1998 season | ||
---|---|---|
Head coach | Bob Bradley | |
Major League Soccer | West: 2nd Overall: 3rd | |
MLS Cup Playoffs | Winners | |
U.S. Open Cup | Winners | |
Brimstone Cup | Winners | |
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.
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.
No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of Birth (Age) [A] | Previous Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | |||||
Jorge Campos | GK | October 15, 1966 (aged 32) | Cruz Azul | ||
Scott Coufal | GK | September 27, 1974 (aged 24) | |||
Kevin Rueda | GK | March 16, 1969 (aged 29) | |||
Zach Thornton | GK | October 10, 1973 (aged 25) | |||
David Winner | GK | April 23, 1971 (aged 27) | |||
Defenders | |||||
Diego Gutiérrez | DF | November 3, 1972 (aged 25) | |||
Ritchie Kotschau | DF | November 22, 1975 (aged 22) | |||
Luboš Kubík | CB | January 20, 1964 (aged 34) | |||
Francis Okaroh | CB | August 25, 1963 (aged 35) | |||
Mike Richardson | DF | October 8, 1968 (aged 30) | |||
Tom Soehn | DF | April 15, 1966 (aged 32) | |||
Brian Bates | DF | August 16, 1972 (aged 26) | Colorado Rapids | ||
C. J. Brown | CB | June 15, 1975 (aged 23) | San Francisco Bay Seals | ||
Andrew Lewis | DF | July 10, 1974 (aged 24) | |||
Joe Carver | DF | June 11, 1971 (aged 27) | |||
Midfielders | |||||
Chris Armas | MF | August 22, 1972 (aged 26) | LA Galaxy | ||
Zak Ibsen | MF | June 2, 1972 (aged 26) | |||
Josh Keller | MF | February 16, 1975 (aged 23) | |||
Manny Lagos | MF | June 11, 1971 (aged 27) | |||
Jesse Marsch | MF | November 8, 1973 (aged 24) | |||
Peter Nowak | MF | July 5, 1964 (aged 34) | |||
Jorge Salcedo | MF | September 27, 1972 (aged 26) | |||
Forwards | |||||
Frank Klopas | FW | September 1, 1966 (aged 32) | |||
Roman Kosecki | FW | February 15, 1966 (aged 32) | |||
Tony Kuhn | FW | December 15, 1975 (aged 22) | |||
Jerzy Podbrożny | FW | December 17, 1966 (aged 31) | |||
Ante Razov | FW | March 2, 1974 (aged 24) | |||
Josh Wolff | FW | February 25, 1977 (aged 21) | |||
Position | Staff |
---|---|
General Manager | Peter Wilt |
Head Coach | Bob Bradley |
Assistant Coach | |
Assistant Coach | |
Goalkeeper Coach |
Source: [ citation needed ]
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 |
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 |
March 21, 19981 | Miami Fusion | 0–2 | Chicago Fire | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
Report | Stadium: Lockhart Stadium Attendance: 14,653 Referee: Arturo Angeles |
April 4, 19982 | Chicago Fire | 2–0 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Chicago |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 36,444 Referee: Esse Baharmast |
April 8, 19983 | Kansas City Wizards | 1–0 | Chicago Fire | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Report | Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium Attendance: 4,130 Referee: Kevin Terry |
April 11, 19984 | San Jose Clash | 1–0 | Chicago Fire | San Jose, California |
Report |
| Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 9,937 Referee: Marcel Yonan |
April 17, 19985 | Chicago Fire | 0–1 | MetroStars | Chicago, Illinois |
| Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 24,661 Referee: Juan Carlos Paniagua |
April 25, 19986 | 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, 19987 | Chicago Fire | 1–3 | D.C. United | Chicago, Illinois |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 27,136 Referee: Reggie Rutty |
May 16, 19988 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 1–2 | Chicago Fire | Tampa, Florida |
| Report | Stadium: Houlihan's Stadium Attendance: 6,391 Referee: Arturo Angeles |
May 20, 19989 | 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, 199810 | 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, 199811 | 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, 199812 | Chicago Fire | 2–0 | Columbus Crew | Chicago, Illinois |
Report |
| Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 19,801 Referee: Noel Kenny |
June 11, 199813 | Chicago Fire | 5–2 | San Jose Clash | Chicago, Illinois |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 7,598 Referee: Kevin Stott |
June 14, 199814 | New England Revolution | 1–3 | Chicago Fire | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
Report | Stadium: Foxboro Stadium Attendance: 17,054 Referee: Tim Weyland |
June 17, 199815 | 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, 199816 | Chicago Fire | 4–1 | Kansas City Wizards | Chicago, Illinois |
Report |
| Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 13,396 Referee: Arturo Angeles |
July 1, 199817 | Chicago Fire | 4–1 | Dallas Burn | Chicago, Illinois |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 13,615 Referee: Kevin Terry |
July 4, 199818 | Dallas Burn | 0–1 | Chicago Fire | Dallas |
Report | Stadium: Cotton Bowl Attendance: 12,372 Referee: Tim Weyland |
July 9, 199819 | Columbus Crew | 3–0 | Chicago Fire | Columbus, Ohio |
Report | Stadium: Ohio Stadium Attendance: 10,091 Referee: Paul Tamberino |
July 18, 199820 | D.C. United | 4–1 | Chicago Fire | Washington, D.C. |
Report |
| Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 16,779 Referee: Esse Baharmast |
July 25, 199821 | MetroStars | 3–2 | Chicago Fire | East Rutherford, New Jersey |
Report | Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 15,130 Referee: Brian Hall |
July 29, 199822 | San Jose Clash | 3–0 | Chicago Fire | San Jose, California |
Report | Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 12,299 Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela |
August 8, 199823 | Chicago Fire | 1–2 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Chicago, Illinois |
Report |
| Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 37,122 Referee: Paul Tamberino |
August 15, 199824 | Chicago Fire | 2–1 | San Jose Clash | Chicago, Illinois |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 16,610 Referee: Ted Covaciu |
August 21, 199825 | Colorado Rapids | 0–2 | Chicago Fire | Denver, Colorado |
Report | Stadium: Mile High Stadium Attendance: 24,450 Referee: Tim Weyland |
August 29, 199826 | 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, 199827 | 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, 199828 | Dallas Burn | 3–2 | Chicago Fire | Dallas, Texas |
| Report | Stadium: Cotton Bowl Attendance: 9,745 Referee: Ali Saheli |
September 13, 199829 | Chicago Fire | 3–1 | Colorado Rapids | Chicago, Illinois |
Report |
| Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 15,014 Referee: Kevin Terry |
September 17, 199830 | Chicago Fire | 1–0 | Kansas City Wizards | Chicago, Illinois |
Report |
| Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 8,283 Referee: Noel Kenny |
September 23, 199831 | Chicago Fire | 3–2 | New England Revolution | Chicago, Illinois |
Report | Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 11,244 Referee: Michael Kennedy |
July 6, 1998Third round | Chicago Stingers | 1–3 | Chicago Fire | Arlington Heights, Illinois |
July 22, 1998Quarterfinals | Chicago Fire | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | San Jose Clash | Dallas, Texas |
|
| Stadium: Cotton Bowl Attendance: 3,812 Referee: Kevin Terry | ||
Penalties | ||||
August 4, 1998Semifinals | Chicago Fire | 3–2 | Dallas Burn | Metairie, Louisiana |
Stadium: Zephyr Field Attendance: 6,514 Referee: Rich Grady |
No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | MLS | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
14 | MF | USA | Chris Armas | 39 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
5 | DF | CZE | Luboš Kubík | 40 | 11 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
2 | DF | USA | C. J. Brown | 37 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
20 | DF | NGA | Francis Okaroh | 33 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
15 | MF | USA | Jesse Marsch | 38 | 3 | 25+4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
11 | FW | POL | Roman Kosecki | 28 | 10 | 25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
9 | FW | POL | Jerzy Podbrożny | 34 | 8 | 25+1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
12 | FW | USA | Ante Razov | 38 | 11 | 24+6 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
10 | MF | POL | Piotr Nowak | 31 | 7 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 |
18 | GK | USA | Zach Thornton | 33 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
3 | DF | USA | Ritchie Kotschau | 26 | 4 | 23+1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
41 | FW | USA | Frank Klopas | 33 | 8 | 17+10 | 6 | 1+2 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 |
8 | MF | USA | Diego Gutiérrez | 21 | 2 | 8+5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
1 | GK | MEX | Jorge Campos | 10 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
DF | USA | Jorge Salcedo | 11 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
17 | DF | USA | Andrew Lewis | 15 | 0 | 6+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
6 | DF | USA | Tom Soehn | 11 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
25 | DF | USA | Zak Ibsen | 34 | 0 | 5+22 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 |
16 | FW | USA | Josh Wolff | 23 | 9 | 4+10 | 8 | 3+2 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 |
19 | MF | USA | Josh Keller | 9 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
DF | USA | Brian Bates | 4 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
22 | FW | USA | Tony Kuhn | 7 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
24 | GK | USA | Scott Coufal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
7 | MF | USA | Manny Lagos | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | DF | ENG | Michael Richardson | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rank | Pos. | No. | Player | MLS | MLS Cup | US Open Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Pos. | Player | From | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Pos. | Player | To | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Start | End | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 5, 2001, at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida.
The 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds.
The 1998 Major League Soccer College Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and February 1, 1998. The College Draft was followed by the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft.
The 1998 Major League Soccer supplemental draft was held on February 1, 1998, at the Airport Hilton in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference. As of 2023, the division of the Conferences broadly follows the path of the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, with clubs on, or west of the River in the Western Conference.
The 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup ran from June through October 2001, open to all soccer teams in the United States.
The 2000 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup ran from June through October, 2000, open to all soccer teams in the United States.
The 1998 D.C. United season was the clubs' fourth year of existence, as well as their third season in Major League Soccer.
The 1997 Dallas Burn season was the second season of the Major League Soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The team also won the U.S. Open Cup during the season.
The 1998 Dallas Burn season was the third season of the Major League Soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
The 1999 Dallas Burn season was the fourth season of the Major League Soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2000 Dallas Burn season was the fifth season of the Major League Soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. It would be the final season that Dave Dir was head coach.
The 2001 Dallas Burn season was the sixth season of the Major League Soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. Due to the September 11 attacks, the final two games of the season were cancelled. It was the first season under new head coach Mike Jeffries. The season was full of highs and lows. The team set the franchise record for highest attended playoff game on September 23, a record which still stands. The team also had their worst run in the U.S. Open Cup in franchise history, losing to the Seattle Sounders in overtime of the second round.
The 2001 San Jose Earthquakes season was the sixth season of the team's existence, and saw the franchise win its first MLS Cup.
The 2001 Miami Fusion season was the fourth and final season of the Miami Fusion's existence. They competed in Major League Soccer and played their home matches at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They won the club's first and only trophy by securing the Supporters' Shield as the team with the best regular season record. Outside of MLS, they competed in the U.S. Open Cup where they were eliminated by Columbus Crew in the Third Round. Due to financial problems, the club folded in January 2002.
The 2000 San Jose Earthquakes season was the fifth season of the team's existence, and the first year that the MLS team used the "Earthquakes" name. The team finished with the worst record Western conference as well as the league.
The 1998 San Jose Clash season was the third season of the team's existence.
The 1999 San Jose Clash season was the fourth season of the team's existence. The San Jose Clash were purchased and owned by the Kraft Group Sports on November 18, 1999. San Jose revamped their roster for the 1999 season adding an influx of youth utilizing the draft with Jamie Clark, Jimmy Conrad, Scott Bower, Caleb Porter, Maxi Viera, Carlos Farias and Anthony Farace. They also picked up Joe Cannon, Leighton O'Brien, Adam Frye and Joey Martinez. The team set an MLS best in shootouts with 11 wins in 1999.