Passion for Chicago Fire Burns Bright

One Olympic sport with growing popularity in both Chicago and the nation overall is soccer. It’s appealing to the youth of this country with over 19 million children currently participating in the sport. The Chicago Fire, the Second City’s Major League Soccer team, was founded on October 8, 1997, the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In the Fire’s inaugural season of 1998 the club won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. They also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2000, ’03 and ‘06. And they were also runner-up for the MLS Cup twice (’00, ’03).

The Chicago Fire logo is modeled from a standard Fire Department crest, featuring what a Florian’s cross. The city’s fire department is one of many that utilize this symbol. The team’s first GM, Peter Wilt, sought to create a logo with a classic image like the NHL’s Original Six franchises and also evoke the symbols and brands associated with European soccer clubs.

Home Fires

In 2008, the Fire had one of their better years at the gate drawing an average of 17,034, well above their all-time average of 15,717. The team played at the famous home of the Chicago Bears NFL franchise, Soldier Field both before (1998-2001) and after the renovation (2004–2005). From 2002–2003 the team played their home games a formidable distance from the city, in Naperville’s Cardinal Stadium. They currently play in their own stadium, Toyota Park located at 71st and Harlem Avenue in the southwest suburb of Bridgeview. Toyota Park, also one of the city’s premier summer concert venues, is owned by that municipality.

The “Ring of Fire” was established in 2003 by the team and the club’s Alumni Association to honor those who have made special contributions to the cause of making the Chicago Fire a proud and successful club. Aside from the charter member, only current “Ring of Fire” members can select new inductees, and no more than one can be selected within any one year. The names of the “Ring of Fire” are prominently displayed at Toyota Park.

Competition

Like the many trophy games of college football, a special and original prize goes to the victor between the Fire and FC Dallas. Since 2001, the two teams compete annually for the Brimstone Cup. FC Dallas is the Fire’s biggest rival, but the events of recent years have stimulated a new rivalry between the Fire and the New England Revolution, another team with nickname paying homage to the city’s history and culture. The Revolution-Fire rivalry is starting to resemble that of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees or Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox because the clubs have ended each other’s season (whether in the playoffs or during the regular season) every year since 2001. The Fire’s current squad is coached by Denis Hamlet and captained by Cuahtemoc Blanc.

Chicago has a built-in passion for soccer, taking over Soldier Field when high profile games come to Chicago, especially Mexico.  Having other global fans at our doorstep in 2016 would be fantastic - bring it on!