The Chicago Fire were one of two new MLS expansion teams to join MLS in 1998 , and the first two ever expansion teams in league history . The other team being the now-defunct , Miami Fusion . The Fire were founded on October 8 , 1997 , on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire . The club was named after the event . The club focused on recruiting players of various descent to reflect on the diversity of the region . The team brought in Polish players Piotr Nowak , Jerzy Podbrozny , and Roman Kosecki ; the Mexican Jorge Campos ; and the Czech Lubos Kubik
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
1998 Chicago Fire season