Fire Return to Soldier Field

by Jason Halpin
MLSnet.com

After nearly two years away, the Chicago Fire are returning home. Tonight’s game against the Columbus Crew is the Fire’s first match at Soldier Field since Oct. 17, 2001.

Since then, the Fire have played all of their home matches at North Central College’s Cardinal Stadium in Naperville due to renovations at Soldier Field.

Now, the Fire are back in the city and excited to reopen the stadium in which they’ve had such tremendous success.

“The field is almost exactly as I remember it. Other than that, it’s a totally different stadium,” midfielder Jesse Marsch said. “It’ll take some getting used to, but it’s really nice.”

Marsch said the juxtaposition of the new glass exterior of the stadium with the classic colonnade was jarring at first, but is just one unique aspect of a unique stadium that he and the rest of Chicago will grow accustomed to. More importantly, he said, he and his teammates will have to get used to the walls around the playing field.

“It looks a little strange, but I think Chicagoans will get used to it,” he said. “Once you get inside, it’s just amazing. The way the stands are almost right on top of the field – it’s really well done.

“When you play in a stadium, sometimes by knowing where the walls are and where the stands start, you know where the end lines are and where the sidelines are. You sort of have to figure out the dimensions by playing there a little bit.”

The Fire will also have a slight adjustment to make with the grass surface. The field at Cardinal Stadium is synthetic, and though the Soldier Field pitch is not that much bigger than the pitch at Cardinal Stadium, it should “play bigger,” Marsch said, due to the longer grass.

For first-year Fire head coach Dave Sarachan, tonight’s game will be a first introduction to Soldier Field rather than a return. Sarachan spent a bit of time at Soldier when he was an assistant coach at D.C. United, but hasn’t yet experienced what it’s like to play at Soldier Field with the home crowd supporting him.

“I’m a newcomer to Chicago, and it was really exciting for me personally to drive into the city and have a feel for the whole city,” he said. “In getting back to Soldier, I know for a fact that the players, as much as they appreciated Naperville for a lot of things, are very excited to be back into the city of Chicago.”

Count Marsch as one of the excited players. He’s eager to play in downtown Chicago again and feel the energy of the city.

“Soldier Field is on a much grander scale. Sometimes we play out in Naperville, and it feels like a college game,” he said. “Chicago has such a beautiful downtown. You feel alive when you’re in the city. Naperville treated us well, but it was clearly a temporary home and we’re getting back now to where we belong, and that’s really exciting.”

Because the Fire have had similar success at both Soldier Field and Cardinal Stadium, the team isn’t concerned about the stadium or the field giving them a boost. Instead, they’re anxious to hear their fans in full voice spurring them on at their new, old home.