In conjunction with the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, Major League Soccer (MLS) has arrived in the Windy City with the aptly named CHICAGO FIRE, it was announced today by team GM Peter Wilt. Chicago’s new professional sports team selected the nickname over other contenders such as the Blues, Rhythm and Wind because of the passion the name provokes. “The name Fire has such a sense of history in Chicago. We wanted a name that was a reflection of this great city, and everyone in this city knows about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871,” Wilt said. “In addition, the rebuilding process that the city has gone through has become a great source of pride for Chicagoans.” The Fire logo was designed by Dan Price and Rick Fillmon of Adrenalin Design, and the team’s uniforms were designed by Nike. The 1998 season will the inaugural campaign for the Fire, which is joining MLS along with the Miami Fusion. Chicago will play in the Western Conference along with the Colorado, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles and San Jose. “Chicago is a savvy soccer town with a rich soccer history, evidenced by the 1994 World Cup, the success of the Chicago Sting and many different cup competitions. We know there is a strong demand for high-level soccer here and the impressive 30,000-person turnout for the Independence Cup this summer proved this fact,” Wilt said. “There is a great legacy of soccer support in Chicago, from the way the market responded to the opening of World Cup ’94 to the success of the Chicago Sting to the abundance of soccer participation at all levels; all reasons for MLS to expand here,” said MLS Commissioner Doug Logan, who attended the unveiling. “We are convinced that the Chicago Fire will provide local soccer fans with the top-flight professional soccer they are currently seeking.” “We will reach out to the people who supported soccer in the past, targeting the Chicago suburbs and the large European and Hispanic communities that make up the population throughout the area, as well as the sports fans not yet introduced to the fast-paced game of soccer,” Wilt added. “It is our goal to make Fire games affordable for the whole family while providing first-rate entertainment. We want to win and, while we are winning, provide our fans with an exciting product.” The Fire is scheduled to play its home games at Soldier Field. The team announced that season ticket packages, ranging in price between $54 and $440, will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 9. To order, call 1-888-MLS-FIRE.