Fire's Designated Player to be introduced at 5:00 p.m. CT at TOYOTA PARK

BRIDGEVIEW, IL (July 18, 2007) – Chicago Fire Soccer has announced that Cuauhtémoc Blanco will be introduced to the media on Friday, July 20, at 5:00 p.m. CT before he begins his first official training session with the team.  Fire President/CEO John Guppy and Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio will be on hand to introduce Blanco, who is set to debut this Sunday versus Celtic FC at TOYOTA PARK (3:00 p.m. CT, Fox Soccer Channel). Media are asked to arrive at the TOYOTA PARK Stadium Club at 4:30 p.m. CT.

BLANCO INTRODUCTORY NEWS CONFERENCE

Friday, July 20, 5:00 p.m. CT

TOYOTA PARK Stadium Club

Contact :: Chris Bailey, Media Relations Manager 708.496.6724 or cbailey@chicago-fire.com

Following the Blanco introductory press conference will be the Fire's training session on the TOYOTA PARK practice field starting at 6:30 p.m. CT. Media are encouraged to attend Friday's training, as Saturday's practice leading up to the Celtic match will be closed to the media aside from two 15-minute periods at the start and the end of the session.