A letter from Andrew Hauptman to the Chicago Fire Supporters

 Dear Fire Faithful, 

Despite our strong finish, winning seven of our final ten matches, the Fire fell short of our goals and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As a club that prides itself on winning on- and-off-the-field, this is disappointing for all of us. But looking ahead, I believe there are still a lot of reasons for us to be excited. We are a club that is growing stronger and we are poised to continue this trajectory next year.

Leading our Men in Red on the field in 2012 will be Frank Klopas, who will be our permanent head coach. As many of you know, Frank has lived and breathed this organization for years, first as a player and then as part of our technical staff. He is keen to foster a culture that honors our club, he understands the meaning of our badge and will compete tirelessly for our team, our supporters and our city. Frank embodies the qualities we strive for in Chicago – tradition, honor, and passion, which aren’t just words to him, and I believe he is the best person to lead our young men to achieve success on the pitch and beyond.

This year our Technical Staff brought in a strong base of young players and experienced leaders who will serve as the foundation of the club going forward. Twenty new players were added — which in itself was a challenge but necessary in order to build the club into what we all want. In 2011, we also added our second homegrown player, Kellen Gulley. His addition is symbolic of our promise to grow talent through our Fire Player Development system, and our desire to be at the forefront of this endeavor nationwide.

Additionally, we have spent countless hours expanding our worldwide connections, creating meaningful relationships that will impact our team and business. Having just returned from an extended trip overseas meeting with clubs across England, Spain and Italy, I am confident these relationships will foster tremendous opportunities for us. Of course, after experiencing the record sell-out crowd of 61,308 for the Fire versus Manchester United at Soldier Field, we will continue to bring renowned clubs to Chicago as we strive to highlight soccer in our city. From the beginning, it has been our mission to extend our connectivity throughout Chicago and remain a steward for our sport, our city and our club.

This year, the Fire once again competed in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and for an MLS-record sixth time made it to the finals. Since 1998, the Fire has amassed an impressive 28-9-3 record in Open Cup play. I was proud to be on-hand with my family for the Championship match in Seattle, and was happy to see a spirited and sizable contingent of Fire supporters in the stands that night.

As I look back on our 2011 campaign, so many of the moments that resonate with me involve your steadfast support of the Fire: a boisterous, red-clad crowd as we kicked off our 14th season with a thrilling 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City. The helpful guise of smoke that aided Jalil Anibaba's long distance strike to kick off our run to the U.S. Open Cup Final. The over 400 of you who invaded Columbus and saw Cristian Nazarit tumble the ball over the line as we celebrated at Crew Stadium. The roar of the crowd as Dominic Oduro slotted home Patrick Nyarko's pass to defeat Chivas USA 3-2. The reaction online and outpouring of support immediately after those two incredible stoppage time goals vs. DC United: a reminder that the Fire never give up...and neither do its supporters. The stunning display in Section 8 as Diego Chaves knocked in Oduro's rebound and leapt into the crowd to close out the season.

I could go on and on. But it is truly the incredible spirit of our supporters, personnel, players and coaches that collectively inspires each and every day.

We will take our lessons from this season and our successes, however modest, and build upon them, for we are in this for the long haul. It takes discipline and passion, but it also takes time to build the kind of world class club we are after.

Thanks for the support. We can’t wait to share each and every moment with you again in 2012.

Best,

Andrew Hauptman
Owner, Chicago Fire Soccer Club
Ahauptman@chicago-fire.com