Quotes by John Guppy

“Its not about how many people will be in the stands, though thats part of it. Its about the credibility of our team. Perception in some cases is worse than reality. People will be able to judge us and the quality of our team. AC Milan is one of the top three-four clubs in the world, but I think well do fine. This opportunity is incredible. Its one that doesnt come along too often.”

“I am very proud and honored to be given the opportunity to lead the Chicago Fire organization in the future.”

“Peter has done a fantastic job as GM for the past seven years and has built one of the most successful and respected teams in MLS. Just as Peter has helped shape a successful past, I hope to shape a successful future.”

“Id also like to thank Samuel for his contributions to the squad last season and wish him the best of luck in the future. Samuel is a player with valuable international experience and is a tremendous professional. As we looked at our overall team needs for 2006, though, we simply decided it was more prudent to invest our financial resources in other players.”

“Clearly its not the perfect balance that we would have in an ideal world. Theres a challenge in opening a new stadium that presents a unique circumstances that we will see this year.”

“We are ecstatic to finally be able to announce the date of our Grand Opening game at our new stadium in Bridgeview. We know there has been much speculation and great anticipation in the community about this date, and we are thrilled that every soccer fan can now circle June 25 in their calendar.”

“The reality is we need to play games to accommodate the small MLS schedule. We need to play games in early June instead of mid-June.”

“We are proud and delighted to work with Chicagos educational and recreational leaders within the Latin American community. We are determined in our goals to help create a better environment for many gifted students and athletes through our Foundation and community programs so that they can enjoy a better and more productive life. The Hispanic community and the Mexican American community in particular have greatly supported us for nine years and we are happy to be able to give back.”

“We are disappointed that Will is leaving the Fire. We believe he could have had a bright future with our club, however, he was adamant about securing a Senior roster spot as opposed to a Developmental slot. When we looked at the depth of talent on our Senior roster, this was simply not a realistic option.”

“Its been a general scheduling challenge. Ill leave it at that.”