Once season ends, expect extreme makeover for Fire

Brian McBride's recent shoulder surgery might just be the start of the second-place Fire's roster makeover.

Don't expect that to happen until the off-season unless there are more injuries, however. Owner Andrew Hauptman wants a MLS Cup title, so he's not about to let anyone go now.

Start with the back line. Central defender Bakary Soumare won't get his transfer to a French team this summer, but he does want to return to France and almost surely will in January, when he can leave on a free transfer.

Wilman Conde has asked to be transferred before and probably will again. Will he get his wish this off-season?

Fire original member C.J. Brown is 34, injury prone and has a one-year contract. He could retire, or the Fire could decide to move on. Fellow reserve Brandon Prideaux already has announced his retirement to take a job as an assistant coach at the University of Washington.

The midfield is relatively set, though Marco Pappa's loan from FCD Municipal in Guatemala expires after the season. Pappa, 21, is second on the team with 5 goals and provides plenty of excitement even when he doesn't put the ball in the back of the net. It's a no-brainer to bring him back.

Chris Rolfe also is in a contract year, but he hasn't had the kind of big season that would attract many overseas offers. He should be back.

Which brings us to the old men up top. Designated Player Cuauhtemoc Blanco, 36, already has said he expects this season to be his last in Chicago. His contract is up.

McBride, 37, also must decide if he wants a new contract. His latest surgery - has he lost count yet? - surely has to have him thinking about finding a job that's a little safer. Crash-test dummy, for instance.

It could be a busy off-season for technical director Frank Klopas, who could have several roster spots and a lot of salary-cap space to fill.

But first there are SuperLiga and league titles to win.

Local star shines bright: Brittany Bock of Naperville misses the Chicago area, but she sounds pretty happy in Los Angeles.

And why not? Her Los Angeles Sol is far and away the best team in Women's Professional Soccer, and the starting defender is a big reason why.

"It's a pretty sweet gig," she admitted while driving along the coast to practice Tuesday morning.

She has been spending plenty of time at the beach with her new teammates, though she hasn't tried surfing yet. Maybe that will come after next month's playoffs.

For now Bock is thinking about Sunday afternoon's game against the Chicago Red Stars at Toyota Park. She will have plenty of friends and family in the stands. Her mom, Kelly, is working hard to make sure of that.

"My mom actually has been working with a lot of the (local youth) clubs, Chicago Red Stars, Los Angeles Sol, my high school (Neuqua Valley in Naperville), with Notre Dame," Bock said. "She really wants to support the league and support me, which is nice."

The crowd to see Bock might rival the number of fans who come to see her more famous teammate, Brazilian superstar Marta. It looks like the Red Stars' final home game of the season will draw the biggest crowd of the season.

"My coaches kind of joke around," Bock said. "It sounds like there's a good amount of ticket sales. It's my hometown. It's created quite a buzz."

But Bock's support group isn't limited to this one Chicago visit. For instance, Bock estimates her mom has been at about 75 percent of the Sol's games this season.

"My mom, she's big on Southwest (Airlines)," Bock said.

Beckham's mania: MLS fined Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham $1,000 last week for a confrontation with a fan.

That's right: $1,000.

Now how is the poor guy supposed to pick up the dinner tab for his teammates?