After a bitter final in SuperLiga 2009, where the Chicago Fire lost to Mexican side Tigres UANL in penalty kicks, Carlos de los Cobos’ team returns to the competition in 2010 with the ambition of going all the way this time.
MLS club New England Revolution, and Mexican clubs Pumas UNAM and Monarcas Morelia are the group opponents standing in the way of advancement to the tournament’s knockout round.
Below is a breakdown of the teams that the Chicago Fire will face…
New England Revolution: the 2008 SuperLiga champions return to the tournament with the goal of repeating their success of two years ago. Revs head coach Steve Nicol will count on experienced players such as Shalrie Joseph and Kheli Dube, as well as a new face in Serbian Marko Perovic. The Revs are the only Major League Soccer side to win SuperLiga in the tournament’s three-year history.
The Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution match is set for Saturday, July 17 at 6 PM CT at TOYOTA PARK before the clash between Mexican teams Morelia and Pumas UNAM at 8 PM CT.
Monarcas Morelia: Reaching the semifinals of the Mexican’s Torneo Bicentenario 2010 just a couple of months ago, Morelia will seek to keep the team in form with their participation in this year’s SuperLiga. The team, led by head coach Tomás Boy, is loaded with high-quality players such as forward Miguel Sabah, and more recent signings Jaime Lozano, Rafael Márquez Lugo and Argentinean goalkeeper Federico Vilar.
The Chicago Fire take on Monarcas Morelia Wednesday, July 14 at 8:30 PM CT following Manchester United’s training session at 4pm the same day at Toyota Park.
Pumas UNAM: In its their first SuperLiga appearance, Pumas enters the tournament with the view of winning it all, fielding the likes of world class players. Francisco “Paco” Palencia, Pablo Barrera, Israel Castro, Efraín Juárez and Paraguayan Darío Verón.
The Chicago Fire vs. Pumas UNAM match will be on Tuesday, July 20 at 8:30 PM CT at TOYOTA PARK.
Tickets for all three matches are available by calling (888) MLS-Fire or by visiting Chicago-Fire.com!
