2012 Chicago Fire season

Chicago Fire Soccer Club
2012 season
Chairman Andrew Hauptman
Head coach Frank Klopas
Stadium Toyota Park
(capacity: 20,000)
MLS 6th overall (4th in the Eastern Conference)
MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout round
U.S. Open Cup Third round
Carolina
Challenge Cup		 Runners-up
Brimstone Cup Winners
Top goalscorer Chris Rolfe (8 goals)
Highest home attendance 20,533 vs Los Angeles Galaxy (July 8)
Lowest home attendance 10,489 vs Houston Dynamo (April 15)
Average home league attendance 16,407 (regular season)
Home colors
Away colors
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 Chicago Fire season was the club's 17th year of existence, as well as their 15th season in Major League Soccer and their 15th consecutive year in the top-flight of American soccer.

The Fire began the regular season with a 1–1 tie on March 17, 2012 when they were hosted by the expansion team Montreal Impact in their first Major League Soccer home game. The Men in Red concluded the regular season hosting D.C. United at the Toyota Park on October 27, 2012.

The Fire qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the twelfth time in their fifteen competitive seasons and for the first time since 2009. The team was eliminated from the playoffs after a 1–2 home loss to Houston Dynamo in the Knockout Round match on October 31, 2012.

At the end of the season, Chicago Fire's defender, Austin Berry, has been awarded the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, while the club's captain Logan Pause has won the 2012 MLS Fair Play Award.

Squad at the end of the season

As of October 31, 2012. Source: Chicago Fire Official Roster

No. Name Nationality Position Date of Birth (Aged) Previous Club
Goalkeepers
1 Jay Nolly United States GK January 2, 1982 (aged 30) Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC
25 Sean Johnson United States GK May 31, 1989 (aged 23) United States Atlanta Blackhawks
70 Paolo Tornaghi Italy GK June 21, 1988 (aged 24) Italy F.C. Internazionale Milano
Defenders
3 Dan Gargan United States RB December 14, 1982 (aged 29) Canada Toronto FC
5 Cory Gibbs United States CB January 14, 1980 (aged 32) United States New England Revolution
6 Jalil Anibaba United States CB October 19, 1988 (aged 24) United States Carolina Dynamo
13 Gonzalo Segares Costa Rica LB October 13, 1982 (aged 30) Cyprus Apollon Limassol
20 Tony Walls United States RB January 16, 1990 (aged 22) United States University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
22 Austin Berry United States CB June 6, 1988 (aged 24) United States Louisville Cardinals
23 Arne Friedrich Germany CB May 29, 1979 (aged 33) Germany VfL Wolfsburg
28 Steven Kinney United States RB October 28, 1987 (aged 25) United States Carolina Dynamo
99 Hunter Jumper United States LB February 28, 1989 (aged 23) United States University of Virginia Cavaliers
Midfielders
4 Álvaro Fernández Uruguay M October 11, 1985 (aged 27) United States Seattle Sounders FC
11 Daniel Paladini United States M November 11, 1984 (aged 27) United States Carolina RailHawks FC
12 Logan Pause United States M August 22, 1981 (aged 31) United States North Carolina Tar Heels
15 Wells Thompson United States M November 25, 1983 (aged 28) United States Colorado Rapids
17 Pável Pardo Mexico M July 26, 1976 (aged 36) Mexico Club América
19 Corben Bone United States M September 16, 1988 (aged 24) United States Carolina Dynamo
21 Michael Videira United States M January 6, 1986 (aged 26) United States AC St. Louis
27 Victor Pineda United States M March 15, 1993 (aged 19) United States Chicago Fire Academy
71 Alex Brazil M December 15, 1988 (aged 23) Switzerland FC Wohlen
Forwards
7 Sherjill MacDonald Netherlands F November 20, 1984 (aged 27) Belgium Beerschot AC
8 Dominic Oduro Ghana F August 13, 1985 (aged 27) United States Houston Dynamo
10 Guillermo Franco Mexico F November 3, 1976 (aged 35) Mexico Pachuca
14 Patrick Nyarko Ghana F January 15, 1986 (aged 26) United States Virginia Tech Hokies
18 Chris Rolfe United States F January 17, 1983 (aged 29) Denmark Aalborg BK
94 Kellen Gulley United States F April 6, 1994 (aged 18) United States Chicago Fire Academy

Player movement

Transfers

In

Date Player Position Previous Club Fee/Notes Ref
December 5, 2011 Israel Orr Barouch F Mexico Tigres de la UANL Purchased rights after loan, terms not disclosed [1]
December 5, 2011 United States Jay Nolly GK Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC Acquired in exchange for a first round selection in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft [2]
December 6, 2011 United States Logan Pause M United States Chicago Fire Extended the contract through 2013, terms not disclosed [3]
January 9, 2012 Colombia Rafael Robayo M Colombia Millonarios Signed, terms not disclosed [4]
January 11, 2012 Uruguay Federico Puppo M Uruguay Danubio F.C. Signed, terms not disclosed [5]
January 12, 2012 United States Austin Berry D United States University of Louisville Selected ninth overall in 2012 MLS SuperDraft, signed with MLS [6]
January 18, 2012 Mexico Pável Pardo M United States Chicago Fire Re-signed for a two-year contract, terms not disclosed [7]
January 24, 2012 Zimbabwe Kheli Dube F United States New England Revolution Signed on as free agent after being selected in Stage Two of the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft on December 12, 2011 [8]
March 6, 2012 United States Hunter Jumper D United States University of Virginia Cavaliers Signed after being selected 28th overall in 2012 MLS SuperDraft, terms not disclosed[9]
March 7, 2012 Germany Arne Friedrich D Germany VfL Wolfsburg Signed, terms of the deal not disclosed[10]
March 7, 2012 Italy Paolo Tornaghi GK Italy F.C. Internazionale Milano Signed, terms of the deal not disclosed[11]
March 15, 2012 United States Tony Walls D United States University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Signed after being selected 47th overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft, terms not disclosed[12]
April 5, 2012 Ghana Patrick Nyarko F United States Chicago Fire Re-signed, terms and length not disclosed [13]
April 17, 2012 United States Chris Rolfe F Denmark Aalborg BK Reacquired, signed as a free agent, terms not disclosed [14]
April 26, 2012 Brazil Alex Monteiro de Lima M Switzerland FC Wohlen Signed on a free transfer, terms not disclosed; was added to the roster upon the opening of the summer transfer window on June 27 [15]
July 24, 2012 Netherlands Sherjill MacDonald F Belgium Beerschot AC Signed as a Designated Player, terms not disclosed [16]
July 27, 2012 Uruguay Álvaro Fernández M United States Seattle Sounders FC Acquired as a Designated Player in return for allocation money, terms not disclosed[17]
September 10, 2012 United States Wells Thompson M United States Colorado Rapids Acquired in exchange for a conditional draft pick, terms not disclosed[18]
September 14, 2012 Mexico Guillermo Franco F Mexico Pachuca Signed on a free transfer, terms not disclosed[19]

Out

Date Player Position Destination Club Fee/Notes Ref
December 2, 2011 United States Alec Dufty GK None Placed on Re-Entry list, was not selected in the Re-Entry Draft, became a free agent[20]
December 7, 2011 United States Cristian Nazarit F Colombia Deportivo Cali Released [21]
December 7, 2011 United States Gabriel Ferrari F None Released [21]
December 12, 2011 United States Jon Conway GK United States Los Angeles Galaxy Selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in the Re-Entry Draft; retired on January 10, 2012 [22]
December 12, 2011 United States Baggio Husidić M Sweden Hammarby IF Selected by Colorado Rapids in the Re-Entry Draft, declined and signed with the Swedish Hammarby IF [22]
January 15, 2012 Uruguay Diego Cháves F Chile C.D. Palestino Out of contract, signed with the Chilean C.D. Palestino [23]
January 23, 2012 United States Mike Banner M None Waived [24]
January 26, 2012 Croatia Josip Mikulić D None Returned to Croatia due to family issues [25]
January 26, 2012 Colombia Yamith Cuesta D Spain UB Conquense Loan expired, loan agreement is not presently allowing to re-sign [25]
January 30, 2012 Colombia Wilman Conde D United States New York Red Bulls Free transfer after MLS rights were acquired by New York Red Bulls for allocation money [26]
March 11, 2012 Greece Pari Pantazopoulos D None Waived [27]
June 26, 2012 Zimbabwe Kheli Dube F None Waived [28]
June 27, 2012 United States Kwame Watson-Siriboe D United States Real Salt Lake Traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for 4th round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft [29]
August 30, 2012 Guatemala Marco Pappa M Netherlands SC Heerenveen Transferred effective immediately, terms not disclosed; previously announced on Aug 13 Pappa would be transferred at the end of the MLS 2012 season[30]

Loans

In

Date Player Position Loaned From Fee/Notes Ref

Out

Date Player Position Loaned To Fee/Notes Ref
July 24, 2012 Uruguay Federico Puppo F Uruguay Defensor Sporting For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed [31]
July 26, 2012 Colombia Rafael Robayo M Colombia Millonarios For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed [32]
August 17, 2012 Argentina Sebastián Grazzini M Argentina Atlético de Rafaela For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed [33]
September 13, 2012 Israel Orr Barouch F Israel Bnei Yehuda For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed [34]

Club staff

Position Staff
Head Coach United States Frank Klopas
Assistant Coaches Uruguay Leo Percovich
United States Mike Matkovich
Goalkeeper Coach United Kingdom Aron Hyde
Strength & Conditioning Coach France Tony Jouaux
Vice President of Soccer Operations Argentina Guillermo Petrei
Director of Soccer & Team Development United States Paul Cadwell
Director of Team Operations United States Ron Stern
Head Equipment Manager United States Charles Raycroft
Assistant Equipment Manager United States Allan Araujo
Head Athletic Trainer United States Bo Leonard, MS, ATC, PES-NASM
Assistant Athletic Trainer United States Matt Zalewski, ATC
Massage Therapist United States Jake Bronowski, LMT
Team Medical Director United States Dr. Gilberto Munoz

Last updated: October 23, 2012
Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

Standings

Eastern Conference Table
Pos
Team
 Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 Sporting Kansas City (E1) 63 34 18 7 9 42 27+15 2012 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 D.C. United 58 34 17 10 7 53 43+10
3 New York Red Bulls 57 34 16 9 9 57 46+11
4 Chicago Fire 57 34 17 11 6 46 41+5 2012 MLS Cup Knockout Round
5 Houston Dynamo 53 34 14 9 11 48 41+7
6 Columbus Crew 52 34 15 12 7 44 440
7 Montreal Impact 42 34 12 16 6 45 51−6
8 Philadelphia Union 36 34 10 18 6 37 45−8
9 New England Revolution 35 34 9 17 8 39 44−5
10 Toronto FC 23 34 5 21 8 36 62−26

Updated to matches played on 18:04 EDT October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion
Western Conference Table
Pos
Team
 Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 San Jose Earthquakes (SS) (W1) 66 34 19 6 9 72 43+29 2012 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Real Salt Lake 57 34 17 11 6 46 35+11
3 Seattle Sounders FC 56 34 15 8 11 51 33+18
4 LA Galaxy 54 34 16 12 6 59 47+12 2012 MLS Cup Knockout Round
5 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 43 34 11 13 10 35 41−6
6 FC Dallas 39 34 9 13 12 42 47−5
7 Colorado Rapids 37 34 11 19 4 44 50−6
8 Portland Timbers 34 34 8 16 10 34 56−22
9 Chivas USA 30 34 7 18 9 24 58−34

Updated to matches played on October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner
(W1) = Western Conference champion
Overall Table
Pos
Team
 Pts
 GP
 W
 L
 T
 GF
 GA
 GD
Qualification or relegation
1 San Jose Earthquakes (SS) 66 34 19 6 9 72 43+29 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
2 Sporting Kansas City 63 34 18 7 9 42 27+15
3 D.C. United 58 34 17 10 7 53 43+10
4 New York Red Bulls 57 34 16 9 9 57 46+11
5 Real Salt Lake 57 34 17 11 6 46 35+11
6 Chicago Fire 57 34 17 11 6 46 41+5
7 Seattle Sounders FC 56 34 15 8 11 51 33+18
8 LA Galaxy 54 34 16 12 6 59 47+12 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
9 Houston Dynamo 53 34 14 9 11 48 41+7
10 Columbus Crew 52 34 15 12 7 44 440
11 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 43 34 11 13 10 35 41−6
12 Montreal Impact 42 34 12 16 6 45 51−6
13 FC Dallas 39 34 9 13 12 42 47−5
14 Colorado Rapids 37 34 11 19 4 44 50−6
15 Philadelphia Union 36 34 10 18 6 37 45−8
16 New England Revolution 35 34 9 17 8 39 44−5
17 Portland Timbers 34 34 8 16 10 34 56−22
18 Chivas USA 30 34 7 18 9 24 58−34
19 Toronto FC 23 34 5 21 8 36 62−26 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League 2

Updated to matches played on October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner

1The highest ranked U.S.-based MLS club qualifies to the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (placed in Pot A). The other U.S. representatives in the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League are:

2Toronto FC qualified for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2012 Canadian Championship.

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldPtsWL TGFGAGDWL TGFGAGDWL TGFGAGD
34 57 17 11 6 46 41  +5 11 3 3 27 18  +9 6 8 3 19 23  −4

Last updated: October 27, 2012
Source: MLSsoccer.com standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334
GroundAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAAH
Result T W L T W L W T W L W L L W W W T L W L T W W W L W W W W L L W L T
Conference 3 3 7 7 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 3 4 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 4
Overall 11 10 13 15 12 12 11 11 9 9 7 9 10 9 8 6 7 8 7 7 10 7 6 5 6 6 4 3 3 4 4 3 6 6

Last updated: October 27, 2012.
Source: MLS conference standings and MLS Supporters' Shield standings
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: T = Tie; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Match Results

  Win   Tie   Loss

Pre-season

Kickoff times are in CST.

Major League Soccer

Kickoff times are in CDT.

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs

Kickoff times are in CDT.

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Kickoff times are in CDT.

International friendlies

Kickoff times are in CDT.

Recognition

Kits

Home
Away
Away special
Type Shirt Shorts Socks First appearance / Info
Home Red / White lettering Red Red
Away Navy / White lettering Navy Navy
Away Special[35] Navy / Pink lettering Navy Pink MLS, October 27 against D.C. United

Leading scorers

Rank Scorer Goals Assists
1 United States Chris Rolfe 8 3
2 Guatemala Marco Pappa 6 5
3 Ghana Dominic Oduro 6 3
4 Ghana Patrick Nyarko 4 7
5 Netherlands Sherjill MacDonald 4 4
6 Costa Rica Gonzalo Segares 3 1
7 United States Austin Berry 3 0
8 Argentina Sebastián Grazzini 2 5
9 United States Daniel Paladini 2 2
10 Uruguay Álvaro Fernández 2 1
11 Brazil Alex 2 0
12 Mexico Pável Pardo 1 4
13 United States Jalil Anibaba 1 1
14 Germany Arne Friedrich 1 0
United States Logan Pause 1 0
16 United States Sean Johnson 0 1
Uruguay Federico Puppo 0 1
United States Dan Gargan 0 1

Updated to match played on October 27, 2012.
Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics - 2012 Chicago Fire

MLS Team of the Week

Week Player Position Report
3 Guatemala Marco Pappa MF Report
7 Ghana Patrick Nyarko FW Report
9 United States Austin Berry DF Report
Guatemala Marco Pappa MF
16 United States Sean Johnson GK Report
17 United States Sean Johnson GK Report
Germany Arne Friedrich DF
19 United States Austin Berry DF Report
23 Germany Arne Friedrich DF Report
United States Chris Rolfe FW
24 United States Chris Rolfe FW Report
26 Germany Arne Friedrich DF Report
Ghana Patrick Nyarko MF
28 United States Jalil Anibaba FW Report
Uruguay Álvaro Fernández MF
United States Frank Klopas Coach
29 United States Chris Rolfe FW Report
31 Germany Arne Friedrich DF Report
Netherlands Sherjill MacDonald FW
33 Ghana Patrick Nyarko MF Report

MLS Player of the Week

Week Player Report
28 United States Sean Johnson POTW

MLS Save of the Week

Week Player Save Report
4 Italy Paolo Tornaghi 65' SOTW
10 United States Sean Johnson 43' SOTW
21 United States Sean Johnson 59' SOTW

MLS Goal of the Week

Week Player Goal Report
8 Guatemala Marco Pappa 89' GOTW

MLS Fair Play Award

Chicago Fire's midfielder and captain, Logan Pause, has been awarded the league's 2012 Fair Play Award. Over the course of 32 matches played this season, Pause has accumulated only 11 fouls and no yellow or red cards.[36]

MLS Rookie of the Year

Chicago Fire's defender Austin Berry, selected number nine overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, has been awarded the league's 2012 Rookie of the Year Award. Berry has started in 28 games and scored three goals, one in his debut match. Berry collected the most votes in all three categories: players, media and club management.[37]

Miscellany

Allocation ranking

Chicago is in the #9 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club’s ranking.[38]

International roster slots

Chicago has 8 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots. No slot trades involving Chicago have been reported.

Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: *2014 MLS SuperDraft round 4 pick from Real Salt Lake.
Future picks traded: *2013 MLS Supplemental Draft round 1 pick to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. At the time of the trade, this pick was equivalent to a round 3 SuperDraft selection.

MLS rights to other players

It is believed Chicago maintains the MLS rights to Carlos Bocanegra and Fredrik Ljungberg, as each of these players declined contract offers by the club and signed overseas on free transfers.

References

  1. ↑ "Signed, sealed, delivered: Barouch back for Fire". MLSsoccer.com. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "Fire acquire Jay Nolly". chicago-fire.com. 2 December 2011.
  3. ↑ "Fire resign Logan Pause". chicago-fire.com. 6 December 2011.
  4. ↑ "Fire sign Rafael Robayo". chicago-fire.com. 9 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Fire sign Federico Puppo". chicago-fire.com. 11 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Fire select University of Louisville defender Austin Berry". chicago-fire.com. 12 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fire resign Pavel Pardo". chicago-fire.com. 18 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Fire sign Zimbabwean striker Kheli Dube". chicago-fire.com. 25 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Fire sign defender Hunter Jumper". chicago-fire.com. 6 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "Fire acquire German World Cup veteran Arne Friedrich". chicago-fire.com. 7 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "Fire sign goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi". chicago-fire.com. 8 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Fire sign defender Tony Walls". chicago-fire.com. 15 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "Fire re-sign forward Patrick Nyarko". chicago-fire.com. 5 April 2012.
  14. ↑ "Fire reacquire forward Chris Rolfe". chicago-fire.com. 16 April 2012.
  15. ↑ "Fire sign midfielder Alex Monteiro De Lima". chicago-fire.com. 26 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "Chicago Fire Sign Dutch Striker Sherjill MacDonald". chicago-fire.com. 24 July 2012.
  17. ↑ "Chicago Fire Acquire Midfielder Alvaro Fernandez from Seattle". chicago-fire.com. 27 July 2012.
  18. ↑ "Chicago Fire Acquire Wells Thompson From Colorado Rapids". chicago-fire.com. 10 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "Fire Sign Guillermo Franco". chicago-fire.com. 14 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Offseason transactions". chicago-fire.com. 29 December 2011.
  21. 1 2 "Fire release Cristian Nazarit and Gabriel Ferrari". chicago-fire.com. 7 December 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Stage 2 of Re-Entry Draft highlighted by busy Galaxy". MLSSoccer.com. 12 December 2011.
  23. ↑ "Thanks Diego". chicago-fire.com. 15 January 2012.
  24. ↑ "Fire, Banner part ways". chicago-fire.com. 23 January 2012.
  25. 1 2 "Chicago's defensive corps unexpectedly downsized". MLSSoccer.com. 26 January 2012.
  26. ↑ "New York signs defender Wilman Conde". newyorkredbulls.com. 29 January 2012.
  27. ↑ "Fire waive Pari Pantazopoulos". chicago-fire.com. 11 March 2012.
  28. ↑ "Fire waive forward Kheli Dube". chicago-fire.com. 26 June 2012.
  29. ↑ "Fire trade Kwame Watson-Siriboe to Real Salt Lake". chicago-fire.com. 26 June 2012.
  30. ↑ "Marco Pappa Transferred to SC Heerenveen". chicago-fire.com. 30 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "Fire Loan Federico Puppo to Defensor Sporting Club". chicago-fire.com. 24 July 2012.
  32. ↑ "Fire Loan Rafael Robayo to Club Deportivo Millonarios". chicago-fire.com. 26 July 2012.
  33. ↑ "Fire Loan Sebastian Grazzini to Atlético de Rafaela". chicago-fire.com. 17 August 2012.
  34. ↑ "Fire Loan Orr Barouch to Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.". chicago-fire.com. 13 September 2012.
  35. ↑ "Fire Kicks Cancer Going Pink". October 27, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Fire's Pause, New England claim Xbox Fair Play awards". mlssoccer.com. November 19, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Fire defender Berry wins 2012 Rookie of the Year award". mlssoccer.com. November 19, 2012.
  38. ↑ 2011 MLS Roster Rules | Major League Soccer
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