Fire clear past smoke, Rapids

Fire's Jalil Anibaba -- Getty Images

In soccer circles, the home fans represent the 12th man on the pitch. From the Chicago Fire's standpoint, they had a partially direct impact toward the Fire's game-winning goal.

With the smoke still clearing from some previously lit flares close to the Colorado Rapids goal, Fire right defensive back Jalil Anibaba cracked a shot from more than 40 yards out, finding the back netting during Chicago's 2-1 victory over Colorado in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying match on Wednesday at Bradley University's Shea Stadium in Peoria, Ill.

Anibaba's game-winning strike came in the 61st minute, giving the Fire a 2-1 advantage that held up over the final half hour. Anibaba's deep shot through the smoke appeared to cause a delayed reaction from Colorado goalkeeper Ian Joyce, who then scrambled to his left but could not get to the ball in time.

From Anibaba's view, though, the smokey environment was not taken into account on his decision to shoot from deep.

"To be honest, no, I wasn't thinking about that," Anibaba said. "I was just thinking about how much time and space I had. I got the ball played out wide, and I had a lot of time. My initial thought was to take the defender one-on-one, but I just focused on my strike and getting that on frame."

With the win, the Fire will face either the San Jose Earthquakes or Portland Timbers in the qualification finals. Gaston Puerari netted the Fire's other goal on Wednesday, and Andre Akpan scored for the defending MLS Cup champion Rapids.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire to host Man-U at Soldier Field

Manchester United -- Getty Images

After many weeks of speculation and floating reports across the globe, the Chicago Fire's bout against Manchester United is set in stone.

The Fire face Manchester United at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at Soldier Field as part of the World Football Challenge.

"We are excited to host Manchester United, one of the world's finest clubs, at home in Chicago, in front of our supporters," Fire owner Andrew Hauptman said in a statement. "Bringing United to Chicago helps the Fire continue to expand our reach in one of North America's premier soccer markets. Our participation in the World Football Challenge gives our players an opportunity to take on one of the most talented clubs on the planet, while galvanizing Chicago's vast soccer community."

Fire face Colorado in Open Cup: The Fire travel to Bradley University's Shea Stadium in Peoria, Ill., on Wednesday to take on the defending MLS champion Colorado Rapids in a qualifier match for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kick-off is at 6:30 p.m.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Will offseason dissection pay off for Fire owner Andrew Hauptman?

Fire owner Andrew Hauptman -- Getty Images

A losing season changes the tone of how a team conducts its business and weighs its values heading into the next campaign.

That is not to say that the Chicago Fire lost sight of the ultimate goal of attempting to put together a winning club during their sub-par 2010 season. But the Fire's demeanor and the way that they have conducted things in the offseason are noticeably different.

The "attractive" and "possession" lingo of last year from head coach Carlos de los Cobos and their players is less at the forefront, and the "calculated risk" approach of bringing in expensive disappointments such as Nery Castillo and Collins John appears to be gone.

This year, the Fire have centered on words such as "cohesiveness" and "winning," and the idea that everybody has bought into one philosophy.

Now that sounds all hunky-dory, and only the Fire locker room and front office truly know how smoothly everything is functioning behind the scenes. On the surface, the team's demeanor has to be an improvement compared to last year's disjointed team that included personality differences, style differences, injuries and fitness issues, players on the final legs of their playing careers, numerous signings that did not pan out, and a new coach who was brought in so late that he missed the 2010 MLS Combine.

For a second straight offseason, Fire owner Andrew Hauptman and company underwent a major overhaul. Now, the question is whether the Fire feel they are ahead of last year's campaign, and if they have a functioning system in place to rebound from only their second playoff-less season in team history.

Four points and a 1-0-1 start to the 2011 season have brought some early optimism for the Fire.

"I've got my fingers crossed that we've tried to do as much as we could do in a relatively short preseason," Hauptman said last Thursday.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Mikulic steps into prominent role

Fire's Josip Mikulic -- Getty Images

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- When the Chicago Fire sought out new pieces in building their 2011 squad, they brought in a group that had a combination of athleticism, youth and experience.

That might not be the easiest combination to find, but a fitting example is the addition of center defensive back Josip Mikulic. The 24-year-old Mikulic, a native of Ljubuski, Bosnia and Herzegovina, spent his previous five years with Croatian side NK Zagreb, and his game has stood out in the early going.

While Uruguayan forwards Diego Chaves and Gaston Puerari will grab the spotlight if they produce a regular scoring punch, it will be Mikulic's role in the back that turns out to be just as important.

Chicago has started its season with a 1-0-1 mark, and the Fire defense held most teams at bay during the preseason. The solid start has been anchored by a brand-new back line of Mikulic at center back, rookie Jalil Anibaba at right back and Cory Gibbs on the left when the Fire go with their 3-5-2 system.

"I played five years in Europe, and in my country, when you switch one guy, it's a problem," Mikulic said. "[The Fire] switched the whole defense, and it's been very good."

Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos accompanied technical director Frank Klopas in scouting Mikulic this offseason, and De los Cobos has been impressed with what Mikulic has brought to the table.

"He has a strong personality and he's very strong on the field," De los Cobos said. "He's playing very well together with Cory and Jalil. The most important thing is he's very honest on the field. I think we are lucky to have this guy with us."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire set tone to season, win home opener over Sporting Kansas City

Marco Pappa -- Getty Images

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Last year's .500 record at home was a glaring problem that the Chicago Fire wanted to fix this season. It got off to a good start on Saturday.

Diego Chaves scored his second goal in as many games, and Gaston Puerari and Marco Pappa also added scores as the Fire defeated Sporting Kansas City, 3-2, in front of a crowd of 12,157 at their home opener at Toyota Park.

"In the past, we haven't won our first game at home, and that didn't set the tone," Fire midfielder Patrick Nyarko said. "We feel like we've set the tone for the remainder of the season, and teams that come in here, we're going to try and make it a fortress."

Pappa's 59th-minute goal proved to be the game-winner for the Fire (1-0-1) as he maneuvered through four Kansas City players and slotted the ball toward the lower left side of the goal for a 3-1 lead.

"I saw Diego running [nearby], but as I had the ball in front of me, I shot," Pappa said. "I'm happy with my goal. I wanted to score today."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire clash with K.C. in home opener

Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos -- Getty Images

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The two MLS teams that were atop last year's playoff-less panel square off this Saturday as the Chicago Fire host Sporting Kansas City at Toyota Park. Sporting K.C., previously known as the Wizards, ranked ninth last season with 39 points, and the Fire had the 10th-best points total last season with 36.

Not only did the postseason evade the Fire last season, but Chicago also hopes to turn around a lackluster 4-4-7 record at Toyota Park during the 2010 campaign.

Sporting K.C. (1-0-0) presents another strong offensive challenge for the Fire (0-0-1), who were able to fend off 2010 MLS runner-up FC Dallas last week with a 1-1 draw on the road. Kansas City sports an attack that features Omar Bravo, Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong, a tandem that had some part of every goal during its 3-2 road win over Chivas USA to open the season. Bravo had two of the three goals.

"These guys are very similar [to Dallas]," Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos said. "Bravo is more of a forward and he doesn't drop too much. Kamara is very fast. And Sapong is a strong guy -- very young, but very strong."

"It's going to be a bit similar in terms of Dallas attacking with so many numbers," Fire defender Cory Gibbs said. "But the thing is Dallas attacked way more than what I think Kansas City will. They're going to be a threat still. So I think if we stay positive and stay organized defensively, we'll have our chances countering against that."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire bring in forward Ferrari

Fire forward Gabriel Ferrari -- ISI Photos

The Chicago Fire signed 22-year-old forward and former U.S. U-20 international Gabriel Ferrari on Thursday.

"During Gabriel's time in camp, we were impressed with his size, speed and work ethic up top," Fire technical director Frank Klopas said in a statement. "His experience abroad and desire to be a part of this club were defining factors in us signing Gabriel."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire add Oduro, Cuesta, trade Carr

Former Fire forward Calen Carr -- ISI Photos

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire added some new pieces to the puzzle on Wednesday with the acquisition of forward Dominic Oduro and Colombian defender Yamith Cuesta.

The Fire sent a 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft selection to Chivas USA for Cuesta's rights. And Chicago sent forward Calen Carr, a 2006 draft pick who spent his first five MLS seasons with the Fire, to the Houston Dynamo for the 25-year-old Oduro. Carr missed last weekend's 1-1 draw against FC Dallas because of a concussion.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.