Chicago Fire HistoryIt all began with a legend. On the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, October 8, 1997, an announcement was made. The new Major League Soccer team assigned to Chicago would be called the Chicago Fire. Its inaugural season would be in 1998.
Investor-Operator Philip F. Anschutz and President Robert Sanderman, having two years of MLS experience with the Colorado Rapids, felt certain that Chicago will prove to be a successful market.
"The Chicago sports market is the next logical step for MLS expansion. We feel it can be a successful market for professional soccer," Sanderman said. "With the large Latino and Eastern European populations, coupled with the sport's continually growing interest in the Chicago suburbs, soccer has a chance to be extremely prosperous."
The 2007 Chicago Fire
