Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois , United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid . They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL.
59-568: The team played its home games at the artificial turf practice field adjacent to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois . The team's colors were red and white. Until 2005 they were known as the Chicago Fire Reserves . In 2006, they were renamed Chicago Fire Premier . From the 2008 season, the team was usually referred to as Chicago Fire PDL , although the official name of the team did not change. Chicago Fire Reserves entered
118-604: A 10-game unbeaten streak. Fire annihilated the Wisconsin Rebels 10–0 in the penultimate regular season game, with goals from future pros Chris Rolfe and Ryan Miller amongst others, and wrapped up their third consecutive divisional title with a 4–0 victory away in Wisconsin. The playoffs were hosted by the Michigan Bucks , and Fire progressed in impressive form with an 8–0 demolition of Indiana Invaders in
177-444: A 1–0 defeat at the hands of A-League side Rochester Raging Rhinos , but their efforts still illustrated the strength of the team. Back in league play, Chicago's only dropped points came in the game against Kalamazoo Kingdom , which finished 0–0, but as the season wound down Fire still punished their luckless opponents: young Bosnian striker Vedad Ibišević scored twice in their 4–1 win over Wisconsin, and Khumalo scored another two in
236-468: A 2–1 victory. Fire's biggest win of the season was the 5–0 hammering of Fort Wayne Fever in mid-June that featured a brace from substitute striker Strider Elass , but they were already too far behind Michigan to catch them on the run-in, and were lucky not to be caught at the post themselves with two more losses in July, including a 2–0 final day defeat to Cleveland. Chicago overcame Thunder Bay Chill 3–1 in
295-876: A 3–0 win over the DC United player development team in the semifinals. The Fire qualified for the North American Finals after finishing on top of the Midwest Conference with a record of 10–1–0. The Fire finished the season with a 15-game winning streak and a final record of 15–1–0. Their two-year record of 23–2–3 is the best in North America in the Super 20 division. The team was led by captains and Super 20 League Co-MVP's Robert Younger (Illinois-Chicago) and Mark Blades (Northwestern). Mike Stephens (UCLA) and Chris Cutshaw (Bradley) were named to
354-561: A 4–0 loss at the hands of Michigan Bucks , the team's worst result in many years. Fire were still victorious more often than not, but somehow seemed to lose the sheen of invincibility that had followed them for more than half a decade: Cleveland Internationals pushed them all the way in their 2–1 win in Ohio, Toronto and West Michigan held on for a pair of 0–0 ties, and Indiana stole all three points in their game in South Bend, holding on for
413-453: A 5–0 drubbing of Sioux Falls Spitfire that featured a Robert Mouw hat trick, three 4-goal victories over St. Louis, Thunder Bay and Kansas, and a four-game streak in mid June where they did not concede a single goal. A hard-fought game against the St. Louis Strikers ended with a 4–3 loss for Chicago, but this was their only stutter in the latter part of the regular season, which saw them end with
472-526: A brick facade and stone entry archway, and first rows placed fewer than three yards from the field. It includes 42 executive suites, six larger party suites, the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Fire club offices, as well as a large stadium club/banquet room measuring over 9,000 square feet (840 m ). A practice facility with two fields (one natural grass; the other artificial turf) for
531-401: A comprehensive 3–0 win on the road against new boys Kalamazoo. Ties became Chicago's problem during the mid-seasons stretch: they were forced to endure four of them in five games during June, although the 2–2 tie with West Virginia Chaos was more a relief, as they had been 2 goals down with less than 20 minutes to play. Midfielder Michael Ferguson scored twice in their hard-fought 3–2 win over
590-622: A force to be reckoned with in the Central Conference, as evidenced by the fact that goalkeeper Matt Pickens and defender Denny Clanton were named the 'Best of the Year' for their respective positions by the PDL. Chicago's 2003 campaign was the most successful in their history to date; despite losing their opening salvo 2–0 away at Des Moines Menace , the Fire recovered to rattle off eight consecutive wins in their next eight games, including
649-516: A numerical advantage for more than an hour, Chicago were beaten by an injury time goal from Ventura's Alfonso Motagalvan , and had to be content with the runners up spot. Andre Akpan was the team's top scorer, with seven goals, while Rich Balchan contributed three assists. Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was also voted the PDL Goalkeeper of the Year. The club folded at the end of the 2016 season. A new club, Chicago FC United , replaced them for
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#1732801355625708-404: A re-evaluation of the stadium lease in 2018, shortly after Joe Mansueto acquired his stake in the team. In early April 2019, several media reports emerged about a potential contract buyout that would allow the Fire to move back to Chicago, playing temporarily at Soldier Field once again. On May 8, 2019, Fire president Nelson Rodriguez confirmed that the team was negotiating a tentative deal with
767-456: Is currently operated by Spectra . In July 2016, two large-scale murals were designed and painted by artist Tony Passero on the east and west walls of the stadium's stage suites. The murals measure 14 feet high by 27 feet in length, and are named "Offense" and "Defense". On November 27, 2010, SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification match between USA and Italy ; USA defeated Italy 1–0 and advanced to
826-735: Is the home stadium of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League , Chicago Fire FC II of MLS Next Pro , and the Chicago Hounds of Major League Rugby . The stadium has also hosted the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer , Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse , Chicago Bliss of the Legends Football League , Chicago State Cougars men's and women's soccer teams of
885-870: The Cape Cod Crusaders , who scored a goal in each half to take the title 2–0. Chicago continued to dominate in 2004, winning the Heartland Division with a 17–0–1 record, scoring 73 goals while conceding just 7 all season long, and ending the regular season campaign with the best record in the entire PDL. Chicago were simply unstoppable all season long: they scored 32 goals without reply in the month of May, overwhelming Wisconsin Rebels 8–0, flattening Sioux Falls Spitfire 9–0 with three goals from Patrick Grange and braces from both James Klatter and Hamid Mehreioskouei , and putting five goals past Indiana Blast . Fire didn't concede their first goal until
944-581: The Cincinnati Kings in July, and they enjoyed the best result of the season with their 6–0 hammering of West Michigan Edge on the final weekend – a game which saw all six Fire goals scored by different players. Chicago lost 2–0 to Kalamazoo in the playoff divisional round, a result which, for the fifth consecutive year, saw a superb regular season end with a disappointing playoff campaign. Michael Ferguson and Carlos França were Chicago's top performers, with 4 goals and 3 assists each. Fire started
1003-722: The NCAA Division I , and Chicago House AC of the National Independent Soccer Association . Originally Toyota Park when it opened on June 11, 2006, the facility has a capacity of 20,000 and was developed at a cost of around $ 100 million. The naming rights agreement with SeatGeek went into effect following the Fire's 2018 season . The Chicago Fire entered Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 1998, playing its first four seasons at Soldier Field in Chicago, which they shared with
1062-576: The NISA announced that they had selected SeatGeek Stadium as their home. Nevertheless, in 2022 , because of Soldier Field availability, the Fire played late-season matches at the stadium and may still play other matches there in future seasons while it solves its Chicago stadium situation. Moreover, its MLS Next Pro affiliate Chicago Fire FC II is based out of Bridgeview. Incorporating traditional stadium features from American and European facilities, SeatGeek Stadium includes predominantly covered seating,
1121-603: The National Football League (NFL)'s Chicago Bears . Beginning in 2002, the club moved to Cardinal Stadium (now Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium ) in Naperville for two seasons while Soldier Field was renovated, leading to calls for a soccer-specific venue . The Fire received several bids before announcing Bridgeview as the winner in 2003. Construction on the Bridgeview venue began on November 30, 2004, and
1180-535: The US Open Cup for the second time in 2005, and enjoyed another taste of success amongst the big boys, beating local USASA team AAC Eagles 4–1 in the first round, and pushed USL First Division powerhouse Minnesota Thunder all the way in the second round before being narrowly defeated 2–1 off a heartbreaking late own goal. Fire's trip to the playoffs was yet again a frustrating one, as the #1 seeds fell 4–0 to Heartland Division runners-up Des Moines Menace in
1239-413: The US Open Cup ; they flattened Illinois-based USASA side S.A.C. Wisla 5–1 in their first round tie, with two of the goals being scored by Julian Nash , and even more impressively overcame PSL stalwarts New Hampshire Phantoms by the same scoreline in the second round, despite the game being Chicago's first ever match against professional opposition. Fire's fairytale run ended in the third round with
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#17328013556251298-784: The World Cup . SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2006 MLS All-Star Game , in which the MLS side defeated Chelsea F.C. 1–0. The stadium also hosted the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 's final, in which the Chicago Fire defeated the LA Galaxy 3–1. SeatGeek Stadium hosts annual friendly matches between Chicago Fire and the popular European and Mexican clubs, which in the past included Tottenham Hotspur F.C. , A.C. Milan , Everton , C.D. Guadalajara , Club America , Santos Laguna , and others. SeatGeek Stadium hosted four matches during
1357-497: The 2009 season superbly, winning four of their first five games, including three back-to-back road victories over Cleveland, Fort Wayne and Toronto, and qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup . Their cup run was brief but satisfying, beating the National Premier Soccer League 's Milwaukee Bavarians before falling to the professional Minnesota Thunder 4–0 in the second round. Chicago's biggest rival throughout
1416-609: The 2017 season, with several of the staff from the Chicago Fire PDL club moving to the new club. This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team. Division Championships (7): Other: Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from
1475-539: The 5–0 win over Indiana Invaders which secured the divisional title. Fort Wayne Fever hosted the Central Conference playoffs, and Chicago overcame the hosts 3–1 in the semi-final, to set up a decider with the Boulder Rapids Reserve in the conference championship. However, after a 0–0 tie in regulation time, Boulder midfielder John Pulido scored a 98th minute golden goal to send the Colorado team
1534-590: The All-finals team and Matt Eliason (Northwestern) won the Golden Boot award as the leading scorer in the North American Finals with 6 goals in 5 matches, including the game winner in the 81st minute of the Championship match against Toronto. Toyota Park (Bridgeview) SeatGeek Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois , about 12 miles southwest of downtown Chicago . It
1593-616: The Central Conference playoff semi-final with two late goals from Braden Fleak , but yet again were unable to make that final step onto the national stage, losing 3–0 to Michigan in the Conference final. Strider Elass was Chicago's top scorer with 5 goals, while David Roth contributed 4 assists. Normal service was resumed in 2008, with Chicago reclaiming their divisional title – the 7th in 8 years – ahead of Kalamazoo Outrage with an 8–2–6 record. The season started well for Fire, who rattled off five wins in their first six games, including
1652-572: The Fire club and its youth programs lies next to the stadium. The stadium's design allows expansion of 50% more seating at negligible expense. Its 120-by-75-yard (110 by 69 m) natural grass field's $ 1.7 million turf management system comprises full heating, drainage, and aeration capabilities. A permanent stage allows the stadium to host concerts and quickly change configurations. A typical conversion from soccer to stage takes no more than 18 hours. The field accommodates 8,000 additional chairback seats for concerts and other stage events. SeatGeek Stadium
1711-481: The Fire, they lost the Central Conference championship game to Heartland Division champions Sioux Falls Spitfire (who went on to finish third in the national playoffs), but is still marked an excellent debut for the team – so much so that head coach Bret Hall was named PDL Coach of the Year in the end of season awards. The Class of 2001 also featured future international stars Jay DeMerit and Gavin Glinton . 2002
1770-466: The Great Lakes division in 2005, but still ran away with their fifth divisional title in five years, enjoying a superb 14–1–1 record, nine points clear of second-placed Michigan Bucks . Their single defeat was a 3–2 loss against Indiana Invaders in a bad-tempered match which saw Fire coach Mike Matkovich and Indiana striker Leonardo Peirano-Pardeiro both sent off; however, the rest of the season
1829-646: The Great Lakes division, and began the playoffs by defeating London for a second time in the first round. Subsequent victories over Kalamazoo and the Ocean City Barons gave Chicago a second Conference title; they overcame the Cary Clarets 2–1 in extra time in a bad-tempered semi-final in which two players and two coaches were red carded, and travelled to California for the PDL Championship game against Ventura County Fusion . Despite having
Chicago Fire U-23 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-479: The PDL in 2001 as part of an effort on the part of MLS franchise Chicago Fire to develop and enhance the level of youth soccer in the Chicago area . Playing under the auspices of a professional club gave the Fire an advantage in terms of organization and player talent identification, which has led to them becoming one of the most successful teams in the PDL, winning their divisional title on all but one occasion, in
1947-698: The Super-20 All League team. On August 3, 2008, the Chicago Fire Super-20 team became the first MLS player development team to win a league championship by becoming the North American Super 20 champions after defeating Toronto 2–1 in the Super-20 Final. The win capped a dominating finals competition in which the Fire went 5–0 and outscored the other conference qualifiers by an aggregate score of 17–2, including
2006-584: The USL's Super-20 League , a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the United Soccer Leagues umbrella. The Crusaders were one of the most successful minor-league soccer teams in the United States, having been national PDL champions twice, in 2002 and 2003. The team was also one of the most long-lasting teams, having played in four different leagues, at two different levels, over
2065-417: The assists stats with 3. The 2007 season was the first blip in the history books for Chicago, as they narrowly failed to win their division, instead finishing second to the Michigan Bucks . Chicago actually started the season with a wobble, tying Indiana Invaders 1–1 in their first game, beating Fort Wayne Fever and West Michigan Edge , but then tying 2–2 with league new boys Toronto Lynx , and suffering
2124-500: The club's first 8 years, and having many of their players graduate on to the biggest of soccer stages. The team's first season was a winning one, as they took the Great Lakes Division with a 15–1–4 record, ten points clear of second place West Michigan Edge , and into the playoffs at the first time of asking. Their opponent in the semi-final was Mid-South Division champs Texas Spurs who they beat 1–0; unfortunately for
2183-511: The conference semi-final. Dave Leung was Fire's top scorer, with 8 goals (closely followed by Brown and Mehreioskouei with 6 each), while Leung, John DiRaimondo and John Michael Hayden all contributed 3 assists. The team changed its name to Chicago Fire Premier in 2006, and made it six for six in league play, taking Great Lakes Division once more with an impressive 14–2–0 regular season record, 12 points clear of perennial bridesmaids, Michigan Bucks . Chicago actually lost their second game of
2242-614: The course of more than a decade. In the mid-2000s the Crusaders became part of the Massachusetts Premier Soccer (MPS) organization, which runs soccer schools and north senior and junior amateur leagues across Massachusetts, with the intent of developing and promoting the game. In 2007, Crusaders striker Ricardo Pierre-Louis was part of the Haiti squad which took part in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup . Pierre-Louis
2301-420: The game to penalties. Chicago keeper Evan Bush saved from Alexander Munns in the shootout, and the rest of the team kept their heads to win the shootout 5–3. However the exertions of the day took its toll on the team, when they lost the Conference final by a comprehensive 4–1 scoreline to the Michigan Bucks . Ryan Anderson was Chicago's top scorer, with 11 goals; Siniša Ubiparipović and Cesar Zambrano led
2360-549: The group stage of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship . SeatGeek Stadium hosted its first international rugby match in 2007, with the United States Eagles losing 6–10 to provincial side Munster . In June 2008 the stadium hosted three matches of the Churchill Cup , including United States vs Canada , England Saxons vs Scotland A , and Ireland Wolfhounds vs Argentina Jaguares . On June 6, 2009,
2419-540: The historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html The Fire Premier, in its affiliation with the MLS Chicago Fire, became a member of the USL Super-20 league in 2007. Continuing with the program's successful tradition, the team qualified for the North American Finals with an undefeated regular season record in 2007. The team moved all
Chicago Fire U-23 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-432: The national final four, and send the Fire home disappointed. The 2004 Fire team was awash with future stars: in addition to top scorers Nowaf Jaman and Julian Nash , who scored 12 goals each, players such as Drew Moor , Dasan Robinson , Chris Rolfe all featured for the team, while goalkeeper Brad Guzan posted the best GK stats in the PDL – 0.388 goals against – before turning pro with Chivas USA . Fire moved back to
2537-579: The season and again featured goals from Ryan Anderson, and despite being unexpectedly dropped 3–1 by West Michigan Edge on the road, had already clinched their division by the time they walloped Thunder Bay Chill on the final day of the regular season. The Central Conference playoff semi-final against Des Moines Menace was a classic: 1–1 at the end of regular time, and with a man advantage following Danilo Oliveira 's red card, Chicago scored twice in extra time to be 3–1 ahead with just nine minutes to play, only to see Des Moines come back and score twice to take
2596-407: The season was Kalamazoo Outrage , who handed Chicago their only defeat of the regular season, a 2–1 loss at home in early June. Elsewhere, however, Chicago were virtually flawless; they outclassed the Michigan Bucks 3–0 in early July, put five past the Cincinnati Kings , and ended Forest City London 's hopes of a divisional title with a 3–1 win in mid-July. They finished the year in second place in
2655-470: The season, 2–0 at home to Kalamazoo Kingdom but recovered quickly to rattle off eleven consecutive victories over the next two months. Striker Ryan Anderson scored a hat trick in the 4–0 win over Indiana Invaders in late May, and then held on to take a 4–3 victory in the see-sawing return fixture in South Bend in June. The 5–0 win over Cleveland Internationals on July 1 was the most comprehensive victory of
2714-407: The semi-final that saw Patrick Grange , Jamal Sutton and Kirk Harwat each grab two goals each. Fire overcame hosts Michigan 2–0 in the Central Conference final to progress to the national final four; they beat Western Conference champions Orange County Blue Star 3–1 with goals from Jamal Sutton and Chris Rolfe to progress to their first PDL Championship Game. Their opponents in the final were
2773-522: The seventh game of the season (a 3–1 win over the Michigan Bucks ), but their exquisite form in front of goal continued unabated: five goals against Kansas City Brass , six on the road over St. Louis Strikers , and another five against the hapless Wisconsin Rebels were the June highlights, with Nowaf Jaman hitting four goals in the Kansas game, and Thabiso Khumalo netting a hat trick against St. Louis. Chicago's amazing form gave their first ever berth in
2832-456: The stadium hosted a 2009 mid-year rugby test series match between United States and Wales in a warmup match for the US in its campaign to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup . SeatGeek Stadium served as the home site for Roosevelt University men's and women's soccer matches from 2010 until 2019, when the team moved their matches to Illinois Institute of Technology 's on-campus stadium. It
2891-526: The stadium. From 2006 to 2015, SeatGeek Stadium has been the host venue for Chicago radio station B96 's annual summer concert, The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash . The Crossroads Guitar Festival was held on July 28, 2007, and again on June 26, 2010. Pace operates the #387 SeatGeek Stadium Express nonstop from the Midway Orange Line Station for Chicago Fire matches and special events. A $ 2.475 million transit center operated by Pace
2950-867: The team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid , until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league. The team played its home games at several different venues in eastern Massachusetts: mainly in stadium on the campus of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy , but also at Whitman-Hanson High School in Whitman, Massachusetts , and at Bowditch Stadium in Framingham, Massachusetts . Also played at Barnstable High School in
3009-469: The town of Hyannis, Massachusetts . The Crusaders' historical home was the stadium on the grounds Dennis Yarmouth High School in the town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts , where they won back to back championships in 2002 and 2003. The team's colors were red and white. The team had a sister organization, the Boston Renegades , who play in the women's USL W-League . The club still fields a team in
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#17328013556253068-408: The village to terminate their lease, which was slated to run through 2036, at an estimated cost of $ 65 million. The terms of the deal were confirmed on July 9, 2019. In consideration for releasing the Fire and MLS from the lease, the Fire will put money toward a "multisport recreation and entertainment center" at the site. The Red Stars have no plans to move. On January 27, 2021, Chicago House AC of
3127-655: The way through to the North American Championship defeating MLS player development teams from D.C. United and New York Red Bulls on the way, before falling in the North American Championship to the Player Development Academy of New Jersey, by a score of 3–1. Larry Sunderland was named Coach of the Year for the Super-20 division and players Chris Schuler (Creighton University) and Braden Fleak (Wright St. University) were named to
3186-676: Was announced in December 2019 that the Chicago Blitz of the Extreme Football League would play their inaugural season at SeatGeek Stadium. The first college football game at the stadium took place on September 7, 2013, between DIII schools John Carroll and Saint Norbert, a game which John Carroll won 41–0. For their 2021 season, the Chicago State Cougars men's and women's soccer teams played at
3245-506: Was comparative plain sailing for Chicago, despite the team having no permanent home, instead traveling all around southern Illinois in search of a stadium to play in. The regular season highlights included a 4–0 thrashing of Fort Wayne Fever in late May which features a brace from striker Kyle Brown , a 4–0 win over 10-man Thunder Bay Chill in mid-June off two more Brown goals, and a 6–0 demolition of Toledo Slayers in July with two goals from super-sub Hamid Mehreioskouei . Chicago returned to
3304-463: Was completed on June 11, 2006. In 2006, Toyota entered into a ten-year naming rights agreement and renamed the new stadium Toyota Park. In 2016, it was reported that Toyota had opted against renewing their naming rights. Despite this, the stadium continued to be known as Toyota Park through the 2018 season. Afterwards, new sponsor SeatGeek assumed stadium naming rights starting with the 2019 Fire season. The naming rights agreement signed in 2018
3363-504: Was constructed at the east end of the stadium's parking lot in 2014. The Fire had also provided bus transportation from nine different bar locations in the city to and from the games. However upon moving back to Soldier Field that service is no longer offered for SeakGeek Stadium. Cape Cod Crusaders Cape Cod Crusaders were an American soccer team based in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts , United States. Founded in 1994,
3422-504: Was much of the same for the Fire. Despite moving to the Great Lakes Division they took the title easily, with a 14–3–1 record, 9 points clear of second place Mid-Michigan Bucks and into the playoffs once more. However, somewhat surprisingly, they lost their Conference Semifinal to Heartland Division runners-up Boulder Rapids Reserve , who would go on to reach the Championship Game. Despite this unexpected loss, Chicago remained
3481-408: Was the first such agreement SeatGeek entered into. It was reported that as part of the deal, SeatGeek would also serve as the venue's primary ticketing service starting in 2019. The company reportedly promised that they would work to "bring more live programming, including premier concerts, music festivals and international sporting events" to the stadium. The Fire and Bridgeview began negotiating
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