Yes, this is a Cubs blog, but I also like the Chicago Fire, so I'll occasionally write about the team.

In a re-match of last year's playoff set, the Chicago Fire began the 2007 season with a victory over the New England Revolution with a goal off the foot of Logan Pause in the fourth minute. For the details on the game, feel free to check out the "boxscore".

For the casual fan, it was good to see the Men in Red take the field again. Unfortunately, the club is without some of my favorite players. Zach Thornton, the longtime goalie, was traded to Colorado over the winter. However, for those who were disappointed with the deal, Matt Pickens, his replacement acquitted himself excellently with a shutout. He made several excellent saves, including what was essentially a one-on-one shot late in the second-half that would have tied the game.

The other significant loss over the winter was Nate Jaqua, the 6'3" striker who wanted to play in Europe. As a result, the Fire left him unprotected in the expansion draft and Toronto FC snatched him up. Of course Jaqua was then traded to the LA Galaxy and will be playing alongside David Beckham, when the English fellow shows up in tinseltown this summer.

Since Jaqua was my favorite player, it stings a bit to turn on the tube and see him playing for L.A. because I don't really understand why the Fire didn't protect him.

With Jaqua in L.A. I'm busy searching for a new favorite. So far, I'll probably go with Josh Mapp. He's twenty two, fleet of foot, a decent ball-handler, and is the type of player who can control the offensive tempo of the game.

While I missed the match last night and was relegated to watching the first match of the season over the internet, the Fire will be on Comcast Sportsnet another eleven times this season. (Plus the internet package is only $20 for the whole season.) They're an exciting squad, and I'd encourage folks to watch them. Forget what you've (probably) heard about soccer, it's seriously a great game to watch... there's tons of strategy and athleticism, and a fair bit of contact too. I'll leave with a screen capture of Chris Armas' face after a Revolution defender's elbow got done with it.