Chicago Olympiacos tickets if any one is looking for em I am might be selliong 4 tickets section 101 row 3 4 for 150 if any one is looking. post something here or send me an e-mail with any other questions
In related news..... http://www.chicago-fire.com/pressbox/pressrelease/releasetext.asp?prID=1241 General admission tickets go on sale May 2nd, at 10CST.
Season ticket holders are to use bonus A ticket for this game. Also in the letter I got from the Fire june 29 will be the date of the meet the team party for season ticket holders and others.No location for the party was given but since the Lombard Enchanted Castle has been a hit the last few years I assume they will be back there unless they don't want the fire.
I know that Dipsy can stack up against the international competition, but honestly (and this is purely out of avid curiosity) how are we expected to do in this game? I mean, I know Greece isn't what it used to be in 2000 BC, but they have still managed to give us modern and loveable characters like Balki Bartokamus from the hit television show "Perfect Strangers." So where are we supposed to stand in comparison to a long-standing Greek championship team?
Flynn, Greece gave us the Core, and therefore they are not to be trusted. In all seriousness, though, the only time I've seen Olympiakos this season was when they were demolishing Bayer Leverkusen 6-2, and Leverkusen are in such bad shape that most MLS teams could probably beat them. They've also fired no less than three coaches this season and lost 3-0 to Maccabi Haifa. They do have a world-class goalkeeper in Dimitris Eleftheropolous, though, and Ze Elias and Giovanni have over 50 caps for Brazil between them (the latter won two Liga Primera titles with Barcelona and possibly would still be there if van Gaal hadn't forced him out to make room for Kluivert). And at the time of writing, they're 3 points behind of Panathinaikos at the top of the Greek standings. In other words, they're beatable but will be extremely difficult.
In a friendly you never know of course, but I think Olympiakos is a bit too much for MLS standards. They're a very decent team. On the other hand... I can only guess at Chicago's strength.
AFCA...do you have aby idea what the MLS's record vs European sides is? DC United has beaten Leeds, Tottenham, Newcastle Utd and B. Leverkusen in the past few years...the Metrostars tied Bayern Munich and I believe they beat Boca Juniors from Argentina... The thing that suprises me is the fact that Olympiakos would agree to play @ Naperville...
Yea, I'm surprised that Olympiakos would play there. Anyway, Olympiakos had a great domestic run of something like 5 consecutive Greek first division titles I believe. Problem with them is, that even though their payroll is massive compared to everyone else in Greece, they could never do anything in Europe. The only team that would do somivething positive would be Panathinaikos, or these past two seasons AEK. I don't know what to expect. If I was Chicago I'd try to expand seating, or have more general standing, because once Greeks realize who is playing, they will rush out. It's sort of a ManU type thing with Olympiakos, you either hate them or love them. Hopefully, they will bring their better players.
Olympiakos' Euro record (middle of the page): http://www.uefa.com/FootballCentral/Directory/Club=2610/index.html
My Greek buddy purchased 10 tickets for his friends since Olympiakos is his favorite team. Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, AEK and PAOK are all decent sides but the Greek league is very suspect. The amount of gambling involved and the fact that most clubs are severely strapped for cash doesn't lend the most confidence that all matches are on the up 'n up. Colorado Rapids forward Zizi Roberts spent some time with Olympiakos. I'm supposed to leave for California on 6/4 but I haven't bought my air tickets yet because I want to go see this friendly very much.
15 July 1998 Chicago Fire 1 - 0 UNAM Pumas (MEX) 16 June 1999 Chicago Fire 3 - 2 Legia Warsaw (POL) 20 July 1999 Chicago Fire 1 - 0 Derby County (ENG) 28 Sept 1999 Chicago Fire 2 - 0 Joe Public (TRI) [CCC] 1 Oct 1999 Chicago Fire 1 - 1 CD Alajuelense (COS) [CCC] 10 May 2000 Chicago Fire 3 - 3 CD Toluca (MEX) 29 May 2000 Chicago Fire 5 - 1 Hamburg SV (GER) 13 July 2000 Chicago Fire 0 - 1 Chivas Guadalajara (MEX) 16 Mar 2002 CSD Municipal (GUA) 0 - 1 Chicago Fire [CCC] 20 Mar 2002 Chicago Fire 2 - 0 CSD Municipal [CCC] 30 June 2002 CA Monarcas Morelia (MEX) 2 - 0 Chicago Fire [CCC] 10 July 2002 Chicago Fire 2 - 1 CA Monarcas Morelia (MEX) [CCC]
Was this a home game? If so, then it's the only home loss we've ever had against foreign opposition. (The loss to Monarchas was in Morelia). Not a bad record, even if most of these are home games. I'd be willing to bet that Olympiakos has played Legia and Hamburg in the past. You should be able to draw tenuous conclusions on relative strength based on play versus common opposition. Still, the sample size is really tiny. The more games we play, the more we'll know our relative strength.
There are some away preseason friendly matches weve had but god help me if I can find informtion on them. I think we had most of it pre-crash...but...
Here's some more, but it's really out of date...I don't think it actually adds anything for the Fire: http://www.mlsnet.com/archive/intl.html
on that note: I missed the Morelia game last year, but how did the fire lineup work? Did they play the usual starters? and for that matter, can our opposition be expected to play their starters or will they just send some developmental players over here? I mean, this is naperville and if I managed a team that played in such a large, Greek stadium, I don't think I would feel that compelled to send my best players to the quiet, rustic town of Naperville IL for a friendly. Then again, I'm not greek....
The Morelia game wasn't a friendly, it was part of a competition, so it's not completely comparable. I hope that both teams field competitive lineups though. It's not every day that the Fire and Olympiakos meet.