As his former teammates and coaches have already attested, Logan Pause’s career is full of memorable moments, both on and off the field. Put simply, Logan is the living and breathing definition of “Tradition Honor Passion”.
Spending an entire career with a club in any sport is a rare thing these days, especially in MLS and for Logan to spend his entire 12-year career at the Fire is something special that we may not see again for a long time, if ever.
When I sat down to think of a Logan Pause memory that stood out for me, there were quite a few to choose from. I could’ve picked his 35 yard screamer in the blustering wind against Toronto FC in 2010, the 2006 U.S. Open Cup final win over the LA Galaxy, or even the last game I saw him play live, the 1-1 tie against Philadelphia a few weeks ago.
In the end, I decided to pick a game way back in 2005, the second leg of the 2005 Eastern Conference Semifinal against D.C. United at RFK Stadium.
The Fire tied the first game 0-0 at Soldier Field and instead of going to Halloween parties with my classmates at DePaul the next weekend, I decided to jump in a van and travel to D.C. for the second leg. My fellow fans including Zach Schafer, Ben Forgey and Patrickt Stanton were in a hopeful mood as we traveled to RFK.
With Justin Mapp and Chris Armas missing, we knew that going to D.C. without a lead was not ideal and we all agreed that if we could get through the first half with the score still 0-0, we had a great chance of getting to the Eastern Conference Final.
With Chris Armas missing, Logan played in the holding midfield position for one of the most remarkable Fire games I’ve ever witnessed. We hoped for a 0-0 at halftime, what we got was a 3-0 Fire lead, with goals from young Jack Stewart and two from Ivan Guerrero while Logan did his part to shut down Christian Gomez and Co. during the first half.
(Jaime Moreno and Logan Pause during a match in 2005)
At halftime, a D.C. fan approached the traveling Fire fans asking us, “Do you think two goals will be enough?” When I pointed to the scoreboard and informed him that the score was actually 3-0, he was not amused.
During the second half, Jesse Marsch was again allowed to get forward thanks to Pause playing as the cover for the Fire backline. Marsch’s stunning volley made the game 4-0 and the Fire were in dreamland.
Before that fourth goal, Gomez was sent off for spitting on C.J. Brown. Up in the stands, we couldn’t believe what we were witnessing. What most people will remember about Logan Pause in this game was an absolutely disgraceful knee high tackle on him by a very young Freddy Adu. Thankfully Logan was not injured and would go on to start against New England in the Eastern Conference Final a week later.
This game was a classic example of a Logan Pause performance: doing all of the dirty work, cutting out passes and getting the ball to the Fire’s attacking players. Pause is a player fully aware of his capabilities on the pitch and instead of trying to do too much, he concentrated on excelling at whatever role the coach gave him. Whether it was at right back or in central midfield, Logan always gave a 100% in every match and rarely did he have a bad one for the Men in Red.
When I was younger after watching a Manchester United win with my dad, I scoffed offhandedly that United captain Roy Keane, did not have a very good game. My dad adamantly disagreed and pointed out a number of things Keane did such as intercept a pass which later resulted in a United goal. That lesson stuck with me and made me appreciate similar performances from Logan Pause throughout his career.
The Fire have had a long tradition of leaders through the years, especially in midfield, with players like Piotr Nowak, Chris Armas and Jesse Marsch. Logan is certainly in their company, and he will be remembered as one as the most influential players in Chicago Fire history.
