Schweinsteiger helping Chicago Fire on and off the field
Chicago Fire chief operating officer Atul Khosla knows very well that it has only been a few weeks since the Fire signed German superstar Bastian Schweinsteiger, one of the most famous players in the world. The early business-side returns, however, are putting a smile on Khosla's face.
"It's been exciting and nice to see the uptick we've seen on the ticketing side as well as interest from corporate partners," he said.
Khosla said the club had its best April in club history both in paid tickets and in resale markets. Walk-up ticket buying is at levels not seen since Cuauhtémoc Blanco played for the Fire 2007-2009.
"He's definitely given us that momentum going into the heavy summer months for us," he said of Schweinsteiger.
The Fire also will host the MLS All-Star Game at Soldier Field on Aug. 2, another reason this figures to be a busy summer for Khosla and his front-office team.
Money talks:
The MLS Players Union released its semiannual player salaries list this week. To nobody's surprise, Bastian Schweinsteiger is by far the Fire's highest-paid player. He will be paid $5.4 million this season on a one-year contract.
Fellow designated player Nemanja Nikolic, a forward signed in the off-season, is the Fire's other million-dollar man at $1.9 million guaranteed compensation, according to MLSPU figures. Nikolic leads the team with 4 goals this season.
David Accam, Michael de Leeuw, Juninho, Johan Kappelhof and Dax McCarty are each at or above the $500,000 mark in guaranteed compensation for the season on the MLSPU list.
Return to New York:
Fire midfielder Dax McCarty made it clear he wasn't happy about being traded in January by the New York Red Bulls. He's not making a big deal of his first game against his old team, however.
"No, it's just another game for me," he said of Saturday's match (6:30 p.m. CSN) against the Red Bulls. "I just want to go there and get 3 points and try to move up the table. They're a good team. They're ahead of us on the table, so it's a 6-pointer, and that's the only way I'm looking at it."
Injury update:
Two weeks ago Matt Polster was ready to make his season debut. Then he suffered a setback in his recovery from the knee injury that sidelined him early in preseason training.
"Coming back and trying to push myself a little too hard was a mistake on my part," the third-year midfielder said.
Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic indicated Polster probably would not travel with the team to New York this weekend and maybe not to Los Angeles next weekend.
"Matt Polster still has to improve his fitness," Paunovic said. "He's still not ready, and we'll see in the next couple of weeks how he progresses."
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Scouting report
Chicago Fire at New York Red Bulls, 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Red Bull Arena
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Scouting the Fire: Chicago (3-2-2, 11 points) is winless in three games on the road this season and has allowed 8 goals in those games. Midfielder Dax McCarty makes his return to New York for the first time since his January trade to Chicago. Forward Nemanja Nikolic leads Fire with 4 goals.
Scouting the Red Bulls: New York (4-3-1, 13 points) is undefeated in four home games this season, and they haven't allowed a goal in those games. Goalkeeper Luis Robles hasn't missed a minute in the team's last 148 regular-season games. Bradley Wright-Phillips leads the team with 3 goals, and Sacha Kljestan has 4 assists.
Next: at Los Angeles Galaxy, 9:30 p.m. May 6 at Stubhub Center
- Orrin Schwarz