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1998 Chicago Fire season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chicago Fire
1998 season
Head coachBob Bradley
Major League SoccerWest: 2nd
Overall: 3rd
MLS Cup PlayoffsWinners
U.S. Open CupWinners
Brimstone CupWinners
1999 →

The 1998 Chicago Fire season was the Chicago Fire Soccer Club's inaugural season of existence, and their first season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer.

The Chicago Fire enjoyed one of the strongest debuts for an expansion club in the history of American soccer and of the North American sports leagues in general. The Fire won the double by winning both MLS Cup '98 and the 1998 U.S. Open Cup Final, both in a five-day timespan. It was the first time that an expansion franchise in any of the major American sports leagues won the league championship. The next time an expansion franchise would reach the championship of their respective sports league would be 20 years later, when the first-year Vegas Golden Knights NHL ice hockey team reached the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.

Background

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The last professional soccer club to play in the Chicago area was the Chicago Sting, who played in the original NASL from 1974 to 1983, and then in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 to 1988. The Sting won two Soccer Bowl championships: in 1981 and again in 1984.

The Chicago Fire were one of two new MLS expansion teams to join MLS in 1998, and the first two ever expansion teams in league history, the other team being the now-defunct Miami Fusion. The Fire were founded on October 8, 1997,[1] on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The club was named after the event. The club focused on recruiting players of various descent to reflect on the diversity of the region. The team brought in Polish players Piotr Nowak, Jerzy Podbrożny, and Roman Kosecki; the Mexican Jorge Campos; and the Czech Luboš Kubík.

Club

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Roster

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No. Name Nationality Position Date of Birth (Age)[A] Previous Club
Goalkeepers
Jorge Campos Mexico GK (1966-10-15)October 15, 1966 (aged 32) Mexico Cruz Azul
Scott Coufal United States GK (1974-09-27)September 27, 1974 (aged 24)
Kevin Rueda United States GK (1969-03-16)March 16, 1969 (aged 29)
Zach Thornton United States GK (1973-10-10)October 10, 1973 (aged 25)
David Winner United States GK (1971-04-23)April 23, 1971 (aged 27)
Defenders
Diego Gutiérrez United States DF (1972-11-03)November 3, 1972 (aged 25)
Ritchie Kotschau United States DF (1975-11-22)November 22, 1975 (aged 22)
Luboš Kubík Czechoslovakia CB (1964-01-20)January 20, 1964 (aged 34)
Francis Okaroh Nigeria CB (1963-08-25)August 25, 1963 (aged 35)
Mike Richardson United States DF (1968-10-08)October 8, 1968 (aged 30)
Tom Soehn United States DF (1966-04-15)April 15, 1966 (aged 32)
Brian Bates United States DF (1972-08-16)August 16, 1972 (aged 26) United States Colorado Rapids
C. J. Brown United States CB (1975-06-15)June 15, 1975 (aged 23) United States San Francisco Bay Seals
Andrew Lewis United States DF (1974-07-10)July 10, 1974 (aged 24)
Joe Carver United States DF (1971-06-11)June 11, 1971 (aged 27)
Midfielders
Chris Armas United States MF (1972-08-22)August 22, 1972 (aged 26) United States LA Galaxy
Zak Ibsen United States MF (1972-06-02)June 2, 1972 (aged 26)
Josh Keller United States MF (1975-02-16)February 16, 1975 (aged 23)
Manny Lagos United States MF (1971-06-11)June 11, 1971 (aged 27)
Jesse Marsch United States MF (1973-11-08)November 8, 1973 (aged 24)
Peter Nowak Poland MF (1964-07-05)July 5, 1964 (aged 34)
Jorge Salcedo United States MF (1972-09-27)September 27, 1972 (aged 26)
Forwards
Frank Klopas United States FW (1966-09-01)September 1, 1966 (aged 32)
Roman Kosecki Poland FW (1966-02-15)February 15, 1966 (aged 32)
Tony Kuhn United States FW (1975-12-15)December 15, 1975 (aged 22)
Jerzy Podbrożny Poland FW (1966-12-17)December 17, 1966 (aged 31)
Ante Razov United States FW (1974-03-02)March 2, 1974 (aged 24)
Josh Wolff United States FW (1977-02-25)February 25, 1977 (aged 21)
  1. ^
    Player's age during the 1998 season.


Team management

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Position Staff
General Manager Peter Wilt
Head Coach Bob Bradley
Assistant Coach
Assistant Coach
Goalkeeper Coach

Source: [citation needed]

Competitive

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Major League Soccer

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Standings

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Western Conference
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Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 32 22 2 8 85 44 +41 68 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Chicago Fire 32 18 2 12 62 45 +17 56
3 Colorado Rapids 32 14 2 16 62 69 −7 44
4 Dallas Burn 32 11 4 17 43 59 −16 37
5 San Jose Clash 32 10 3 19 48 60 −12 33
6 Kansas City Wizards 32 10 2 20 45 50 −5 32
Source: MLS


Overall table
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Pos Team Pld W SOW L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Los Angeles Galaxy (S) 32 22 2 8 85 44 +41 68 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2 D.C. United 32 17 7 8 74 48 +26 58
3 Chicago Fire (C) 32 18 2 12 62 45 +17 56
4 Columbus Crew 32 15 0 17 67 56 +11 45
5 Colorado Rapids 32 14 2 16 62 69 −7 44
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield


Results by round

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Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132
StadiumAHAAHAHAHHAHHAHHHAAAAAHHAAHAHHHA
ResultWWLLLLLWWWSOWWWWWWWLLLLLWWWWLWWWL
Source: Chicago-Fire.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; SO = Shootout Win

Match reports

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March 21, 1998 (1998-03-21) 1 Miami Fusion 0–2 Chicago Fire Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Report
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium
Attendance: 14,653
Referee: Arturo Angeles
April 4, 1998 (1998-04-04) 2 Chicago Fire 2–0 Tampa Bay Mutiny Chicago
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 36,444
Referee: Esse Baharmast
April 8, 1998 (1998-04-08) 3 Kansas City Wizards 1–0 Chicago Fire Kansas City, Missouri
Report Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Attendance: 4,130
Referee: Kevin Terry
April 11, 1998 (1998-04-11) 4 San Jose Clash 1–0 Chicago Fire San Jose, California
Report
Stadium: Spartan Stadium
Attendance: 9,937
Referee: Marcel Yonan
April 17, 1998 (1998-04-17) 5 Chicago Fire 0–1 MetroStars Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 24,661
Referee: Juan Carlos Paniagua
April 25, 1998 (1998-04-25) 6 Colorado Rapids 4–4
(3–1 SO)
Chicago Fire Denver, Colorado
Report
Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Attendance: 10,736
Referee: Refugio Ramirez
Shootout
May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02) 7 Chicago Fire 1–3 D.C. United Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 27,136
Referee: Reggie Rutty
May 16, 1998 (1998-05-16) 8 Tampa Bay Mutiny 1–2 Chicago Fire Tampa, Florida
Report
Stadium: Houlihan's Stadium
Attendance: 6,391
Referee: Arturo Angeles
May 20, 1998 (1998-05-20) 9 Chicago Fire 3–1 Los Angeles Galaxy Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 10,520
Referee: Alex Prus
Note: Match originally scheduled for May 9, 1998
May 23, 1998 (1998-05-23) 10 Chicago Fire 5–0 Colorado Rapids Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 23,789
Referee: Marcel Yonan
Note: Match originally scheduled for May 24, 1998
May 30, 1998 (1998-05-30) 11 Los Angeles Galaxy 1–1
(1–3 SO)
Chicago Fire Pasadena, California
Report
Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 28,241
Referee: Rich Grady
Shootout
June 6, 1998 (1998-06-06) 12 Chicago Fire 2–0 Columbus Crew Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 19,801
Referee: Noel Kenny
June 11, 1998 (1998-06-11) 13 Chicago Fire 5–2 San Jose Clash Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 7,598
Referee: Kevin Stott
June 14, 1998 (1998-06-14) 14 New England Revolution 1–3 Chicago Fire Foxborough, Massachusetts
Report
Stadium: Foxboro Stadium
Attendance: 17,054
Referee: Tim Weyland
June 17, 1998 (1998-06-17) 15 Chicago Fire 1–0 Dallas Burn Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 9,638
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Note: Match originally scheduled for May 13, 1998
June 24, 1998 (1998-06-24) 16 Chicago Fire 4–1 Kansas City Wizards Chicago, Illinois
Report Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 13,396
Referee: Arturo Angeles
July 1, 1998 (1998-07-01) 17 Chicago Fire 4–1 Dallas Burn Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 13,615
Referee: Kevin Terry
July 4, 1998 (1998-07-04) 18 Dallas Burn 0–1 Chicago Fire Dallas
Report
Stadium: Cotton Bowl
Attendance: 12,372
Referee: Tim Weyland
July 9, 1998 (1998-07-09) 19 Columbus Crew 3–0 Chicago Fire Columbus, Ohio
Report Stadium: Ohio Stadium
Attendance: 10,091
Referee: Paul Tamberino
July 18, 1998 (1998-07-18) 20 D.C. United 4–1 Chicago Fire Washington, D.C.
Report
Stadium: RFK Stadium
Attendance: 16,779
Referee: Esse Baharmast
July 25, 1998 (1998-07-25) 21 MetroStars 3–2 Chicago Fire East Rutherford, New Jersey
Report
Stadium: Giants Stadium
Attendance: 15,130
Referee: Brian Hall
July 29, 1998 (1998-07-29) 22 San Jose Clash 3–0 Chicago Fire San Jose, California
Report
Stadium: Spartan Stadium
Attendance: 12,299
Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela
August 8, 1998 (1998-08-08) 23 Chicago Fire 1–2 Los Angeles Galaxy Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 37,122
Referee: Paul Tamberino
August 15, 1998 (1998-08-15) 24 Chicago Fire 2–1 San Jose Clash Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 16,610
Referee: Ted Covaciu
August 21, 1998 (1998-08-21) 25 Colorado Rapids 0–2 Chicago Fire Denver, Colorado
Report
Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Attendance: 24,450
Referee: Tim Weyland
August 29, 1998 (1998-08-29) 26 Kansas City Wizards 2–2
(2–3 SO)
Chicago Fire Kansas City, Missouri
Report
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Attendance: 8,621
Referee: Sandra Hunt
Shootout
September 2, 1998 (1998-09-02) 27 Chicago Fire 3–2 Miami Fusion Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 11,319
Referee: Jose Manuel Garcia Aranda
Note: Match originally scheduled for July 11, 1998
September 10, 1998 (1998-09-10) 28 Dallas Burn 3–2 Chicago Fire Dallas, Texas
Report
Stadium: Cotton Bowl
Attendance: 9,745
Referee: Ali Saheli
September 13, 1998 (1998-09-13) 29 Chicago Fire 3–1 Colorado Rapids Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 15,014
Referee: Kevin Terry
September 17, 1998 (1998-09-17) 30 Chicago Fire 1–0 Kansas City Wizards Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 8,283
Referee: Noel Kenny
September 23, 1998 (1998-09-23) 31 Chicago Fire 3–2 New England Revolution Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 11,244
Referee: Michael Kennedy
September 27, 1998 (1998-09-27) 32 Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0 Chicago Fire Pasadena, California
Report Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 20,105
Referee: Ali Saheli

MLS Cup Playoffs

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Western Conference semifinals

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October 1, 1998 (1998-10-01) Game 1 Chicago Fire 1–1
(3–2 SO)
Colorado Rapids Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 12,610
Referee: Kevin Terry
Shootout
October 5, 1998 (1998-10-05) Game 2 Colorado Rapids 0–1 Chicago Fire Denver, Colorado
Report
Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Attendance: 6,582
Referee: Noel Kenny

Western Conference finals

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October 10, 1998 (1998-10-10) Game 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 0–1 Chicago Fire Pasadena, California
Report
Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 25,107
Referee: Kevin Terry
October 16, 1998 (1998-10-16) Game 2 Chicago Fire 1–1
(2–1 SO)
Los Angeles Galaxy Chicago, Illinois
Report
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 32,744
Referee: Paul Tamberino
Shootout

MLS Cup

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October 25, 1998 (1998-10-25) MLS Cup Chicago Fire 2–0 D.C. United Pasadena, California
Report
Stadium: Rose Bowl
Attendance: 51,350
Referee: Kevin Terry

U.S. Open Cup

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July 6, 1998 (1998-07-06) Third round Chicago Stingers Illinois 1–3 Illinois Chicago Fire Arlington Heights, Illinois
July 22, 1998 (1998-07-22) Quarterfinals Chicago Fire Illinois 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
California San Jose Clash Dallas, Texas
Stadium: Cotton Bowl
Attendance: 3,812
Referee: Kevin Terry
Penalties
August 4, 1998 (1998-08-04) Semifinals Chicago Fire Illinois 3–2 Texas Dallas Burn Metairie, Louisiana
Stadium: Zephyr Field
Attendance: 6,514
Referee: Rich Grady
October 30, 1998 (1998-10-30) Final Chicago Fire Illinois 2–1 (a.e.t.) Ohio Columbus Crew Chicago, Illinois
Stadium: Soldier Field
Attendance: 18,615
Referee: Arturo Angeles

Statistics

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Appearances and Goalscorers

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No. Pos Nat Player Total MLS MLS Cup US Open Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
14 MF United States USA Chris Armas 39 1 31 1 5 0 3 0
5 DF Czech Republic CZE Luboš Kubík 40 11 31 7 5 2 4 2
2 DF United States USA C. J. Brown 37 2 28 2 5 0 4 0
20 DF Nigeria NGA Francis Okaroh 33 0 26 0 5 0 2 0
15 MF United States USA Jesse Marsch 38 3 25+4 2 5 1 4 0
11 FW Poland POL Roman Kosecki 28 10 25 9 1 0 2 1
9 FW Poland POL Jerzy Podbrożny 34 8 25+1 6 5 1 3 1
12 FW United States USA Ante Razov 38 11 24+6 10 5 0 2+1 1
10 MF Poland POL Piotr Nowak 31 7 24 6 5 1 1+1 0
18 GK United States USA Zach Thornton 33 0 23+2 0 5 0 3 0
3 DF United States USA Ritchie Kotschau 26 4 23+1 4 0 0 2 0
41 FW United States USA Frank Klopas 33 8 17+10 6 1+2 0 2+1 2
8 MF United States USA Diego Gutiérrez 21 2 8+5 0 5 1 3 1
1 GK Mexico MEX Jorge Campos 10 0 8+1 0 0 0 1 0
DF United States USA Jorge Salcedo 11 0 6+5 0 0 0 0 0
17 DF United States USA Andrew Lewis 15 0 6+7 0 0 0 2 0
6 DF United States USA Tom Soehn 11 0 6 0 0+5 0 0 0
25 DF United States USA Zak Ibsen 34 0 5+22 0 0+3 0 2+2 0
16 FW United States USA Josh Wolff 23 9 4+10 8 3+2 0 3+1 1
19 MF United States USA Josh Keller 9 0 3+3 0 0 0 1+2 0
DF United States USA Brian Bates 4 0 2+2 0 0 0 0 0
22 FW United States USA Tony Kuhn 7 0 1+4 0 0+1 0 1 0
24 GK United States USA Scott Coufal 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
7 MF United States USA Manny Lagos 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
4 DF England ENG Michael Richardson 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0

Goalscorers

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Rank Pos. No. Player MLS MLS Cup US Open Cup Total

Transfers

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Transfers in

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No. Pos. Player From Fee Date Source

Transfers out

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No. Pos. Player To Fee Date Source

Loan in

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No. Pos. Player Loaned from Start End Source

Loan out

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No. Pos. Player Loaned to Start End Source

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chicago Fire Club History". chicago-fire.com.
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