Fire adds forward, midfielder to roster
The Fire signed forward Orr Barouch and midfielder Mike Videira on Thursday, bringing the roster to 25 players.
The Major League Soccer club is allowed up to 30 players on the roster for its March 19 season opener at FC Dallas, but technical director Frank Klopas has said he probably will only roster 28.
Both Barouch and Videira had been with the club on trial in Florida and now South Carolina, and the team still has five more players on trial, including open tryout winner Pari Pantazopoulos and Gabriel Ferrari. Draft pick Davis Paul remains unsigned, but he has received a lot of playing time in the Carolina Challenge Cup the past couple of weeks, suggesting the club will sign him too.
“Orr and Mike are young, talented players who bring versatility to our lineup and are able to play multiple positions,” Klopas said. ”Both guys are driven to succeed at this level and will help in the progression of our club heading into the 2011 MLS season.”
Barouch, 19, was born in Haifa, Israel, and raised in California. After high school he joined the Tigres UANL youth system in Mexico. Videira, a 25-year-old Duke University product, played at Scottish Premier League side Hamilton Academical before returning to the United States.
TV talk:
The Fire announced its local television broadcasts of games will remain on Comcast SportsNet and Channel 50. They will combine to broadcast 24 of the club’s 34 MLS games, with the others being on national TV.
The club did not announce who would be calling the games, though play-by-play man Dan Kelly is expected back for a second season. Color commentator Chris Doran will not be back. Sideline reporter Amy Freeze, who recently lost her job as a Channel 32 meteorologist, probably will not return, though she will host the Fire’s kickoff luncheon Monday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The Fire opens the season March 19 at FC Dallas, with the home opener March 26 against Sporting Kansas City.
Open season:
The Fire will host MLS rival Colorado Rapids in an U.S. Open Cup play-in game March 30 at Bradley University in Peoria.