The Chicago Fire has acquired former U.S. international Frank Klopas in a trade with the Columbus Crew for midfielder Jason Farrell. Klopas, who attended Chicago’s Mather High and was a member of the 1984 NASL champion Chicago Sting, spent the first two MLS seasons with the Kansas City Wizards, before being traded in the off-season for Crew forward Pete Marino. He had not reported to Columbus because of a desire to play in Chicago for family reasons. “All of us are trying hard to improve our teams and sometimes issues arise,” said Crew GM Jamey Rootes. “Frank Klopas expressed his desire to play in Chicago and be near his family. This trade allows for that and returns to us the player we would have otherwise protected in the expansion draft.” Klopas played overseas with AEK Athens from 1988-92, helping the club to appearances in two European Cups and two UEFA Cups. He made the roster for World Cup ’94, but did not appear in any games. After the World Cup, he returned to Greece with First Division club Apollon before returning to the U.S. to join Kansas City, where he tallied seven goals and 11 assists in 49 games. “Frank is a very experienced player who has a big name here in Chicago,” said Fire head coach Bob Bradley. “While we were reluctant to part with Jason, we will look to Frank to provide leadership and scoring whether he plays out on the wing or as a forward.” Farrell, the Fire’s fourth pick in the MLS expansion draft, returns to Columbus, where he played in 18 games for the Crew 1997, scoring two goals and adding three assists. The speedy midfielder had starred for the A-League’s Seattle Sounders before being selected by Columbus in the 1997 MLS supplemental draft. “I’m very excited to be coming back to Columbus,” said Farrell. “The guys are great and the coaching staff is great. I’m looking forward to helping the team build on last year’s success.”