 regular season matches in its outstanding six years of existence. The Premier has won the Great Lakes Division of the PDL every year since it was started in 2001, so winning has been a characteristic of the Mike Matkovich coached teams from Chicago. After dropping a 2-0 decision to Kalamazoo back on May 21st in Chicago it was time for Chicago to prove that the earlier decision may not have reflected Chicago's best effort for the 2006 campaign.
Chicago (6-1-0, 18 points) jumped out to a 2-0 lead and led 2-1 at the intermission. The Kingdom tied the score in the 48th minute, but Chicago's David Guzman (photo-left) netted the winning goal in the 58th minute to keep Chicago in 1st place in the Great Lakes Division. . . . Read more Fire Premier looks to avenge earlier loss to Kalamazoo on the road Friday night  CHICAGO, Jun 14, 2006 -- The Fire Premier has suffered only two regular season losses in the past two seasons, so there is a great deal at stake in Friday night's match in Kalamazoo against the very solid Kingdom squad and head coach Stuart Riddle (photo-left). The Michigan matchup is set for a 7:30 pm kickoff and the final result is likely to have a major impact on the final Great Lakes Division standings for the 2006 season. Kalamazoo won the first meeting in Chicago with a 2-0 final score.
Chicago has ten (10) matches remaining in the 2006 regular season with four consecutive home matches following this Friday night's road match in Kalamazoo, MI. . . . Read more Fire Premier takes over 1st place with 3-0 win in Cleveland CHICAGO, Jun 10, 2006 -- Striker Teddy Anderson (Bradley University) started the scoring attack for the Chicago Fire Premier in the 55th minute in their 3-0 victory over their hosts in Cleveland who remain winless in the 2006 season. Chicago's defense was led by marking-back John McClain (University of Akron - photo left) as the defensive unit allowed only 2 shots on goalkeeper Jon Busch during the contest. Chicago has given up only 3 goals in its first six matches and its fourth clean-sheet of the 2006 campaign.
An own-goal scored by Cleveland in the 65th minute created a safe margin for the visiting Premier squad in collecting their fourth straight win in the 2006 season. Chicago coaches are still looking to return a solid number of injured players back into their starting lineup. However, the healthy Fire Premier players solidly pushed the squad's record to a solid 5-1-0, 15 points and the sole lead in the Great Lakes Division. . . . Read more Fire Premier ready for must-win road match in Cleveland  CHICAGO, Jun 10, 2006 -- The first place Chicago Fire Premier (4-1-0, 12 pts.) are traveling to Cleveland, Ohio today to meet the Internationals (0-5-1, 1 pts.) in a critical Great Lakes Division match. With several key injuries to early season starters like Drew Dugarian, Ryan Anderson, and more recently Steve Bode, head coach Mike Matkovich will be testing his bench strength in the Saturday evening meeting in Ohio.
With the focus of the soccer world on events in Germany this weekend, the Fire Premier need to earn 3 points so they can claim sole possession of the divisional lead in the Great Lakes Division. . . . Read more Chicago Fire sells naming rights for Stadium for Toyota Park  BRIDGEVIEW, IL, Jun 9, 2006 -- In a major announcement the Chicago Fire and AEG (owners of the MLS entry) sighted the awarding of the naming rights for the new Bridgeview Stadium to the Toyota Motors Co. No details of the 10-year deal were disclosed, but it was rumored that the contract called for payments of more than $20.0 million over the contract period.
The Fire opens its home schedule with its first home match this Sunday, June 11th against the New England Revolution with a limited audience trial run at the Bridgeview Stadium. The team's first official home match is set for Sunday, June 25th. . . . Read more CFP defender Chris Schuler named to PDL Team of the Week for Week #7  TAMPA, FL, Jun 8, 2006 -- Defensive stalwart Chris Schuler (photo-left) (#52 - Indiana University) was named to his first PDL Team of the Week for his outstanding play against the division co-leaders from Michigan this past weekend. The Fire Premier collected an impressive 2-1 victory over the previ | ||
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