Both Blanco and the ref were under investigation due to the fact that Marrufo accepted a signed jersey from Blanco in the locker room after the game. We all know that it is against the rule for ref’s to accept gifts and this morning US Soccer decided to take action, dropping Marrufo from this weeks round of MLS matches.

Last night, the Fire suffered a 2-1 loss at home against Club America in a friendly. Yet again, individual defensive errors cost the Fire dearly, with Logan Pause and Nick Noble were the culprits. Blanco did little to help the Fire and looked like he was trying too hard to make an impact, further evidence that he cant hack it at this level for 90 minutes. Chris Rolfe looked like he had a point to prove and played harder than anyone on the field. He missed a lot of chances but managed to put 1 away. Stefan Dimitrov had some very nice touches including a brilliant assist for the Fire’s lone goal.

In league play the Fire are the only unbeaten team in the MLS, have scored more than any other team and boast the leagues top goalscorer, Brian McBride. On the other side of the coin, the Fire have tied their last 4 games, and have given up 9 goals in 6 games so far this season as opposed to only giving up 3 goals in the first 6 games of last season.

What do you think of the Fire’s season so far? Should we be happy or dissappointed? Share your thoughts below!

Obviously, I’ve got some serious shoes to fill. Tom Dunsmore has moved on to greener pastures. Johnathon did an admirable job handling the playoff denouement, despite its downbeat ending. And now … me.

My name’s Sean Spence, and I live in southeast Michigan. (That’s right, I’m not a local.) I grew up in northern Indiana in the 70s and 80s rooting for the Bears and Cubs and knowing not a thing about the beautiful game. The hook was set in college, however, and at this point I’m basically soccer-afflicted.

When I’m not watching the game or playing it, chances are I’m playing a game that simulates the game. Yes, I’m one of those soccer geeks that tries all the online manager games. Yes, I play Football Manager. Yes, I’ve edited my copy of Pro Evo Soccer so the names are kosher. I even have another blog where I talk about all that stuff.

Most of them, though, came from Chicago. I, on the other hand, left Manhattan early that morning (where I’d spent the week) with my girlfriend, and we drove the five hundred miles through some pretty bad rain. It looked like we had it timed perfectly: we were 30 minutes from the stadium just before six, kick-off being at 7.30, meaning we’d have a good hour to stretch our legs and hit up the Section 8 tailgate.

And then traffic on the Interstate stopped dead. Immobile vehicles stretched to the horizon ahead in the flat plains of Ohio, lightning and thunder cracking all around, torrential rain pouring. We inched forward. It took well over an hour before I broke five miles an hour. The game had already begun: I resorted to checking the score on my Blackberry. I’d driven ten hours only to be stuck in traffic just fifteen miles from the stadium. My blood pressure must have been through the roof.

Finally the traffic cleared, and I embarked on something approaching a Grand Theft Auto style driving rampage to the stadium. Miraculously, when we got there, only twenty minutes had ticked by. We were drenched already by the time we found the 200 Section 8 fans present, guided by their remarkable noise.

And just as this seems to be turning into a happy tale, I realised the thumping in my head was not coming from the Section 8 drums, but from one of the periodically insane migraine’s I get. These pretty much incapacitate me usually, and leave me curled in a sorry little ball, as any movement or sound has the effect of bringing me close to passing out. I need a lot of painkillers, and fast. But I had none.

I tried to focus on the game, and even attempted to join in the chants. I lasted until the rain break, my head pounding, feeling very dizzy, soaked to the bone, and gradually realising that Section 8’s noise — wonderful as it was — was going to make me lose consciousness pretty soon.

My girlfriend went scurrying off to the medical tent during the rain break to try and obtain pain relief tablets. They at first said they couldn’t issue them except for an “emergency”, and then admitted they just didn’t actually have any. My girlfriend returned: at this point, I was shivering, unable to talk, and doing my best to stay focused as the game was resuming.

Apparently, the level of my shaking and obvious physical discomfort had become too much for her, as she now begged me to leave the stadium for shelter and pain relief. I pathetically shook my head, and then realised she was crying about it all, apparently concerned for my wellbeing. I mumbled some words to the effect that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t die. She responded by saying “But I know you’d rather die than leave a soccer game early.” I’m not entirely sure that’s an epitaph I’d like, but I still refused to leave, trying to seem less like a comatose vegetable in order to cheer her up.

She gave me her rain jacket (boy, that made me feel manly), which helped with the shivering problem, and we had moved a safer distance from Section 8’s drums and chants, which were now just a dizzying but inspirational soundtrack to a tightly fought and tense game. It pained me to be unable to even utter a cheer when Paolo Wanchope scored the winning goal in the second half, but it eased the thumping pain in my head just for a second.

In any case, I will have a couple of posts up this weekend, including some interesting stuff about the new ownership, as the transfer from AEG to Andell Holdings will be taking place in the next couple of days. So check back soon for that.

Thirteen-time Colombian league champion Millonarios said Thursday it had sold 25-year-old defender Wilman Code to the Chicago Fire, reuniting him with manager Juan Carlos Osorio.

Daniel Jankowski, the Fire’s director of media relations, would not confirm the deal and said the club would have to clear a roster spot before any singing took place.

“Something could happen tonight and something could happen tomorrow,” Jankowski said.

Osorio left Millonarios — Colombia’s most successful professional team — in July to become the Fire’s manager.

Bogota-based Millonarios said it had sold Conde for an unspecified amount and that he had signed a 16-month contract with the MLS club.

Given the Fire are already at the limit for Senior Internationals, this means someone has to go. I would guess it’ll be Thiago. Kind of a shame — the Brazilian has some talent, after all. But I’ve been saying for a while we need a new defender, and Osorio obviously thinks he’ll fit in well. Plus, he’s pretty young. Oh, and here he is scoring a goal:

USA-Mexico at Azteca on Sept. 9, rumored to be in trouble, has been cancelled. USA-Brazil at Soldier Field on the same day has been agreed upon. Not a bad replacement match, huh?

No reason given for the change, but Spanish TV rights were believed to be part of the problem for the original matchup.

So Brazil will play the U.S. lads on the 9th on ESPN2, then meet Mexico three days later at Foxborough.

Not bad: I guess it does help that the headquarters of the USSF reside here.

Firstly, DaMarcus Beasley scored for Ranger, but unfortunately had to endure racist abuse in the Champions League qualifier against FK Zeta.

Former PSV Eindhoven winger Beasley, who hit the 81st-minute winner, said: ‘That’s something FIFA and UEFA must fight with, and solve.

‘This is the 21st century, and we are still having trouble with it.

‘That’s not normal, not just for us, black players, that’s not normal for all other normal people.

Let’s hope UEFA keep to their recent promise to crack down and take severe action on FK Zeta.

And it’s not good news for Damani Ralph, either: he hasn’t played for almost two years now due to injuries.

“Right now I am facing a third surgery on my knee and if this fails I will basically have to seek another career,” Ralph, a former St. George’s College standout told The Gleaner over the weekend.

Let’s hope for better luck for former Fire standouts in the future.

I’d also like to recognise that he is one classy guy: remember the black headband he twirled after scoring on Saturday? Well, it was black (he usually wears white) in remembrance of Brandon Kitchens, the Fire fan and Section 8 regular whose passing we discussed yesterday. Nice touch, Calen.

As this Tribune article describes, he was as passionate as they come about the Fire.

Outside of work, Kitchens loved soccer, so much so that he got a tattoo of the Fire logo on his leg at a time it was unclear how long the team would last, said former president and general manager Peter J. Wilt, now chief executive officer of Milwaukee Professional Soccer. Kitchens was a visible presence in Section 8, the collection of rabid supporter subgroups attending Fire games. He was a “capo” — a sort of volunteer yell leader — who would help whip the crowd into a frenzy.

“If he would see someone with their arms crossed and not getting into it, he would go up and get in their face,” Wilt said.

I did not know Brandon well myself, but many in the section did, and the tributes they left for him at the Section 8 messageboard speak volumes for what Section 8 has lost.

It is fitting that those tributes were left on a thread Brandon himself had started on the messageboard, entitled Stand and Deliver. In it he wrote the following words at the start of the season, demanding more of Section 8.

For those of you who know me, you know my passion for our team is strong, over the last four years i have watched from afar the peaks and valleys of both our squad and our section, last night i decided that sitting on my hands was no longer appropriate and it was time to issue a challenge to both the fans, and the team. On the eve of another MLS season, some of you, if not all are getting that feeling in the bottom of your stomach, for some of you, it is that excitement, that joy that another year of passion and friendship has arrived, that intrinsic “thing” you thrive for is back, the time is here to step up and give 110% to your squad, to live and die with them, ultimately it is a time to step out of your shell and sing at the top of your voice, drink until you’re beyond drunk, and live at the edge. For others it’s enjoying your youth, or maybe it’s recapturing it, and then for some it’s just going along for the ride. For the other side that feeling is a sinking feeling, will we drag the bottom of the league? Will 3 points be a laughable concept? Am I wasting yet another weekend on nostalgia? Let me be the first to tell you, we will not, you will not, and here is why. As Fire fans we have a responsibility, 110% every game, every minute, every day. If you identify yourself with this club, then ensure the good outweighs the bad. Challenge yourself to never quit, for how can you expect the squad to do the same? You do not sit in the club section, smiling and indifferent to the play on the field; you made a decision, a decision to be more. If you want to drink beers and sing songs on the weekend find a karaoke bar and rot in it, that is not what we are here for. We provide strength, motivation, and intimidation.

Finally, Ben Burton, current chairman of Section 8, explains what will be going on at Saturday’s game to ensure the section does provide the appropriate “strength, motivation, and intimidation.”

Hey everyone,

We’re doing a “tifo” display on Saturday. It’s kind of a nice combination of events. Blanco’s first League game, Wanchope signs, the team starts playing well, possible return of Rolfe, and a good friend and one of our capos passes away.

So, “tifo” for the uncertain, is just a word used to describe the display we (and other fans) put on before the game or at half. Lots of color, flags, streamers, etc. So we’re doing one this Saturday as well.

If you knew Brandon, or if you didn’t, you can still help.

1) If you’re coming to the game, we’re looking for more streamers. Hell, more streamers than we’ve ever had. So, if 100 people each bring 10 streamers, we’ll have a heck of a lot. Not enough, but a lot. Come in a few minutes early and drop them off in the end and we’ll throw them for you or bring them to wherever you sit.

2) Flags. Section 8 has started selling City of Chicago flags on PVC poles ($10) because now ANYONE in ANY SECTION can bring in flags on poles. We’d love to see the stadium covered in flags. So, if you have a Fire Flag, or want a City of Chicago flag, we want to see a tradition of stadium covered in flags. Sure, they don’t have to wave all game because I know some people actually complain about not seeing the game and all that, but during goal celebrations, player introductions, etc. they look nice and inspire the players.

3) Come in a bit early and, even if you don’t sit in 117 or 118, stop by and join us for the pregame. The more people in the area the better. Go to your seat after if you don’t feel like standing and cheering, but better yet stay for the game (or a half) and enjoy losing your voice.

Last but not least, if you can’t do anything to help, I hope you can at least enjoy what we do. Sometimes the displays work, sometimes not so much. Hopefully this one will be a fitting tribute to the new direction our team seems to be taking. As Brandon once said, Stand and Deliver.

On the Pitch Invasion blog, however, I’ve tried to explain why it isn’t such a crazy idea. Let me know what you think now.