CHICAGO FIRE

WHERE THE FIRE NEVER DIES

The football club and franchise Chicago Fire have taken their name, their theme and their inspiration from the great fire that devastated the city in the 19th century. Lasting from 8 to 10 October, 1871, it took nearly 300 lives. More than 7.76 square kilometres (3 square miles) of the city were destroyed and more than 100,000 inhabitants were left homeless. One popular theory is that a cow caused the tragedy by kicking over a burning lantern while it was being milked. Whether or not the cow was responsible for the fire is unclear, but Chicago Fire did not include her in their crest.

It was unveiled on the 126th anniversary of the fire: 8 October, 1997. The city of Chicago now had its own Major League Soccer (MLS) club, and early successes meant that Chicago Fire soon gained respect across the United States. In their first season, under Bob Bradley, Chicago Fire managed to win the double: the MLS and the US Open Cup, still the club’s greatest success.

After these triumphs, and still with Bradley at the helm, the team produced such young talents as Carlos Bocanegra and DaMarcus Beasley, players who would become key international stars and help to stimulate interest in football in the United States.

CLUB: Chicago Fire Soccer Club

NICKNAME: Men in Red

FOUNDED: 1997

STADIUM: Toyota Park, Bridgeview (20,000 capacity)

HISTORIC PLAYERS: Eric Wynalda, Piotr Nowak, Chris Armas, C.J. Brown, Logan Pause, Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Bastian Schweinsteiger

1998–present. With the historical fire as inspiration, it was more or less inevitable that Chicago Fire would use an emblem similar to that of the city’s fire brigade, a symbol also known as the St Florian’s Cross. The timeless look of the C at the centre of the emblem represents Chicago and was inspired by some of the city’s other sports clubs, like the Bears (American football) and the Cubs (baseball). The six white points surrounding the letter are taken from the six-pointed stars on the city emblem of Chicago. The stars represent four important events in the city’s history: the Battle of Fort Dearborn in 1812, the fire of 1871 and the great fairs of 1893 and 1933.

1998–2006. For eight years from the club’s founding, this alternative emblem was also used – one that exaggerated the club’s links to the city’s firefighters.

2017. In 2017 Chicago Fire played their 20th season in the MLS. This was celebrated with a specially designed emblem, in which the normal crest was framed by a red and white circle, these being colours of the team’s home kit.

Chicago Fire’s Kevin Ellis (5) celebrates his goal against Atlanta United FC with Alan Gordon (21) at Toyota Park in 2018.