# 2012 Chicago Fire season

The 2012 Chicago Fire season was the club's 14th year of existence, as well as their 15th season in Major League Soccer and their 15th consecutive year in the top-flight of American soccer.
The Fire began the regular season with a 1–1 tie on March 17, 2012 when they were hosted by the expansion team Montreal Impact in their first Major League Soccer home game. The Men in Red concluded the regular season hosting D.C. United at the Toyota Park on October 27, 2012.
The Fire qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the twelfth time in their fifteen competitive seasons and for the first time since 2009. The team was eliminated from the playoffs after a 1–2 home loss to Houston Dynamo in the Knockout Round match on October 31, 2012.
At the end of the season, Chicago Fire's defender, Austin Berry, has been awarded the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, while the club's captain Logan Pause has won the 2012 MLS Fair Play Award.

## Squad at the end of the season

As of October 31, 2012. Source: Chicago Fire Official Roster
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (aged) | Previous club |
| Goalkeepers ||||||
| 1 | Jay Nolly | GK | (1982-01-02)January 2, 1982 (aged 30) | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| 25 | Sean Johnson | GK | (1989-05-31)May 31, 1989 (aged 23) | Atlanta Blackhawks |
| 70 | Paolo Tornaghi | GK | (1988-06-21)June 21, 1988 (aged 24) | F.C. Internazionale Milano |
| Defenders ||||||
| 3 | Dan Gargan | RB | (1982-12-14)December 14, 1982 (aged 29) | Toronto FC |
| 5 | Cory Gibbs | CB | (1980-01-14)January 14, 1980 (aged 32) | New England Revolution |
| 6 | Jalil Anibaba | CB | (1988-10-19)October 19, 1988 (aged 24) | Carolina Dynamo |
| 13 | Gonzalo Segares | LB | (1982-10-13)October 13, 1982 (aged 30) | Apollon Limassol |
| 20 | Tony Walls | RB | (1990-01-16)January 16, 1990 (aged 22) | University of Wisconsin–Green Bay |
| 22 | Austin Berry | CB | (1988-06-06)June 6, 1988 (aged 24) | Louisville Cardinals |
| 23 | Arne Friedrich | CB | (1979-05-29)May 29, 1979 (aged 33) | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 28 | Steven Kinney | RB | (1987-10-28)October 28, 1987 (aged 25) | Carolina Dynamo |
| 99 | Hunter Jumper | LB | (1989-02-28)February 28, 1989 (aged 23) | University of Virginia Cavaliers |
| Midfielders ||||||
| 4 | Álvaro Fernández | M | (1985-10-11)October 11, 1985 (aged 27) | Seattle Sounders FC |
| 11 | Daniel Paladini | M | (1984-11-11)November 11, 1984 (aged 27) | Carolina RailHawks FC |
| 12 | Logan Pause | M | (1981-08-22)August 22, 1981 (aged 31) | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| 15 | Wells Thompson | M | (1983-11-25)November 25, 1983 (aged 28) | Colorado Rapids |
| 17 | Pável Pardo | M | (1976-07-26)July 26, 1976 (aged 36) | Club América |
| 19 | Corben Bone | M | (1988-09-16)September 16, 1988 (aged 24) | Carolina Dynamo |
| 21 | Michael Videira | M | (1986-01-06)January 6, 1986 (aged 26) | AC St. Louis |
| 27 | Victor Pineda | M | (1993-03-15)March 15, 1993 (aged 19) | Chicago Fire Academy |
| 71 | Alex | M | (1988-12-15)December 15, 1988 (aged 23) | FC Wohlen |
| Forwards ||||||
| 7 | Sherjill MacDonald | F | (1984-11-20)November 20, 1984 (aged 27) | Beerschot AC |
| 8 | Dominic Oduro | F | (1985-08-13)August 13, 1985 (aged 27) | Houston Dynamo |
| 10 | Guillermo Franco | F | (1976-11-03)November 3, 1976 (aged 35) | Pachuca |
| 14 | Patrick Nyarko | F | (1986-01-15)January 15, 1986 (aged 26) | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| 18 | Chris Rolfe | F | (1983-01-17)January 17, 1983 (aged 29) | Aalborg BK |
| 94 | Kellen Gulley | F | (1994-04-06)April 6, 1994 (aged 18) | Chicago Fire Academy |

## Player movement
### Transfers
#### In

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 5, 2011 | Orr Barouch | F | Tigres de la UANL | Purchased rights after loan, terms not disclosed |
| December 5, 2011 | Jay Nolly | GK | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Acquired in exchange for a first round selection in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft |
| December 6, 2011 | Logan Pause | M | Chicago Fire | Extended the contract through 2013, terms not disclosed |
| January 9, 2012 | Rafael Robayo | M | Millonarios | Signed, terms not disclosed |
| January 11, 2012 | Federico Puppo | M | Danubio F.C. | Signed, terms not disclosed |
| January 12, 2012 | Austin Berry | D | University of Louisville | Selected ninth overall in 2012 MLS SuperDraft, signed with MLS |
| January 18, 2012 | Pável Pardo | M | Chicago Fire | Re-signed for a two-year contract, terms not disclosed |
| January 24, 2012 | Kheli Dube | F | New England Revolution | Signed on as free agent after being selected in Stage Two of the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft on December 12, 2011 |
| March 6, 2012 | Hunter Jumper | D | University of Virginia Cavaliers | Signed after being selected 28th overall in 2012 MLS SuperDraft, terms not disclosed |
| March 7, 2012 | Arne Friedrich | D | VfL Wolfsburg | Signed, terms of the deal not disclosed |
| March 7, 2012 | Paolo Tornaghi | GK | F.C. Internazionale Milano | Signed, terms of the deal not disclosed |
| March 15, 2012 | Tony Walls | D | University of Wisconsin–Green Bay | Signed after being selected 47th overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft, terms not disclosed |
| April 5, 2012 | Patrick Nyarko | F | Chicago Fire | Re-signed, terms and length not disclosed |
| April 17, 2012 | Chris Rolfe | F | Aalborg BK | Reacquired, signed as a free agent, terms not disclosed |
| April 26, 2012 | Alex Monteiro de Lima | M | FC Wohlen | Signed on a free transfer, terms not disclosed; was added to the roster upon the opening of the summer transfer window on June 27 |
| July 24, 2012 | Sherjill MacDonald | F | Beerschot AC | Signed as a Designated Player, terms not disclosed |
| July 27, 2012 | Álvaro Fernández | M | Seattle Sounders FC | Acquired as a Designated Player in return for allocation money, terms not disclosed |
| September 10, 2012 | Wells Thompson | M | Colorado Rapids | Acquired in exchange for a conditional draft pick, terms not disclosed |
| September 14, 2012 | Guillermo Franco | F | Pachuca | Signed on a free transfer, terms not disclosed |

#### Out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| December 2, 2011 | Alec Dufty | GK | None | Placed on Re-Entry list, was not selected in the Re-Entry Draft, became a free agent |
| December 7, 2011 | Cristian Nazarit | F | Deportivo Cali | Released |
| December 7, 2011 | Gabriel Ferrari | F | None | Released |
| December 12, 2011 | Jon Conway | GK | Los Angeles Galaxy | Selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in the Re-Entry Draft; retired on January 10, 2012 |
| December 12, 2011 | Baggio Husidić | M | Hammarby IF | Selected by Colorado Rapids in the Re-Entry Draft, declined and signed with the Swedish Hammarby IF |
| January 15, 2012 | Diego Cháves | F | C.D. Palestino | Out of contract, signed with the Chilean C.D. Palestino |
| January 23, 2012 | Mike Banner | M | None | Waived |
| January 26, 2012 | Josip Mikulić | D | None | Returned to Croatia due to family issues |
| January 26, 2012 | Yamith Cuesta | D | UB Conquense | Loan expired, loan agreement is not presently allowing to re-sign |
| January 30, 2012 | Wilman Conde | D | New York Red Bulls | Free transfer after MLS rights were acquired by New York Red Bulls for allocation money |
| March 11, 2012 | Pari Pantazopoulos | D | None | Waived |
| June 26, 2012 | Kheli Dube | F | None | Waived |
| June 27, 2012 | Kwame Watson-Siriboe | D | Real Salt Lake | Traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for 4th round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft |
| August 30, 2012 | Marco Pappa | M | SC Heerenveen | Transferred effective immediately, terms not disclosed; previously announced on Aug 13 Pappa would be transferred at the end of the MLS 2012 season |
* The following players selected by Chicago Fire in either the 2012 MLS SuperDraft or 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft were released during the pre-season trials: FW Evans Frimpong, Supplemental Draft round 1; GK Karl Woszczynski, Supplemental Draft round 1; MF Justin Chavez, Supplemental Draft round 4. FW Lucky Mkosana, SuperDraft round 2, entered the season but ultimately was not signed by the club.

### Loans
#### In

| Date | Player | Position | Loaned from | Fee/notes | Ref |

#### Out

| Date | Player | Position | Loaned to | Fee/notes |
| July 24, 2012 | Federico Puppo | F | Defensor Sporting | For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed |
| July 26, 2012 | Rafael Robayo | M | Millonarios | For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed |
| August 17, 2012 | Sebastián Grazzini | M | Atlético de Rafaela | For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed |
| September 13, 2012 | Orr Barouch | F | Bnei Yehuda | For the remainder of the season; terms not disclosed |

## Club staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Frank Klopas |
| Assistant Coaches | Leo Percovich Mike Matkovich |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Aron Hyde |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Tony Jouaux |
| Vice President of Soccer Operations | Guillermo Petrei |
| Director of Soccer & Team Development | Paul Cadwell |
| Director of Team Operations | Ron Stern |
| Head Equipment Manager | Charles Raycroft |
| Assistant Equipment Manager | Allan Araujo |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Bo Leonard, MS, ATC, PES-NASM |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Matt Zalewski, ATC |
| Massage Therapist | Jake Bronowski, LMT |
| Team Medical Director | Dr. Gilberto Munoz |
Last updated: October 23, 2012 Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

## Standings
### Eastern Conference Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 63 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | D.C. United | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 58 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 57 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 57 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 53 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 52 | |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 42 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 | |
| 9 | New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 35 | |
| 10 | Toronto FC | 34 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 36 | 62 | −26 | 23 | |

### Western Conference Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 66 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 57 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 56 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 4 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 54 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 43 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | FC Dallas | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 39 | |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 44 | 50 | −6 | 37 | |
| 8 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 34 | 56 | −22 | 34 | |
| 9 | Chivas USA | 34 | 7 | 18 | 9 | 24 | 58 | −34 | 30 | |

### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | San Jose Earthquakes (S) | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 66 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 63 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 3 | D.C. United | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 58 | |
| 4 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 57 | |
| 5 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 57 | |
| 6 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 57 | |
| 7 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 56 | |
| 8 | LA Galaxy (C) | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 54 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 53 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 52 | |
| 11 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 43 | |
| 12 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 42 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 13 | FC Dallas | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 39 | |
| 14 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 44 | 50 | −6 | 37 | |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 | |
| 16 | New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 35 | |
| 17 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 34 | 56 | −22 | 34 | |
| 18 | Chivas USA | 34 | 7 | 18 | 9 | 24 | 58 | −34 | 30 | |
| 19 | Toronto FC | 34 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 36 | 62 | −26 | 23 | |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 57 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 18 | +9 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 23 | −4 |
Last updated: October 27, 2012 Source: MLSsoccer.com standings Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | T | W | L | T | W | L | W | T | W | L | W | L | L | W | W | W | T | L | W | L | T | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | T |
| Conference | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Overall | 11 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 |

## Match results

Win  Tie  Loss

### Pre-season

Kickoff times are in CST.

### Major League Soccer

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### MLS Cup Playoffs

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### U.S. Open Cup

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### International friendlies

Kickoff times are in CDT.

## Recognition
### Kits

| Home | Away | Away special |
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Info |
| Home | Red / White lettering | Red | Red | |
| Away | Navy / White lettering | Navy | Navy | |
| Away Special | Navy / Pink lettering | Navy | Pink | MLS, October 27 against D.C. United |

### Leading scorers

| Rank | Scorer | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | Chris Rolfe | 8 | 3 |
| 2 | Marco Pappa | 6 | 5 |
| 3 | Dominic Oduro | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | Patrick Nyarko | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Sherjill MacDonald | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Gonzalo Segares | 3 | 1 |
| 7 | Austin Berry | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | Sebastián Grazzini | 2 | 5 |
| 9 | Daniel Paladini | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Álvaro Fernández | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | Alex | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | Pável Pardo | 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Jalil Anibaba | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Arne Friedrich | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Logan Pause | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Sean Johnson | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Federico Puppo | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Dan Gargan | 0 | 1 |
Updated to match played on October 27, 2012. Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics - 2012 Chicago Fire

### MLS Team of the Week

| Week | Player | Position | Report |
| 3 | Marco Pappa | MF | Report |
| 7 | Patrick Nyarko | FW | Report |
| 9 | Austin Berry | DF | Report |
| 9 | Marco Pappa | MF | Report |
| 16 | Sean Johnson | GK | Report Archived 2012-06-29 at the Wayback Machine |
| 17 | Sean Johnson | GK | Report |
| 17 | Arne Friedrich | DF | Report |
| 19 | Austin Berry | DF | Report Archived 2012-07-19 at the Wayback Machine |
| 23 | Arne Friedrich | DF | Report |
| 23 | Chris Rolfe | FW | Report |
| 24 | Chris Rolfe | FW | Report Archived 2012-08-30 at the Wayback Machine |
| 26 | Arne Friedrich | DF | Report Archived 2012-10-08 at the Wayback Machine |
| 26 | Patrick Nyarko | MF | Report Archived 2012-10-08 at the Wayback Machine |
| 28 | Jalil Anibaba | FW | Report |
| 28 | Álvaro Fernández | MF | Report |
| 28 | Frank Klopas | Coach | Report |
| 29 | Chris Rolfe | FW | Report Archived 2012-09-27 at the Wayback Machine |
| 31 | Arne Friedrich | DF | Report |
| 31 | Sherjill MacDonald | FW | Report |
| 33 | Patrick Nyarko | MF | Report |

### MLS Player of the Week

| Week | Player | Report |
| 28 | Sean Johnson | POTW |

### MLS Save of the Week

| Week | Player | Save | Report |
| 4 | Paolo Tornaghi | 65' | SOTW |
| 10 | Sean Johnson | 43' | SOTW |
| 21 | Sean Johnson | 59' | SOTW |

### MLS Goal of the Week

| Week | Player | Goal | Report |
| 8 | Marco Pappa | 89' | GOTW |

### MLS Fair Play Award

Chicago Fire's midfielder and captain, Logan Pause, has been awarded the league's 2012 Fair Play Award. Over the course of 32 matches played this season, Pause has accumulated only 11 fouls and no yellow or red cards.

### MLS Rookie of the Year

Chicago Fire's defender Austin Berry, selected number nine overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, has been awarded the league's 2012 Rookie of the Year Award. Berry has started in 28 games and scored three goals, one in his debut match. Berry collected the most votes in all three categories: players, media and club management.

## Miscellany
### Allocation ranking

Chicago is in the #9 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.

### International roster slots

Chicago has 8 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots. No slot trades involving Chicago have been reported.

### Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: *2014 MLS SuperDraft round 4 pick from Real Salt Lake. Future picks traded: *2013 MLS Supplemental Draft round 1 pick to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. At the time of the trade, this pick was equivalent to a round 3 SuperDraft selection.

### MLS rights to other players

It is believed Chicago maintains the MLS rights to Carlos Bocanegra and Freddie Ljungberg, as each of these players declined contract offers by the club and signed overseas on free transfers.