Fire scour globe for added talent

Frank Klopas -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

In the coming weeks, the Chicago Fire should be announcing an abundance of player options that they are picking up heading into 2012. The Fire have yet to officially state the return of midfielder Pavel Pardo or comment on other players' contract status, but in all likelihood a large portion of the 2011 squad should be on board next season.

"We're still going through that and evaluating the whole season," Fire head coach Frank Klopas said Tuesday. "We've worked very hard to bring a lot of players and feel good with the base that we've built."

So pending the formality of the team announcing the return of much of its roster, Klopas is focused on an overseas trip to find potential talent to fill in some gaps and build off the momentum that Chicago had in the latter half of the previous season.

"We're way ahead of where we were last year as an organization," Klopas said. "We've worked hard to build relationships and find the kinds of players who fit in here financially and with the characteristics of this league."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Eclipse Select's Sarah Rivich named Player of Year by Times of NWI

Eclipse Select's Sarah Rivich

Eclipse Select Communications

CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club midfielder and Crown Point High School junior Sarah Rivich is coming off a stellar girls soccer campaign that included her recently being named The Times of Northwest Indiana 2011 Girls Player of the Year.

"Sarah is a special player," Eclipse Select Northwest Indiana coach Tom Naumoski said. "Even with our club, she would do whatever we ask of her. She simply excels. She is always the first person on the field and the last to leave, and she pushes herself to be the hardest worker on the pitch."

Read more at EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select defender Schissler joins U.S. U-18 WNT training camp

Taylor Schissler

Eclipse Select and U.S. Soccer Communications

CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club defender and New Lenox, Ill., resident Taylor Schissler is one of 26 players who were called in to participate in the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team's final training camp of 2011.

The Lincoln-Way Central junior will take part in a Dec. 11-18 training session in Sunrise, Fla. Technical director April Heinrichs will lead this group, which likely will form the core of the team that will compete toward qualification in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada.

Read more at EclipseSelect.org.

Fire's home opener set for March 24

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

The Chicago Fire will play in their earliest regular-season home opener when they kick off their 2012 Major League Soccer campaign.

The Fire and other MLS teams announced their 2012 home dates on Tuesday, and Chicago hosts a match at Toyota Park on March 24. Opponents and time slots will be announced at a later date. It marks the second straight year that Chicago has hosted a March home opener. The Fire topped Sporting Kansas City, 3-2, on March 26 this past season at Toyota Park.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire roster untouched in draft

Justin Mapp -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

Any concerns over losing a portion of the Chicago Fire's roster were put to rest as the Montreal Impact made 10 selections outside of the Fire's unprotected player pool during Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft.

Former Fire midfielder and Impact head coach Jesse Marsch inherits a franchise that selected former Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching with the top pick in the draft. Despite reports that Ching said he would retire if selected in the expansion draft, the Impact took him No. 1 anyway.

The Impact's third selection was former Fire midfielder Justin Mapp out of the Philadelphia Union. Mapp started in 24 of 29 games this past season, tallying three goals and four assists.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Eclipse Select U-17's Hillsman commits to St. Louis University

Bridget Hillsman

Eclipse Select Communications

CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club U-17 midfielder and Elmhurst, Ill., native Bridget Hillsman has made a verbal commitment to play for St. Louis University. The Fenwick High School junior will join the Billikens for their 2013 campaign.

"It's a huge relief. I'm so excited," Hillsman said of making the commitment. "I've been looking forward to this since I was really little."

The St. Louis program clearly was in a rebuilding mode this year. But by the time Hillsman joins St. Louis, it should be a mostly veteran team. This year's Billikens roster featured three seniors, five juniors, and the top two scorers were underclassmen as they still finished around the middle of the pack in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

"I'm pretty optimistic," Hillsman said. "I know they have a young team, but looking at how they played throughout the season, they have a lot of freshmen who will be juniors when I get there. It will be a little bit of a different situation."

Read more at EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select alumni report: Duke's Lipp assists 2, advances to Elite 8

Eclipse Select Communications

CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Duke junior midfielder Nicole Lipp (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) assisted both of her team's goals as the Blue Devils defeated Ohio State, 2-1, on Sunday to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke had to overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit, and Lipp stepped up in the 54th minute as she took a free kick from the right side and found the feet of freshman Kelly Cobb to tie the score at 1-1. The match stayed that way until the 80th minute, when Lipp took a free kick from a good 40 yards away and found sophomore Kaitlyn Kerr, who headed in the game-winner just inside the far left post.

Duke now prepares for a match against Long Beach State on Friday at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Read more at EclipseSelect.org.

Gargan among Fire's unprotected list

Dan Gargan -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

The Chicago Fire and other Major League Soccer teams submitted their 11-player protected lists Monday in preparation for Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft for the Montreal Impact.

Among some of the Fire's noteworthy players left unprotected are forward Diego Chaves, midfielder Daniel Paladini, and defenders Dan Gargan, Josip Mikulic and Yamith Cuesta.

Fire's 11-player protected list: Sean Johnson (GK), Cory Gibbs (D), Jalil Anibaba (D), Gonzalo Segares (D), Pavel Pardo (M), Logan Pause (M), Marco Pappa (M), Sebastian Grazzini (M), Orr Barouch (F), Patrick Nyarko (F/M), Dominic Oduro (F)

Unprotected list (available for Impact selection): Jon Conway (GK), Alec Dufty (GK), Yamith Cuesta (D), Dan Gargan (D), Steven Kinney (D), Josip Mikulic (D), Pari Pantazopoulos (D), Mike Banner (M), Michael Videira (M), Daniel Paladini M), Baggio Husidic (M), Cristian Nazarit (F), Gabriel Ferrari (F), Diego Chaves (F)

Exempt from selection (Generation adidas or homegrown status): Corben Bone (M), Kellen Gulley (F), Victor Pineda (M)

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.