25 October 1998 - Chicago Denies DC

On 25 October 1998, the Chicago Fire, playing in their first season, won the MLS Cup over two-time champions DC United.

Chicago had compiled an impressive record of 20 wins and 12 losses to reach 56 points on the season, third-best in the league behind the LA Galaxy (68) and DC United (58). In the playoffs, they beat the Colorado Rapids in the conference semifinals, then advanced over the Galaxy in a conference final shootout to reach the MLS Cup.

The final was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where Chicago faced DC United, winners of the first two MLS Cups in 1996 and 1997. DC boasted one of the league's most potent attacks. Featuring forwards Roy Lassiter and Jaime Moreno, DC had scored a total of 81 goals, second only to the Galaxy's 85.

Chicago, however, managed to hold DC scoreless in the final while getting two goals of their own from striker Jerzy Podbrożny (29') and midfielder Diego Gutiérrez (45'). Both goals were assisted by midfielder Piotr Nowak (pictured), was was named the game's most valuable player.

It remains Chicago's only MLS Cup, though they finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2003. DC went on to win it again in 1999 and 2004.

3 January 2003 - Nowak Calls Time On His Playing Career

On 3 January 2003, the Chicago Fire traded team captain Piotr Nowak to New England, but he retired about a month later before suiting up for his new club.

The Polish international midfielder joined Chicago in 1998 after a four-year tenure with 1860 Munich that saw him named Poland's Player of the Year (1996) and the Bundesliga's best playmaker (1995-96). He made an immediate impact with the fledgling MLS side, who named him the team MVP in his first season as they won the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup.

More successes followed, including another US Open Cup in 2000, as Nowak collected two more MVP awards in 2000 and 2001. By the end of the 2002 season, he set the club's current all-time assist record at 48. But salary cap considerations led Chicago to trade their then-38-year old captain to New England for the 2003 season. Later that year, Chicago made him the first inductee in their "Ring of Fire," honoring past players.

Just over one month after the trade announcement, Nowak chose to retire rather than continue his playing career in New England. He wasn't done with football altogether, however, as he took over as manager of DC United in 2004, winning that season's MLS Cup. He left DC in 2006 to work with the US national team and, in 2009, became the first head coach for the Philadelphia Union. He later took charge of Antigua and Barbuda and is currently the manager of Polish club Lechia Gdańsk.

21 March 1998 - The Fire Show Their Spark

On 21 March 1998, the Chicago Fire got off to good start, beating fellow MLS expansion team Miami Fusion 2-0 in their first league match.

Chicago and Miami joined MLS that year as the league's eleventh and twelfth teams and met in Fort Lauderdale on the season's opening day. Playing before a crowd of 14,653 at Lockhart Stadium, the two were inseparable in the first half, going into the break scoreless despite playing open and attacking football.

They combined for a total of 30 shots on the day (14 for Chicago and 16 for Miami), though they got only five each on goal. Fortunately for Chicago, two of theirs went in, as Roman Kosecki (76') and Ritchie Kotschau (87') found the back of the net to give the Fire a 2-0 victory.

It was the start to a fantastic season for Chicago, who went on to finish second in the league's Western Conference, then won the MLS Cup with a 2-0 win over DC United in October.

8 October 1997 - Chicago Lights A Match

On 8 October 1997, Major League Soccer welcomed its newest club, the Chicago Fire. The announcement was made on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, one of the worst US disasters of the 19th century.

MLS had begun play in 1996 with 10 teams and decided in 1997 to add two more for the 1998 season, awarding franchises to Chicago and Miami. The announcement on 8 October revealed the new name of the Chicago team, chosen to reflect the importance of the 1871 fire in the city's history.

Chicago were instantly successful. Guided by head coach Bob Bradley, captain Piotr Nowak, and MLS Defender of the Year Luboš Kubík, they won both the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup in their first season. They have maintained that success over the years, returning to the MLS Cup Final in 2000 and 2003--finishing as runners-up both times--and winning the US Open Cup three more times (in 2000, 2003, and 2006). In 2009, they advanced to the Final of the North American SuperLiga tournament, losing on penalties to UANL Tigres.

27 January 2001 - Damarcus' Debut

On 27 January 2001, speedy 18-year old midfielder Damarcus Beasley collected his first cap for the United States senior team in a 2-1 friendly win over China played in Oakland, California. Known primarily for his pace on the left wing, Beasley has also shown versatility, playing at forward and left back for the national team.

Beasley had previously been a standout for the U-17s, who reached the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Championship, with Beasley earning the Silver Ball award as the tournament's second most valuable player.

He is the only US international to play in four World Cups--2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 2006, he provided the assist for the only goal scored by the Americans, a 43rd-minute equalizer by Clint Dempsey in the final group stage match against Ghana. Beasley put the ball in the back of the net against Italy, but the goal was disallowed after the referee determined that forward Brian McBride had screened the Italian goalkeeper from an offside position. 

In 2014, he played in all four of the US's World Cup matches, then retired from international football in December of that year with a career total of 121 appearances.  

8 January 2004 - El Tri Loses Some Color

On 8 January 2004, Mexico's flamboyant goalkeeper Jorge Campos announced his retirement from football, taking his self-designed colorful kits with him.

Born in Acapulco on 15 October 1966, Campos started his professional career in 1988 with Club Universidad Nacional, better known as Pumas. In order to get time on the pitch, he played as a striker until he won the job as first-team keeper. In 1991, he got his first cap for Mexico and would go on to make 130 appearances for El Tri (in 7 of those, he played as both a keeper and a striker, and in 2 others, he played only as a striker).

Although well-known for his bright and unique kits, which he designed himself, Campos was an accomplished keeper. During the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup, for example, he did not concede a single goal as Mexico claimed the title with a 2-0 win over invitee Brazil in the final.

His career included spells with numerous clubs in Mexico and the United States, including the Los Angeles Galaxy (1997), Chicago Fire (1998) and several seasons with Pumas (1988-96, 1997-98, 1998-2000, 2001-02). At the time of his retirement, he was playing for Puebla (2002-04).

15 October 2000 - There's A Saying About Defense And Championships

On 15 October 2000, Kansas City won the MLS Cup over Chicago in a battle of the league's stingiest defense against its most powerful offense.

The two teams ended the season level on points at the top of the table, with Kansas City conceding a league-low 29 goals and Chicago scoring a league-high 67. Kansas City claimed the top spot, however, with a goal differential of +18 to Chicago's +16.

They met at RFK Stadium in Washington for the MLS Cup Final, where Kansas City took an early 1-0 lead with an eleventh-minute goal from Danish striker Miklos Molnar, who had joined them from Sevilla earlier that year and was making his last appearance before retiring. Chicago, led by the season's top scorer Ante Razov, pressed forward in search of an equalizer, but were constantly stymied by the Kansas City defense and goalkeeper Tony Meola, who had kept an MLS-best twenty clean sheets through the season, including four in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Despite a flurry of Chicago chances in the last ten minutes, Kansas City held firm to notch their twenty-first shutout of the year. Meola, who had already won the league's most valuable player, best goalkeeper, and comeback player of the year awards, was named the MLS Cup MVP as well.

4 October 2011 - Seattle Reigns In The US Open Cup

On 4 October 2011, the Seattle Sounders win their third straight US Open Cup, beating Chicago 2-0.

Since joining MLS in 2009 as an expansion team, Seattle had been impressive, reaching the MLS Cup conference semifinals in their first two seasons. But they had been even more successful in the US Open Cup, winning it in 2009 and 2010.

In 2011, they were on their way to a second-place finish in the league and another MLS Cup conference semifinal appearance. But before then, they had a chance to become only the second team ever to win three straight US Open Cups (the only other team to three-peat was Greek American AA, who won it in 1967, 1968, and 1969).

In order to do that, however, they had to beat the Chicago Fire, who were in the final for the sixth time and had won it in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006. Despite a much poorer league record, Chicago managed to hold the defending champions to a scoreless draw for most of the match. But Seattle finally took the lead with a goal from forward Fredy Montero in the 77th minute, then sealed the win with a strike from midfielder Osvaldo Alonso in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

3 April 2007 - The Fire Turns Up The Heat

On 3 April 2007, the Chicago Fire signed Mexican star Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who went on to score the league's Goal of the Season and was later selected to the MLS Best XI.

The playmaker joined Chicago from Club América, where he had been a four-time Mexican Primera División MVP, winning the 2005 Clausura and the 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Chicago used their designated player spot to sign him for a deal worth almost $2.7 million per year, making him one of the league's highest-paid players behind only David Beckham (who made over $6 million).

Despite a relatively disappointing first season in which Blanco appeared in only fourteen of Chicago's thirty league games and scored only four goals, one of them was good enough to be voted the MLS Goal of the Year: playing against Real Salt Lake in August, he received the ball about twenty yards out, turned, then fired a left-footed shot over keeper Nick Rimando into the far side of the net.

The next season, he helped Chicago to the league's third-best record (and improvement of four spots from 2007) and reached the MLS Cup Conference Finals. For his role, Blanco was named to the season's MLS Best XI. He was also the MVP of the 2008 All-Star Game, in which the MLS All-Stars beat West Ham United 3-2.

He played one more season with Chicago, then returned to Mexico in 2010 to play for Veracruz.

25 October 1998 - Chicago Denies DC

On 25 October 1998, the Chicago Fire, playing in their first season, won the MLS Cup over two-time champions DC United.

Chicago had compiled an impressive record of 20 wins and 12 losses to reach 56 points on the season, third-best in the league behind the LA Galaxy (68) and DC United (58). In the playoffs, they beat the Colorado Rapids in the conference semifinals, then advanced over the Galaxy in a conference final shootout to reach the MLS Cup.

The final was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where Chicago faced DC United, winners of the first two MLS Cups in 1996 and 1997. DC boasted one of the league's most potent attacks. Featuring forwards Roy Lassiter and Jaime Moreno, DC had scored a total of 81 goals, second only to the Galaxy's 85.

Chicago, however, managed to hold DC scoreless in the final while getting two goals of their own from striker Jerzy Podbrożny (29') and midfielder Diego Gutiérrez (45'). Both goals were assisted by midfielder Piotr Nowak (pictured), was was named the game's most valuable player.

It remains Chicago's only MLS Cup, though they finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2003. DC went on to win it again in 1999 and 2004.

21 March 1998 - The Fire Show Their Spark

On 21 March 1998, the Chicago Fire got off to good start, beating fellow MLS expansion team Miami Fusion 2-0 in their first league match.

Chicago and Miami joined MLS that year as the league's eleventh and twelfth teams and met in Fort Lauderdale on the season's opening day. Playing before a crowd of 14,653 at Lockhart Stadium, the two were inseparable in the first half, going into the break scoreless despite playing open and attacking football.

They combined for a total of 30 shots on the day (14 for Chicago and 16 for Miami), though they got only five each on goal. Fortunately for Chicago, two of theirs went in, as Roman Kosecki (76') and Ritchie Kotschau (87') found the back of the net to give the Fire a 2-0 victory.

It was the start to a fantastic season for Chicago, who went on to finish second in the league's Western Conference, then won the MLS Cup with a 2-0 win over DC United in October.

3 January 2003 - Nowak Calls Time On His Playing Career

On 3 January 2003, the Chicago Fire traded team captain Piotr Nowak to New England, but he retired about a month later before suiting up for his new club.

The Polish international midfielder joined Chicago in 1998 after a four-year tenure with 1860 Munich that saw him named Poland's Player of the Year (1996) and the Bundesliga's best playmaker (1995-96). He made an immediate impact with the fledgling MLS side, who named him the team MVP in his first season as they won the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup.

More successes followed, including another US Open Cup in 2000, as Nowak collected two more MVP awards in 2000 and 2001. By the end of the 2002 season, he set the club's current all-time assist record at 48. But salary cap considerations led Chicago to trade their then-38-year old captain to New England for the 2003 season. Later that year, Chicago made him the first inductee in their "Ring of Fire," honoring past players.

Just over one month after the trade announcement, Nowak chose to retire rather than continue his playing career in New England. He wasn't done with football altogether, however, as he took over as manager of DC United in 2004, winning that season's MLS Cup. He left DC in 2006 to work with the US national team and, in 2009, became the first head coach for the Philadelphia Union.

8 October 1997 - Chicago Lights A Match

On 8 October 1997, Major League Soccer welcomed its newest club, the Chicago Fire. The announcement was made on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, one of the worst US disasters of the 19th century.

MLS had begun play in 1996 with 10 teams and decided in 1997 to add two more for the 1998 season, awarding franchises to Chicago and Miami. The announcement on 8 October revealed the new name of the Chicago team, chosen to reflect the importance of the 1871 fire in the city's history.

Chicago were instantly successful. Guided by head coach Bob Bradley, captain Piotr Nowak, and MLS Defender of the Year Luboš Kubík, they won both the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup in their first season. They have maintained that success over the years, returning to the MLS Cup Final in 2000 and 2003--finishing as runners-up both times--and winning the US Open Cup three more times (in 2000, 2003, and 2006). In 2009, they advanced to the Final of the North American SuperLiga tournament, losing on penalties to UANL Tigres.

27 January 2001 - Damarcus' Debut

On 27 January 2001, speedy 18-year old midfielder Damarcus Beasley collected his first cap for the United States senior team in a 2-1 friendly win over China played in Oakland, California. Known primarily for his pace on the left wing, Beasley has also shown versatility, playing at forward and left back for the national team.

Beasley had previously been a standout for the U-17s, who reached the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Championship, with Beasley earning the Silver Ball award as the tournament's second most valuable player.

He was key player for the US in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. In the latter, he provided the assist for the only goal scored by the Americans, a 43rd-minute equalizer by Clint Dempsey in the final group stage match against Ghana. Beasley put the ball in the back of the net against Italy, but the goal was disallowed after the referee determined that forward Brian McBride had screened the Italian goalkeeper from an offside position.

To date, Beasley has made 89 appearances for the national team, scoring 17 goals. He currently plays in Scotland for Rangers, after joining the Glasgow side in 2007. He previously played for the Chicago Fire (2000-04), PSV Eindhoven (2004-07), and Manchester City (on loan from PSV, 2006-07).

[2012 Update: Beasley left Rangers for Hannover 96 in 2010, then moved to Mexico to play for Puebla, his current club, one year later.]

8 January 2004 - El Tri Loses Some Color

On 8 January 2004, Mexico's flamboyant goalkeeper Jorge Campos announced his retirement from football, taking his self-designed colorful kits with him.

Born in Acapulco on 15 October 1966, Campos started his professional career in 1988 with Club Universidad Nacional, better known as Pumas. In order to get time on the pitch, he played as a striker until he won the job as first-team keeper. In 1991, he got his first cap for Mexico and would go on to make 130 appearances for El Tri (in 7 of those, he played as both a keeper and a striker, and in 2 others, he played only as a striker).

Although well-known for his bright and unique kits, which he designed himself, Campos was an accomplished keeper. During the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup, for example, he did not concede a single goal as Mexico claimed the title with a 2-0 win over invitee Brazil in the final.

His career included spells with numerous clubs in Mexico and the United States, including the Los Angeles Galaxy (1997), Chicago Fire (1998) and several seasons with Pumas (1988-96, 1997-98, 1998-2000, 2001-02). At the time of his retirement, he was playing for Puebla (2002-04).