In today’s Fire Wire, Jeff Crandall looks at the young
talent that had a weekend of firsts, Orrin Schwartz takes a closer look at
midfielder Corben Bone, and Travis Clark breaks down the Chicago Fire Academy
program’s expansion.
The Fire travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the
Philadelphia Union, coached by the Fire’s first-ever captain Peter Nowak.
Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. CT on Galavision.
It was a weekend of firsts for some of the Chicago Fire
youngin’s. Nineteen-year-old Orr Barouch drew a free kick on which Marco Pappa
netted the Fire’s first goal, and tallied his first goal in a Fire uniform
later in the match. Corben Bone also had a breakout performance in Toronto,
earning his first assist for the Fire. And nearly 4,000 miles away in
California, rookie Davis Paul tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend
Somerlyn. Chicago-Fire.com’s Jeff
Crandall has the full story.
The praise keeps rolling in for
Corben Bone who, as Orrin Schwarz of the Daily Herald puts it, may have quickly
become “the most important player on the Fire roster.” Schwarz notes how the
Fire were in desperate need of Bone’s ability to “keep possession when
necessary, start the attack, make the incisive pass that puts a teammate
through for a good scoring chance, and maybe even score a few goals himself.”
Read the entirety of Schwarz story at DailyHerald.com.
As a result of MLS’s rapid growth, club-run youth initiatives
are expanding, and the Chicago Fire Academy program is following suit. At the
moment, the Fire have several affiliates spread across the country, in addition
to its two youth teams competing in the USSF Development Academy League at the
U-16 and U-18 level. And they are still looking to expand. This expansion will
increase not only the quality of Chicago’s youth program but also the presence
of the Fire Academy at the Toyota Park facilities by adding six new teams to
the mix. Travis Clark has the full
breakdown at MLSsoccer.com.
