CHICAGO(March 20, 2015)-- For Chicago Fire head coach Frank Yallop, his club’s weekend road trip to San Jose will be at once strangely familiar and entirely new.
<img alt="" src="https://chicago-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/Egan_Yallop%20copy.jpeg" style="width: 160px; height: 90px;"> |
<b><a href="http://bit.ly/1DDadIK">WATCH: Fire Field Vision Powered by NovaCare</a></b> |
The man who compiled a 99-86-72 all-time record as the boss of the Earthquakes brings his new side up against a club, opposing manager and roster which he knows as intimately as any in Major League Soccer. But Yallop and the Fire will be facing the Quakes amid the pent-up excitement that comes with the official opening of Avaya Stadium, launching the new venue with their Sunday evening fixture.
The celebratory affair will air as part of MLS’ Soccer Sunday lineup, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports 1. Click Here to access a Fox Sports 1 channel finder on your cable system.
Keep In Mind
• After training on Thursday, Frank Yallop indicated that goalkeeper Sean Johnson would return to his starting spot between the pipes Sunday evening. Johnson sat out the Fire's home-opener against Vancouver Whitecaps FC while nursing an arm infection, giving way to Jon Busch for the veteran's 297th MLS appearance.
• Yallop also commented on the return to training of attacking midfielder David Accam, and the potential to see the Ghanaian on the pitch at Avaya Stadium on Sunday.
"He'll be in the 18 for sure on the weekend," Yallop said. "He's not fully game sharp or fit but just to have him around and available is what we need from him. I've got to be careful in the 90 minutes of the game, where if he gets 30 minutes at the end it could be the difference for us, I don't want to be bringing him out of the match and I don't think he's 90-minute ready. We'll see, we can do some things between now and then. He's desperate to play so I've got to rein him in a little bit."
• The Fire own a 13-9-11 lead in 33 all-time meetings with San Jose, with the Quakes claiming a slight 7-5-5 edge in matches played in the Bay Area.
Stop Us If You’ve Heard This Before…
Sunday is hardly the first time that Chicago Fire supporters have seen the Men In Red involved in the opening of a new soccer-specific Major League Soccer venue. In fact, this weekend marks the fifth stadium-opening occasion in which the Fire have factored, beginning with the debut of their own home, Toyota Park, on June 11, 2006.
Below is a look at the Fire’s participation in MLS stadium unveilings:
June 11, 2006, Toyota Park (Bridgeview): The 12,941 fans to attend the first game at Toyota Park saw the first goal in the 39th minute courtesy of forward Nate Jaqua – his first of two on the day – and rookie forward Calen Carr’s first professional goal in the 91st minute. The home debut ended in a 3-3 draw with late goals from both sides.
March 27, 2010, Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.): The Red Bulls secured a 1-0 victory in the MLS opener at Red Bull Arena, their first since leaving the home confines of Giants Stadium.
June 9, 2011, Sporting Park (Kansas City): June 9 is a date that will go down in Kansas City club history. The very first match at what was then called Livestrong Sporting Park may have ended as an unspectacular scoreless draw, but it marked a landmark moment in club history, as the team’s new home opened to rave reviews after years of playing in borrowed facilities.
April 14, 2011, Providence Park (Portland): The Portland Timbers, inspired by the wall of noise coming from the north end of the stadium formerly known as JELD-WEN Field, made sure that the memory of opening night for their renovated stadium didn't go wrong, as they won their inaugural MLS game, 4-2, over the Chicago Fire on a rainy night in the Rose City.
Fire-Quakes Connections
• Frank Yallop’s deep ties to San Jose and Dominic Kinnear are not the only ties that bind the two clubs. Fire forward Quincy Amarikwa, a member of the club’s Starting XI in each of the first two fixtures of 2015, plied his trade with the Quakes in 2009-10, playing just a short drive from his college alma mater of UC Davis. Amarikwa’s next stop, Toronto FC, saw him play alongside defender, now a regular starter on the Quakes back line.
• Veteran goalkeeper Jon Busch is also returning to the club where he spent five seasons in between his two stints with the Chicago Fire. Busch was the man between the pipes for all 34 matches for the Earthquakes last season, his fourth straight season making 30 or more starts for the Quakes.
• On the Quakes side, Gambian midfielder Sanna Nyassi experienced a brief spell as a member of the Fire, appearing in 10 matches with six starts during the 2010 campaign.
