Friend of mine is in a band out there called Chicago Funk Mafia. Sadly he's a Spurs fan, so I've told him to go watch Guly to see some proper skills.
I hate that team. And I'm a Chicago fan, too. Only Chicago team I don't root for. The US has a problem in general with there being a certain set of hardcore supporters who are more into being supporters than they are into soccer. Chicago is especially bad because they have a large Polish population. I don't think it's the actual Polish immigrants so much as those of Polish ancestry who are wannabe Poles. So their idea of enjoying soccer is being all ultra-ish and acting like jerks, and throwing flares and that kind of thing. I wouldn't say they are hooligans exactly... there's no REAL violence. But they make the games some place where you wouldn't want to take your kids, or where if you're a casual fan you're like "I'm not hanging out with these crazies." Which in their minds is what they want, as they think it's cool and they are getting rid of the "plastic" type fans. But in reality it's totally stupid because soccer needs all the fans it can get, and these kids and casual fans are the key to growth. And again, it's not like they are actually into the sport, they're just into acting like jerks at soccer stadiums. Anyway, good luck to Guly. He should be one of the stars of MLS, as that league is maybe Championship/upper League One level.
I posted on their forum, saying that they seemed similar to Saints in a few ways, from what I've been told by MLS fans. 1) Some commendable history 2) Play in red (and white) 3) Unhappy with the ownership 4) Poorly led by those at the top 5) Years of under performing and just getting by 6) Extensive youth development programme
Just received this reply! Interesting. 1) We WERE a dominant force in the days of Peter Wilt running the club: Nowak, Stoichkov, Wolff, Beasley, Bocanegra, Kubik, Thornton, Armas, Gutierrez, Razov, Ralph, Podbrozny, Okaroh, Sanneh, Rolfe etc. got us 6 major trophies in 9 years and two CONCACAF Champions' League 3rd place finishes. Since then we've appeared in the 2009 Superliga Final (N. America's Europa League) and a 2011 US Open Cup Final (our FA Cup, which we've won 4 times), but we've been mid-table this decade and really dipped into the bottom half of the league last season. 2)Yep 3) VERY unhappy. This is the first year we've made any big signings since we picked up Germany's World Cup centre-back Arne Friedrich (who helped us to a playoff finish in 2012) joined in late 2011. Andrew "Dollar Menu" Hauptman is the nickname. 4) Sadly, though this is the first season we've made some moves including nabbing a player you guys tried acquiring just prior to this season: Kennedy Igboananike. Apparently his transfer from AIK was settled on and then the dreaded UK work permit issue ruined it for you guys. Interestingly, it appears Guly will be his back-up. 5) Underperformed the last four years, despite just missing out on the playoffs in 2011 and 2013 and finishing mid-table in the last week of the season. Our MO has been poor starts to a season, then big July transfers to rescue us. It worked in 2012 and almost worked in the two years bookending, but FINALLY we are signing in the January window. 6) Traditionally the best youth system in MLS. At one point in the 2010 World Cup, the entire starting back line for the Yanks: Beasley, Bocanegra, DeMerit, and Spector, came through the Chicago system, as did others in the squad. Probably doesn't hurt that Bob Bradley was our coach in the glory days and he was the US coach at that World Cup. BTW, we just had a documentary, "The Southampton Way", run on NBC Sports here in the states. The youth and scouting systems are remarkably similar. Good luck to the Saints this year. I hate Chelsea, Man U, and Man City and love you're giving them hell.
Best of luck to Guly. Chicago will now be associated in my mind with the Blues Brothers, Barack Obama, and Guly Do Prado. Can't be bad.
What is that guy even talking about? Chicago Fire don't have a "youth system." Them taking credit for developing Carlos Bocanegra is like Man U saying they developed Luke Shaw. If you want to call drafting players a "youth system" then Chicago's "youth system" is actually rather mediocre. They finish mediocre-lousy every year and never improve despite getting higher draft picks than the teams finishing ahead of them.
I associate it with the punk band The Lawrence Arms, the singer Gil Scott Heron, the rapper Common, and the old pc game Midtown Madness. And now, of course, The Fire.
I would guess that the team hasn't played that well, and the fans have decided it's Guly's fault. It's usually that way!
He wasn't playing that much, then suffered a couple injuries that curtailed his playing time even further.
MANY years ago I worked on an American summer camp and one of the kids I taught 'soccer' to was one of the orphans in the Blues Brothers. He's the one who jumps of the truck and says "check it out, check it out". Butch Williams. Great kid, rubbish footballer!
I would like to chain the morons who sit behind me in their seats and make them watch this as an endless loop. I think I would be wasting my time though as they are so prejudiced against him they would still claim he was S**t.
