Marco Pappa buried a Dominic Oduro cross late in the first half, but the Colorado Rapids pulled level just after halftime as the Chicago Fire played the defending MLS Cup Champs to a 1-1 draw at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. Saturday night. With the tie, the Fire move to 1-3-3 and have six points through seven matches. The Fire broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Gaston Puerari sprung Oduro down the right side of the field with a lofted ball over the top of the Rapids backline. The speedy Ghanaian ran onto Puerari's pass before squaring a ball into the box. Pappa, wearing the armband for the Fire for the first time in his career, met the pass and slotted the ball past Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens to give the Fire the go-ahead goal. Five minutes into the second interval the Rapids pulled level. Andre Akpan tallied his first career MLS goal when he snuck between Yamith Cuesta and Dasan Robinson and powered a shot past Fire 'keeper Jon Conway at the far post. The Fire nearly took the lead back in the 78th minute when Puerari rifled a free kick from 25-yards out. Former Fire goalkeeper Pickens elevated to palm the ball over the cross bar and keep the match tied at one goal apiece. With Fire captain Logan Pause and Cory Gibbs unavailable, Carlos de los Cobos made a number of tactical lineup changes to the XI that started in last week's 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo. Daniel Paladini occupied a defensive midfield role, while Corben Bone made his first start of the season alongside Puerari in the middle. Pappa and Oduro patrolled the flanks and Diego Chaves served as the lone forward in an offensive-minded 4-1-4-1 formation. The Fire return to TOYOTA PARK Saturday, May 7 when they welcome the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps for the first time at 7:30 p.m. CT (Comcast SportsNet). Chicago Fire Season Tickets, which include a ticket to the Chicago Fire - Manchester United match at Soldier Field, are available by calling 1-888-MLS-FIRE (657-3473), or by heading to the club's official website at Chicago-Fire.com . Notes: * Fire central defender Josip Mikulic left the match in the 37th minute with a left shoulder injury. The 25-year-old Croatian will be further evaluated upon the team's return to Chicago. * Corben Bone made his second career start for the Fire. The second-year Wake Forest University product played 74 minutes in Saturday's match. * Pappa started with the captain's armband for the first time in his career with the Fire. The Guatemalan tallied his third goal of the season. * Through seven games the Fire have scored 10 goals. * The Fire are now 16-11-8 all-time against the Rapids * Open tryout winner Pari Pantazopoulos made the 18-man roster for the first time since signing with the Fire. * With Saturday's result, the Fire and Rapids have now drawn the last three consecutive MLS league matches.
Chicago Fire part ways with head coach de los Cobos Technical director, Fire legend Klopas to take reins in Chicago The Chicago Fire have parted ways with head coach Carlos de los Cobos, the club announced Monday evening. Frank Klopas, the team’s technical director since January of 2008, will serve as de los Cobos’ replacement on an interim basis. Klopas, a former Fire player who was inducted into the “Ring of Fire” in 2004, is expected to be on the bench when Chicago host Seattle on Saturday (8:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online). “Since the Fire has elected to move in a new direction with its coaching staff midseason, we wanted to ensure a seamless transition by naming Frank Klopas interim head coach,” managing director Javier León said in a statement. “Frank's wealth of knowledge and experience as a player, scout, technical director and coach provide an extraordinary background for him to manage the team successfully as we work towards a MLS Cup playoff spot.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...fire-part-ways-head-coach-carlos-de-los-cobos
Chicago officially seal deal with former Mexico int'l Pardo Ex-Club América star brings wealth of veteran experience to Fire The Chicago Fire’s rumored courtship with Pável Pardo finally came to fruition on Tuesday, as the club announced it has signed the former Mexican international to a contract for the remainder of the 2011 season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Fire officials confirmed that Pardo has not been signed as a Designated Player. Pardo, who turned 35 years old on Tuesday, appeared in both the 1998 and 2006 World Cups for El Tri, and logged a staggering 148 caps with the team before making his final international appearance in 2009. He also appeared with the team in the 2007 Gold Cup, when Mexico fell to the United States in the final at Soldier Field in Chicago http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...officially-seal-deal-former-mexico-intl-pardo
