Chicago Fire Premier Feature -- www.chicagofirepremier.com
By JEFF CRANDALL
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
CHICAGO -- There’s a big game being played downtown this week and believe it or not Manchester United isn’t involved.
In some small precursor to Saturday’s World Football Challenge match at Soldier Field, the Chicago Fire PDL side will host long-time rivals the Michigan Bucks Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the UIC Soccer Field.
After two seasons in which each team missed out on the playoffs (Michigan in 2009, Chicago in 2010), the normalcy of having the two teams at the top of the division has returned in 2011. The two storied PDL franchises sit tied atop the USL Premier Development League’s Great Lakes Division on 32 points and with just two matches to play, Wednesday’s winner (if there is one) will more than likely take the divisional crown.
The 2011 division title is meaningful as the Bucks (who were founded in 1996) hold a slight 8-7 divisional title edge over the Fire PDL (founded in 2001). The two teams are also competing every year as the division’s representative in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (the Fire PDL won that battle this year).
More than just competing for results, there’s also the competition in recruiting the same players to suburban Chicago or suburban Detroit for the summer…
History and differing missions
The Michigan Bucks began as the Mid Michigan Bucks in 1996 in Saginaw, MI. Though they played matches in suburban Detroit throughout their early years, they moved downstate full time in 2004 and have established themselves at Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, just a mile south of the Silverdome. The team has brought along the likes of current MLS players Pat Noonan (Seattle), Kheli Dube (New England), Jacob Peterson (San Jose) and Zarek Valentin (Chivas USA).
The highest level of outdoor soccer in Detroit, the Bucks have done a good job over the years of mixing up-and-coming college players with guys that have played professionally. As an example, Bucks striker Kenny Uzoigwe became the PDL’s all-time leading scorer earlier this year and has been the focal point of the team’s attack since 2006.
The Fire PDL began in 2001 as the Chicago Fire Reserves. Differing from the Bucks, the avowed goal of the team is as a developmental and research project to identify potential draftees for the first team the following year.
Despite losing the first-ever meeting between the two sides a 1-0 loss on May 27 in Chicago, the Fire PDL went on to dominate the rivalry, running off nine consecutive wins from 2001-06.
Fire defender Dasan Robinson experienced the early years of the rivalry, playing with the team between his college seasons at the University of Dayton from 2003-05 along with the likes of Chris Rolfe (AaB; Denmark), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Matt Pickens and Drew Moor (both Colorado).
“The Bucks are always a tough opponent,” he said Tuesday. “They put out a great squad whether its college All-Americans or guys that are a bit older and still playing. They’ve had a good collective of guys who are very talented. I knew that was one game I always had to be ready for and whenever I played them, we never lost.”
The tide shifted a bit as the Bucks defeated the Fire PDL 4-1 in the 2006 Divisional playoffs on their way to the PDL North American championship that year. That started a six match Bucks unbeaten run which went through the end of 2008. In the last five matches between the two sides, the Fire hold a 3-2 edge, with the Bucks taking the most recent game, a 2-0 victory earlier this season on May 30.
“That game was ironic,” said Fire PDL head coach Mark Spooner. “We had the chance to go up 1-0 when we were awarded a penalty. I felt like we were in control of the game at that point. Unfortunately we missed the penalty and it seemed to lift them. It was hard to deal with that because they play with a lot of energy and have a lot of experienced players in that team, while we have some very young players in ours. That experience saw them through in that match. I’m hoping going through that match will help us Wednesday night.”
For the record, the Fire PDL holds a 12-8-1 all-time series lead.
Target on Your Back
A now veteran coach in the PDL, Spooner holds quite a distinction as the coach of the only team to ever beat out both the Fire and Bucks to a divisional crown when both were in the same division. That came when the Derby, England native led the Kalamazoo Outrage to the 2009 Great Lakes Division crown.
Having had that experience and now in his second year with the Fire PDL, he understands what’s at stake when the two teams clash.
“I say it with us all the time. We have a target on our backs because of the Fire name. The Bucks are the same because they’ve always been successful. As a coach of another team in the division previously, I can say teams get up for games against both of our clubs. It’s a weird rivalry because in the PDL you get different players every year that don’t necessarily grow up with your program. Still, they know right off the bat that these games are special. At the same time, there’s not hatred there. It’s a rivalry of mutual respect and always makes for a competitive game."
Connections
As a former employee of the Michigan Bucks and a current employee of the Chicago Fire, I find these games more compelling than ever before. I joined the likes of Raushawn McKenzie, Simone Omekanda, Nate Norman, Kyle Russell and Boyzzz Khumalo as someone with connections with both clubs after coming to the Fire last year.
After a year in which the Fire PDL team missed out on the playoffs for the first time ever, I’m excited to watch my former team take on my current one in a match that will decide the division and playoff positioning.
Tonight’s match at UIC at 7pm CT is FREE and open to the public!