U.S. Open Cup Commentary

It seems cliché but I feel it important to say that today we’ve come full circle.
“Who would have thought we’d be here back in Peoria,” said Chicago Fire Team Administrator Ron Stern at Monday night’s final training session at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, WA.
It all seemed so innocent then. The Fire had to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup for only the second time in club history. Sure, we knew Colorado hadn’t brought a full squad in for a midweek match three hours southwest of Chicago. Only 14 Rapids players actually traveled for the March 30 game at Bradley University’s Shea Stadium while all but Marco Pappa (international duty) and Josip Mikilic (injury) were scratches from the previous game’s lineup.
Less than a week prior, those in attendance at a Supporters Q&A session held the night before the home opener vs. Sporting KC heard both club owner Andrew Hauptman and Director of Player Personnel Mike Jeffries underline the importance of the U.S. Open Cup. The latter reinstated that the team would field its strongest possible lineup in all matches after the club had failed to live up to tournament expectations following the 2006 title.
Days later we found ourselves in Peoria on a night that should live on forever in Fire history.

It was the intimate venue. It was the goal calls from Brendan Hannan. It was the mysterious fog that hung over Shea Stadium. It was that blazing 40-yard effort from Jalil Anibaba that sealed the victory.
On that night, without anyone knowing it, the proverbial stars aligned. What this club may have taken for granted during early round losses to lesser sides in three of the previous four seasons was realized. It was a new team that took to the field at Bradley University that early spring night.
Even as the 2011 Chicago Fire season started out strong with four points across two games in the league, looking back through a coaching change at the end of May and only two league wins midway through August, I’m left to wonder what our season could have been if not for that win and the ensuing tournament run…

A penalty kick victory in San Jose, a narrow edging out in Rochester, a thrashing back home against New York and a memorable match vs. Richmond have brought us to this moment. On the heels of those performances, the team finds itself just three points out of an MLS Cup playoff spot – something most would have though as an unthinkable position just a month ago.
Supporters, as we sit just 90 or 120 minutes (or penalties) away from engraving the Fire name in tournament lore next to Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles, take comfort in the fact that we have the man who began our club’s legacy in this tournament steering the ship tonight.
Though most Seattle supporters believe American Soccer began in 2009 (and probably wouldn’t realize the USL version of their club made it to the tournament semifinals the year before), take pride in the fact that the Chicago Fire are #KingsoftheCup, winning four tournament titles in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006.
With 35,000+ expected to be in attendance at CenturyLink Field tonight, most national pundits like Alexi Lalas have written us off. Who cares though, we have Eric Wynalda on our side. There’s no doubt this will be a tough game in an incredible environment but the “foregone conclusion” about the result for tonight’s match will make victory that much sweeter.
Fire fans, enjoy this moment. Wear the crest with pride as we know all 18 players here will tonight.
Whether you’re in Seattle, back in Chicago or halfway around the world, Stand & Deliver, for tonight our guys look to make history.
Let’s Do This Again. Go Fire.
Jeff Crandall is the Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.