Team
The 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year award just wasn’t enough for Fire defender Austin Berry.
The now second-year MLS back liner garnered another honor last week when he returned to high school alma mater Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati where his #21 jersey was retired during halftime of the basketball team’s game vs. Seven Hills Academy.
The ceremony marked the first time the school had ever retired a number for the soccer team.
A 2007 graduate of the school, Berry was an Ohio All-State selection as well as being named Cincinnati Player of the Year during his senior season.
“Nothing Austin does surprises me anymore,” said high school coach Barnard Baker. “There are a lot of coaches in this area that say they got him to where he is today and it’s not true. Austin got himself there.
“He’s worked harder than anyone I’ve ever seen and the cool thing about it all is he hasn’t changed who he is. He’s still a great kid who continues to want to prove people wrong.”
Check out the story on Austin’s jersey retirement courtesy of Cincinnati.com and more photos of the ceremony by clicking here.
59 Days until Opening Night at Toyota Park
54 Days until First Kick in Los Angeles
12 Days until the First Team departs for training camp in Ave Maria, Fla.
These are important beginning of the year days but none are as close as the 2013 MLS SuperDraft in Indianapolis which is now literally right around the corner next Thursday, January 17.
With the event being so close to our fair city, Section 8 Chicago is running a bus to and from the SuperDraft for just $10 (departing Toyota Park at 7AM and returning at 9pm).
Admission to the actual draft is FREE and signups are beginning to go quickly.
So...get on the bus and you’ll be the first fans able to greet (and indoctrinate) the newest member of the Fire like these folks did with the future MLS Rookie of the Year last year in Kansas City…
Convinced yet? Sign up here and see you in Indy!
Atletico Madrid
Atletico came away with a 1-1 draw away to bottom-of-the-table Mallorca this past weekend. After going up 1-0 through Raul Garcia in the 72nd minute, Mallorca equalized in the 87th through Kevin.
Atletico Madrid take a short break from league action Thursday when they pay a visit to Getafe for the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie in which los Rojiblancos 3-0 on aggregate.
Now sitting 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, Atletico will look to close the gap when they welcome Real Zaragoza to the Calderon this Sunday.
Club America
Los Aguilas opened the 2013 Clausura campaign with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Monterrey Saturday afternoon in Mexico City. Ecuadorian midfielder Walter Avoyi put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute before America’s Jesus Molina equalized in the 39th.
With the match looking like it would end in a 1-1 draw, America was granted a late penalty kick which Rubens Sambueza converted in the 94th minute to clinch the three points.
The club will hope to continue it’s one-hundred percent record when they visit Jaguares this Friday.
Besiktas
Turkish side Besiktas most recently fell 2-0 to German side Wolfsburg in a friendly match this past Sunday. They’ll continue their winter break before returning to Super Lig action January 19 in a derby match against Istanbul BB.
Raja Casablanca
Raja Casablanca maintained their GNF league lead with a convincing 4-1, win over Difaa El Jadida this past Sunday. This upcoming Sunday, they will try to keep their slim league lead against lowly Raja Beni Mellal.
First, a warm welcome to the newest member of the Chicago Fire, midfielder Joel Lindpere.
The move to acquire the Estonian international was met with pretty high praise from yours truly, considering all that was exchanged was an international roster spot. Also consider that the guy has scored a few goals against the Fire since coming to MLS (three to be exact and four if you count a preseason goal he scored back in 2011).
That aside, here are five other reasons I can really appreciate the move for the club's latest addition...
- He’s the very definition of an iron man – In a total of 98 MLS regular season matches he’s been eligible for over the last three seasons, Lindpere has appeared in exactly 97 games, the most of any MLS player in that time span. That also includes goalkeepers.
Players on the current Fire roster with comparable MLS appearances over the last three MLS seasons: Dominic Oduro (93 with Chicago/Houston), Patrick Nyarko (91, Chicago), Logan Pause (87, Chicago) and Wells Thompson (79, Colorado/Chicago).
Lindpere has 3 goals in 7 games vs. the Fire
- There’s a certain swagger he has… He looks intimidating and the Estonian international has a certain bite that backs up the way he carries himself. His aggression and ability in the attack reminds me a bit of Dema Kovalenko, though with a few less yellow cards.…
- He has a pretty powerful left foot – Watch the video below. He’s a threat in crossing the ball but can also unleash a pretty powerful shot. Combine this acquisition with that of Maicon Santos and the power in attack has been greatly upgraded.
- Competition (and rest) in the midfield – The biggest knock against the Fire in 2012 was the perceived lack of enough squad rotation. By season’s end, the team looked a little bit tired and perhaps slightly predictable. With the likes of Nyarko, Alvaro Fernandez, Alex and the potential return of Corben Bone, the attacking midfield options available to Klopas in times of heavy fixture congestion have been upgraded as well.
- Good Results from transactions with Red Bull – Back in 2007 when Fire owner Andrew Hauptman filed tampering charges with New York relating to the Juan Carlos Osorio affair, the team received the Red Bulls’ first round selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft which the team used to select the-ever dangerous Patrick Nyarko.
Just about a year ago, the Fire traded the rights of defender Wilman Conde to Red Bull in exchanged for an undisclosed, but rumored to be high amount of allocation money that presumably went towards the acquisitions of defender Arne Friedrich and forward Chris Rolfe.
Not a bad track record…
WATCH: Joel Lindpere Highlights
Well its the last day of the year and we're aptly left remembering all that went down in the Fire world during 2012.
A new jersey sponsor, a Ring of Fire induction, a 15th Anniversary, playoff qualification and a Rookie of the Year winner are just some of the highlights.
Take a photographic look back on the club's memorable 15th season:
Stay tuned on Tuesday as I give my New Year's Resolutions for the Fire in 2013!
One of the final pieces of business for Section 8 Chicago every calendar year is to finalize the candidate listing for the board elections which take place at the ISA’s Annual General Meeting set for the last weekend of January every year.
Much like American presidential candidates have a deadline to declare candidacy in order to receive federal funding, Section 8 board candidates had to declare their intention to run by posting to the ISA’s forums by midnight on Thursday.
The deadline came and went Thursday night with all eight positions having at least one candidate running. While most are unopposed, two positions, Director of Finance and Director of Marketing will have election races.
Don’t like the American style two-party system? An interesting play in the Section 8 board elections is that candidates also list their group affiliation.
Though there are a number of different supporters groups that make up the umbrella of Section 8 Chicago, three (Ultras Red Side, Whiskey Brothers Aught Five and Westmont Ultras) are represented along with a number of folks who have no group affiliation (Independents).
In the coming weeks, candidates will lay out the plans they have for their positions via the Section 8 forums ahead of the AGM to be held January 26 (location to be confirmed). ALL Fire supporters are encouraged to attend the AGM and allowed to vote on board positions.
Find below the list of candidacies as well as their group affiliations and follow the race via the Section 8 forum:
Chair: Joel Biden * / Independent
Vice-Chair: Jeffrey Marinacci * / Independent
Communications: Nick Fedora / Whiskey Brothers ‘05
Events: Annie West / Independent
Finance: 1) Merrie Bunt / Ultras Red Side 2) Josue Gomez ** / Westmont Ultras
Operations: Eric Kekeis / Ultras Red Side
Marketing: 1) Frank Cardenas / Whiskey Brothers ‘05 2) Marty Groark * / Independent
Merchandise: Freddy Coba / Ultras Red Side
* - Incumbent ** - Current Board Member, new position
Good luck to all candidates!
Well you heard a bit about Jalil Anibaba and Austin Berry spending time at Atletico Madrid last month. Our friends at Kick TV followed the Fire's defensive pair during their stay at the Calderon... Check out the video below!
With today's league-wide announcement of MLS First Kick and Home Opening matches, we wanted to take a photgraphic look back at some of the team's previous matches to open their season...
Major League Soccer today released the final list of players eligible for Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry process to take place via teleconference Friday afternoon at 2pm CT.
Midfielder Corben Bone, defender Dan Gargan and goalkeeper Jay Nolly remained on the list from the Fire after passing through the Stage One draft last Friday. Of course the Fire were the only team to select a player in that draft, picking Brazilian forward Maicon Santos.
The Stage Two draft typically has more activity as teams who select players on Friday can negotiate their salaries. In Stage Two, teams cannot select their own players until after all 18 other teams have passed on them.
Players that pass through Friday's draft without getting picked are free to sign with any MLS team on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're at all still confused, I explained the entire Re-Entry Process in this blog last Friday.
The list of the 49 eligible players for Re-Entry is below. Salary numbers are from the most recent report by the MLS Players Union.
This is probably a weaker Re-Entry Field than we've seen in the two previous versions. Given the three players the Fire have exposed to the draft and considering the moves made so far this offseason (re-signing Arne Friedrich and Gonzalo Segares; acquiring Maicon Santos), who, if anyone would you want to see the Fire take in Stage Two tomorrow?
Tell us in the comments below...
| Team | Player | Position | 2012 Base Salary |
| CHI | Jay Nolly | GK | $78,250 |
| CHI | Corben Bone | M | $100,000 |
| CHI | Dan Gargan | D | $88,000 |
| CHV | Juan Pablo Angel | F | $350,000 |
| CHV | Peter Vagenas | M | $70,000 |
| CHV | Danny Califf | D | $275,000 |
| CHV | Alejandro Moreno | F | $185,000 |
| CLB | Will Hesmer | GK | $170,000 |
| CLB | Julius James | D | $100,000 |
| COL | Tyrone Marshall | D | $90,000 |
| COL | Scott Palguta | D | $63,670 |
| COL | Conor Casey | F | $400,000 |
| COL | Hunter Freeman | D | $105,000 |
| COL | Jamie Smith | M | $148,992 |
| COL | Ian Joyce | GK | $44,004 |
| COL | Joseph Nane | M | $44,100 |
| COL | Tyson Wahl | D | $65,000 |
| DC | Mike Chabala | D | $75,000 |
| DAL | Bruno Guarda | M | $60,000 |
| DAL | Kevin Hartman | GK | $165,000 |
| DAL | Julian De Guzman | M | $1,863,996 |
| DAL | Scott Sealy | F | $50,004 |
| HOU | Colin Clark | M | $105,427 |
| KC | Olukorede Aiyebusi | D | $44,100 |
| KC | Luke Sassano | M/D | $81,000 |
| LA | Chad Barrett | F | $220,000 |
| LA | Andrew Boyens | D | $62,500 |
| LA | Bryan Jordan | F | $55,000 |
| LA | Pat Noonan | F | $70,000 |
| MTL | Shavar Thomas | D | $80,000 |
| NE | Tim Murray | GK | $44,100 |
| NE | Blair Gavin | M | $60,000 |
| NY | Bill Gaudette | GK | $60,000 |
| NY | Stephen Keel | D | $65,000 |
| PHI | Chase Harrison | GK | $44,000 |
| POR | Lovel Palmer | M | $85,000 |
| RSL | Paulo Araujo, Jr. | F | $65,000 |
| SEA | Andrew Weber | GK | $51,996 |
| SEA | Mike Seamon | M | $33,750 |
| SJ | Jean Alexandre | M | $44,100 |
| SJ | Tim Ward | D | $65,000 |
| SJ | Ramiro Corrales | M | $173,250 |
| SJ | Joseph Gjertsen | M | $85,000 |
| SJ | Khari Stephenson | M | $190,000 |
| TOR | Eric Avila | M | $125,000 |
| TOR | Adrian Cann | D | $126,000 |
| TOR | Ty Harden | D | $90,000 |
| VAN | John Thorrington | M | $170,000 |
Over the last few years, tifo displays have become a rather large part of showcasing the vibrancy of a club’s supporters.
Long before tifo became the backdrop for so many wire photos and national broadcasts, it was Section 8 Chicago that helped to pioneer the movement in MLS circles.
It’s hard to forget some of the very memorable displays the ISA has come up with over the years: Super Mario Bros., “La Vida es un Carnivale”, “Tonight, We Reignite the Fire” and the Diversity display are just a few.
While all of those are very elaborate displays that take months of planning and work, much more simple displays (referred to as two-poles for the mechanisms that hold them in the air) have also become staples of the Harlem End.
Personal favorites of mine are the Stewie Griffin (right), The Blues Brothers and even my own special display that made its way into the Section earlier this year.
As we head towards the 2013 season, Section 8 is holding a Tifo Workshop this Sunday, December 16 from noon to 7pm at ChiTown Futbol (2255 S. Throop) in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
The workshop is open to all Fire fans who wish to create where their own two-pole or wall banner to hang at Fire matches. Folks that come out can also learn more about the work involved in creating the larger, aforementioned tifo displays that decorate the stadium from time to time.
The Banner Workshop will run from 12 noon until 7PM, and Tifo Crew members will be on hand to help you with your project. Bring your design on a USB flash drive or on a computer that has an HDMI output. Supplies will be provided by Section 8 Chicago.
Check out this video from the Tifo Crew Workshop held at ChiTown in Feburary…
See you Sunday!
