Fire's owner confident MLS, team will continue to grow

Andrew Hauptman sees bright days ahead for the Fire.

The team owner isn't just an unfettered optimist, he's seen evidence that soccer and the Fire's place in the Chicago market are growing and will continue to grow, and not just because MLS now has five years of labor peace and very promising new teams to emulate.

Hauptman, who held his annual preseason meeting with the media Monday night, said his investments in various areas of the team, including the front office, community outreach programs and the youth development program, will pay off for the Fire in the long run.

Eventually, that means the Fire will become profitable and selling out 20,000-seat Toyota Park on a regular basis. Right now Seattle and Toronto are the only profitable teams in MLS.

"The more time that I spend here the more belief I have in the possibilities," Hauptman said.

Hauptman said he's looking forward to seeing what kind of team new coach Carlos de los Cobos puts on the field, adding, "100 percent (technical director) Frank Klopas was in charge" of the search.

"He's a wonderful person," Hauptman said of de los Cobos. "He's an adult. He carries himself with dignity. He's focused on making sure that the team is looked after with the kind of respect that a professional team of this caliber deserves. He brings all the tactical and strategic capabilities of a world-class coach."

While Hauptman said he was saddened to see popular goalkeeper Jon Busch released Monday, he supports de los Cobos' decision.

"We've got his back 100 percent," Hauptman said of de los Cobos.

CBA details: MLS released Tuesday details of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement it signed Saturday with the MLS Players Union. The five-year CBA includes:

• Guaranteed contracts for players over age 24 and with at least three years in MLS;

• A salary cap increase in 2010 to $2.55 million a team, up from $2.315 million in 2009, with 5 percent increases each year for the remainder of the CBA;

• An increase in the minimum salary for senior players to $40,000 for 2010, up from $34,000 in 2009, with 5 percent increases each year for the remainder of the CBA;

• A re-entry draft for out-of-contract players, with specific details to be worked out;

• Increases in league payments to player 401(k), per diems, relocation reimbursements and full health care benefits for players' families;

• The league and union will study relaunching a reserve division.

"All of our perspectives," Fire owner Andrew Hauptman said, "I think, from the players to the owners to league executives, is that a strike would have been potentially quite devastating given the growth that has transpired, the solid footing that we continue to look towards."