Guppy Gone!

I can almost hear section 8 chanting for Peter Wilt now!!

2008....Back and ready for a new season!

Alot has happened since last season ended. No need to recap here, but the season is off to a good start. If only we had one of those four goals in the last game versus the Revs.........

Wanchope Out?

Paulo Wanchope is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game with knee inflammation.

Could this be a blessing in disguise?

Big Names Missing From Another Must Win Game

DC United will be without Christian Gomez, Ben Olson, and Fred for tomorrow afternoon's match. The Fire will also be without Gonzalo Segares. All four are suspended for 1 match for yellow card accumulations. Wilman Conde will return after serving a suspension for a red card on a ridiculous handball against New York.

Chicago Fire Fan Forum with JCO

After tonight's fan forum with Juan Carlos Osorio I am even more convinced that he is a 500% upgrade from our previous coach. JCO was friendly, well thought out, detailed, and very passionate about every answer he gave. Fred Huebner from the Score was also there, which was very cool.

A few highlights from the Q & A session include :

• The Fire have indeed signed central defender Wilman Conde from Millonarios (JCO's former club). Conde is 6-2, 24 years old, and will push the attack from the back.
  
• The Fire will be over the SI limit of 4 once he passes his physical. JCO has already addressed this problem, but wouldn't divulge his plan yet. (Thiago may be in some trouble).
  
• Blanco sustained a slight injury in training and did not practice today.
  
• JCO played against Guppy in one game in college. He joked that Guppy was the worst player on the pitch.
  
• JCO feels that the better MLS teams can compete and win some games against the lower half of the table in EPL. He definetly feels they can beat CC Championship teams from across the pond.
  
• There were 2 guys horsing around in practice (he didn't name which two) during corner kick drills. They apparently drew some ire from JCO.
  
• JCO discussed formations and how they might switch from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 depending on the opponent's tactics or plan of attack against them.
  
• Called Chris and Justin two of the top young American players today. Also noted that Justin's strong point isn't exactly defending.
  
• The backline will probably look like this - Robinson, Brown ,Conde, Segares.
  
• Went into some pretty impressive detail on how he meshes fitness training and soccer drills.
  
• The Fire may also be looking for a right mid.
  

This was a great idea by the Fire but the turnout was relatively low. Probably 30-40 people or so. I'm not sure how hard they tried to promote it or if they wanted more than just some season ticket holders there, but it was a good gesture nonetheless.

Blanco Finally Here

Now that Blanco has finally arrived there are rumors of other big names possibly coming to MLS. Jay Jay Okocha has been linked to RSL and others. Juan Sebastian Veron to DC United. Denilson to FC Dallas. Exciting times are ahead for MLS. You can hit the American Soccer Daily link for info on Denilson and Veron.

Chicago Fire Mid Season Grades

Now that we're at the half way point of the season, here's my two cents on team and individual grades. Needless to say, there's alot of room for improvement.

Goalkeepers
John Busch (B) - Made one start in LA and looked impressive allowing two goals on PK's.
Matt Pickens (C) - Has been good, decent, and mediocre at times. His defense has done him no favors.

Defenders
CJ Brown (C) - Yeah he's lost a step, but he's still fairly steady and you know what you're getting every match.
Bakary Soumare (C+) - He's listed officially by the Fire as a defender but he's played defensive mid all year. Still learning his way around the position and the league. Seems to have a bright future.
Jim Curtin (D) - May be too slow to be a top central defender in today's MLS. Getting benched by Dave Sarachan says something.
Logan Pause (D) - Not sure why Sarachan loved this guy, but thankfully the new coach has placed him on the bench where he belongs.
Diego Gutierrez (C) - Has spent the last few games in defense. Hasn't been terrible this year, which isn't saying much.
Jeff Curtin (C) - Scored a goal in his debut and was red carded in the same game. We haven't seen much of him since. Highlight of the year was knocking Pause out of the lineup with a head butt in training.
Gonzalo Segares (C) - Has looked okay in some of the rare instances when the Fire has actually tried to push forward. Again nothing spectacular here.
Jordan Russolillo (I) - Limited playing time and was injured, incomplete.
Dasan Robinson (C) - Again nothing great, but not terrible. Slipped and fell in the box resulting in Chivas' only goal in a 1-0 home loss.
Osei Telesford (I) - Injured incomplete.

Midfielders
Thiago (D) - He's supposed to be a playmaker but makes very little plays. Benched by Sarachan apparently because he didn't fit his defensive mid profile and then was injured.
Chris Armas (D) - As much as I admire Armas, he is right in deciding this will be his last year. Appears to be on his last legs. Also missed time with "hip pain".
Brian Plotkin (D-) - Not sure what this guy does when he's on the pitch. Another Sarachan starter.
Justin Mapp (C) - Mapp needs to take his game to the next level if the Fire is to contend in the second half. Had a great first half in the opener against the Revs and seemed to disappear before leaving for USMNT duty. Returned two games ago and provided some spark but the incompetence of our forwards produced zilch.
Willian Oliveira (B) - Debuted with a goal and an assist but was lost on the "start one match and not play the next match" lineup that Sarachan produced. He should benefit from Osorio.
Ivan Guerrero (C) - Steady veteran presence who again earns a C by not being awful.
Mike Banner (I) - Who cares?
Floyd Franks (D-) - Sarachan's idea of an offensive substitution. Missed a wide open goal in one of his few opportunities.
Pascal Bedrossian (F) - Inexplicably signed to a large contract, got hurt, was bad, and got hurt again. Thankfully gone now.
Bruno Menezes (D) - Just got here and hasn't done much in his limited time other than get back too late on defense during his first extended action against Houston.

Forwards
Calen Carr (D) - Probably best suited as a sub. Still frustratingly inconsistent, seems lost at times. His speed alone may keep him around, also should benefit from Osorio. I still think he's salvageable.
Chad Barrett (D) -Looks like Wayne, plays like Andy. Has four goals but has botched three times that many opportunities. Blanco will strangle him if he continues to do so.
Jerson Monteiro (C) - Scored a meaningless goal in DC, but other than that hasn't done much.....and then got hurt.
Chris Rolfe (B) - Was excellent until he got hurt....again. His inability to stay on the field has kept Rolfe and the team from advancing in the league and on the personal/USMNT level. Let's see how he does with Blanco providing the service in the second half.

Coaching Staff
Dave Sarachan (F) - His inability to deal with injuries and call ups like every other team in the league was his downfall. Lack of intensity and urgency hastened his departure. Failed to maximize his roster by continually playing for scoreless draws and moving players out of position. His excuses and "they got lucky" responses after each match got old.

Dennis Hamlett (D) - Got a short tryout at the head job after Sarachan's ouster and continued to try the same garbage that didn't work before.

Juan Carlos Osorio (I) - First game wasn't pretty but he earned points from me by immediately benching Pause and Plotkin. His no nonsense approach and lack of excuse making after the game were also good signs.

Team
Overall (D) - The decent start keeps this grade from being any lower, although some will suggest that the Fire were not very impressive during the 3-0-1 start despite getting the favorable results. This would also be John Guppy's grade because we have yet to see how the signing of Cuauhtemoc Blanco will impact the team. Letting Andy Herron go in the offseason also greatly affected depth and resulted in lack of a competent forward when Rolfe got hurt.