Chicago Fire FC

Team information

Inaugural season: 1998

Home field: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Owner: Joe Mansueto

Team colors: Red, blue, and gold

Overview

The Chicago Fire FC is an American soccer club that plays in the Major League Soccer (MLS) professional soccer league. Founded in 1997, the Fire first took the field in 1998 and have competed in the MLS Eastern Conference since 2002, having previously played in the Western and Central conferences at other times. In fact, the Fire hold the unique distinction of being the only MLS team to have won Eastern, Western, and Central conference championships. Morningstar, Inc. founder and chairman Joe Mansueto is the club investor/operator. The Fire plays its home games at Chicago’s legendary Soldier Field. Its name is a historical nod to the infamous Great Chicago Fire of 1871. One of the earliest MLS expansion teams, the Fire made a major impact upon arrival by winning both the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup in its first season. Since that time, it has remained one of MLS’s most competitive clubs. Over the course of its history, the Fire has been home to a number of noteworthy players, including midfielders Piotr Nowak and Luboš Kubík and forwards Frank Klopas and Ante Razov.

History

The Chicago Fire franchise is one of more than twenty teams that make up the MLS North American professional soccer league. Although it was first formed in 1995, the history of MLS dates back to the late 1980s. In 1988, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) reached a milestone agreement with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) that saw FIFA name the United States as host nation for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in exchange for a promise from the USSF to form a Division 1 professional soccer league. This promise was a critical one for the future of professional soccer in North America because the North American Soccer League (NASL), the previous Division 1 soccer league in the region, had folded just a few years earlier. Hosting the 1994 World Cup generated a great deal of interest in soccer across North America and provided the momentum needed to make the formation of MLS possible. Heading into its inaugural season in 1996, MLS boasted an initial roster of ten teams that included the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Dallas Burn, Colorado Rapids, New England Revolution, DC United, Columbus Crew, Kansas City Wiz, NY/NJ MetroStars, LA Galaxy, and the San Jose Clash.

The Chicago Fire’s 1998 debut was the culmination of a long effort to bring professional soccer back to Chicago more than a decade after the city had last fielded a pro team. Chicago had enjoyed a thriving soccer scene when it had a franchise in the NASL. Founded in 1975, the Chicago Sting was one of the preeminent North American professional soccer clubs during the latter years of the NASL’s existence. In 1981, the Sting defeated the New York Cosmos at the Soccer Bowl to win the NASL championship and bring the city of Chicago its first major professional sports title since the Bears claimed the National Football League (NFL) championship in 1963. The Sting subsequently went on to win the NASL championship for a second time in 1984. Unfortunately, the league folded after that season and the Sting immediately became defunct. The 1994 World Cup, which was held in Chicago ten years after the Sting’s untimely demise, reignited the city’s interest in soccer and ultimately led to the creation of MLS. While Chicago was not among the cities chosen to receive one of the first MLS franchises, Windy City soccer fans’ wait for a return to the field would ultimately be short.

In 1997, MLS began the process of expanding for the first time. The effort resulted in new franchises being awarded to two cities: Miami and Chicago. The Chicago franchise was initially founded as the Chicago Fire Soccer Club on October 8, 1997. Both the name and the official founding date of the Chicago Fire had a special significance to the city and its residents. The team was named for and founded on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, a massive conflagration that destroyed about 3.3 square miles of the city in 1871. The team’s logo, which takes the shape of a traditional fire department crest, also pays tribute to Chicago’s proud firefighting history.

Formed by Anschutz Entertainment Group and initially led by general manager Peter Wilt and head coach Bob Bradley, the Fire unexpectedly found success from the first time it took the field in the 1998 season. After winning both its first game against the other debut club, Miami Fusion, and the first home game at Soldier Field against the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the Fire embarked on an outstanding inaugural campaign that saw the club finish second in the Western Conference. More importantly, the Fire earned a playoff berth and ultimately went on to defeat reigning champions DC United to win the MLS Cup in its very first season.

The Fire continued to enjoy success in the years that followed this remarkable championship start. They returned to the MLS Cup final in 2000, but fell short of clinching another title after losing to the Kansas City Wizards. The club earned a third trip to the MLS Cup final in 2003, only to be defeated by the San Jose Earthquakes. In the decade and a half that followed, the Fire struggled to regain its winning ways and did not make the postseason again until 2018.

On May 8, 2023, the Fire fired its head coach, Ezra Hendrickson, and its assistant Junior Gonzalez, because of the team's poor performance. Frank Klopas, an assistant coach, was named interim head coach. The team saw its largest turnout in its history when it played against Miami on October 4. With an attendance of 62,124, Soldier Field was sold out.

Notable players

Many notable players have suited up for the Chicago Fire since the club was founded. Chief among the team’s top contributors are those named to the so-called Ring of Fire. These players include Piotr Nowak, Frank Klopas, Lubos Kubik, Chris Armas, C.J. Brown, and Ante Razov.

The inaugural member of the Ring of Fire, Polish midfielder Piotr Nowak was the undisputed leader of the Fire’s history-making first squad. En route to taking the Fire all the way to a debut season MLS Cup championship, Nowak distinguished himself as one of the league’s best players. For his efforts, Nowak was named the 1998 MLS MVP. He subsequently went on to be a multiple-time MLS All-Star and a three-time MLS Best XI winner, the league’s list of the eleven top players each season. Nowak also led the Fire to US Open Cup victories in 1998 and 2000. He retired in 2002.

Forward Frank Klopas was another member of the original Fire lineup who played a pivotal role in securing the team’s unlikely first-season championship victory. In the MLS Cup final, Klopas scored the famous golden goal in overtime that sealed the win and the title. In total, he played two seasons with the Fire, playing in forty games and scoring 17 points with 6 goals and 5 assists. Following his retirement, Klopas worked as a color commentator for the Fire and, later, as a member of the team’s front office staff.

Playing alongside Nowak and Klopas was Czech midfielder Luboš Kubík, who came to the Fire after first playing in several high-level European soccer leagues. As part of the Fire, Kubík quickly established himself as one of the league’s best players. In addition to helping his team win the MLS Cup in its first season, he won recognition as the 1998 Defender of the Year. Kubík remained with the Fire until he was traded to the Dallas Burn in 2001.

Midfielder Chris Armas joined the Fire in 1998 following a two-year stint with the LA Galaxy. After helping the Fire win both the MLS Cup and US Open Cup in the team’s inaugural season, Armas went on to become one of the team’s longest-tenured players. By the time of his retirement in 2007, Armas recorded 12 goals and 48 assists in a total of 214 games. He later briefly served as an assistant coach with the Fire in 2008.

The Fire’s first pick in the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft, defender C.J. Brown immediately proved his worth as a key member of the first Chicago squad. Playing for the team over the course of thirteen seasons, he ultimately became the team’s longest-tenured talent. In that time, Brown set team records for competitive (372), MLS regular season (296), MLS Cup playoff (35), and US Open Cup (26) appearances. When he retired in 2010, Brown left the team as the last active Fire Original.

Forward Ante Razov was undoubtedly one of the most important members of the Fire’s iconic first team. Acquired from the LA Galaxy ahead of the 1998 season, Razov played in thirty games and was the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals. He ultimately played seven seasons with the Fire and firmly established himself as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with a career total of 76 goals.

Other notable Fire players include Nemanja Nikolić, Chris Rolfe, Josh Wolff, David Accam, Dema Kovalenko, Damani Ralph, Mike Magee, and Hristo Stoichkov.

Bibliography

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“Chicago Fire FC.” Online Sports Database, 2024, www.osdbsports.com/mls/chicago-fire. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

“Chicago Fire FC.” Sports E-Cyclopedia, 2024, sportsecyclopedia.com/mls/chicago/fire.html. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

“Chicago Fire Logo.” Logos-World, 2024, logos-world.net/chicago-fire-logo. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

“Chicago Fire FC Stats and History.” FB Reference, 2024, fbref.com/en/squads/f9940243/history/Chicago-Fire-Stats-and-History. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

“Ring of Fire.” Chicago Fire FC, 2024, www.chicagofirefc.com/history/ring-of-fire. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

Rucker, Jael. “Major League Soccer History: How MLS Became a Big Business.” ONE37pm, 18 Feb. 2021, www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/major-league-soccer-history. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.