Fire celebrate 25th anniversary and look to the future

Before the Fire signed Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Bastian Schweinsteiger or Xherdan Shaqiri, there was Hristo Stoichkov.

Even though the Bulgarian forward starred for his country in the 1994 World Cup, won that year’s Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world and was a standout for Spanish megaclub Barcelona, the Fire are special to Stoichkov. He still has a house in Lake Forest and has maintained his ties to the club, with whom he spent three years (2000-02) late in his illustrious career.

Patting his heart as he spoke, Stoichkov made that clear.

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“The Chicago Fire [are] more than a team,” he said.

The Fire celebrated a major landmark this weekend, capped off with a 1-1 tie with the Revolution in front of 14,357 on Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium. Saturday was the 25th anniversary of the team’s launch on Oct. 8, 1997, marked by a party at the Museum of Science and Industry. On Sunday, the Fire wore jerseys with special red numbers and silver anniversary logos.

Stoichkov served as the ceremonial “Fire starter” before the match, and members of the 1998 MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup winners were recognized at halftime.

Though the current team finished 10-15-9 (39 points) and 12th in the Eastern Conference, the former players were glad to toast the franchise, which wasn’t an original MLS club but helped the league establish itself in Chicago.

“It gives you a sense of pride to see how much we have evolved, being part of the league right now and being part of the Chicago Fire history. It’s a great thing to see,” said Diego Gutierrez, a midfielder on the 1998 team. “I have high hopes for this club, as well.”

The Fire’s first nine years brought six trophies. Things haven’t gone as well since the end of the 2009 season. The Fire missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

The Fire have a lot to do to make their next milestone the mark of a triumphant club, not one that looks back longingly at the first decade of its existence. Gutierrez hopes for more championships, more World Cup players and a soccer-specific stadium downtown over the next 25 years.

“The words ‘Tradition, Honor, Passion’ are not in vain. They carry weight,” said Gutierrez, referencing the club’s credo. “I think that pretty much every single player that has ever worn this uniform has to embody that. When you get together with [fellow alumni] 25 years later, that’s the case. These guys are special.”

One player who represents that is DaMarcus Beasley. While with the Fire, he became a regular for the U.S. men’s national team and eventually appeared in four World Cups and had a successful career in Europe and Mexico. When he came to Chicago in 2000, Beasley saw the family environment and winning culture the team enjoyed and said he couldn’t have asked for a better club to join.

Beasley wants the Fire to give coach Ezra Hendrickson time to return to that level. He believes in owner Joe Mansueto and asked Fire fans to understand how long the project could take.

But Beasley also sees a lot that doesn’t need to be altered.

“The traditions and culture of the Fire will never change,” he said.