ESPN

The Chicago Fire came up on the wrong side of a preseason tuneup in advance of MLS regular-season play with a 1-0 loss to the DC United on Saturday.

Hamdi Salihi's goal on the 66th minute, off an assist from Ethan White, was the game's lone tally.

The clean sheet pitched by DC's Joe Willis' was a well-earned accomplishment. On the Chicago side, Patrick Nyarko, Dominic Oduro and Pavel Pardo each put forth strong scoring attempts to no avail.

The Fire will open their regular-season slate on March 24 at Toyota Park.

The Chicago Fire was shut out by the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-0, on Saturday in Oxnard, Calif. to close out the West Coast portion of their training camp.

Steven Lenhart and Brad Ring scored first-half goals for the Earthquakes.

Dominic Oduro had a strong chance for the Fire in the opening half, hitting a low drive that San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch turned around the left post for a corner kick.

The Chicago Fire reserves played a separate game simultaneously, getting a 58th-minute penalty kick from Orr Barouch and a 68th-minute header from Pari Pantazopoulos to earn a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Ventura County Fusion.

The final phase of the Fire’s preseason begins on Wednesday in Charleston, S.C. While in South Carolina, the team will play games against DC United (Feb. 25), Columbus Crew (Feb. 29) and Charleston Battery (March 3), as part of the 2012 Carolina Challenge Cup.

Goals from Eric Alexander and Jorge Perlaza were too much for the Chicago Fire to overcome in Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Portland Timbers in Carson, Calif., on Wednesday afternoon.

The loss was the Fire's first in five preseason matches. In fact, Alexander's score in the 64th minute marked the first time the Fire have trailed this preseason contests.

Chicago didn't lack for opportunity; Orr Barouch and Kheli Dube both put shots of the post in the shutout defeat. Perlaza's score in the 113th minute sealed the contest for the Timbers.

The Chicago Fire will induct former defender and original Fire player C.J. Brown into the team's Hall of Fame, known as the Ring of Fire, during a game against Real Salt Lake on May 9.

"C.J. Brown played his entire MLS career with the Men in Red and is deserving of the Ring of Fire recognition. His longevity, commitment and passion for our club make him a standout among Fire players, Javier Leon, Managing Director of Andell Sports Group, said in a statement. "C.J. led by example, brought grit and toughness to the field and did things the right way off the pitch. We’re happy to honor his career with an induction into the Ring of Fire."

A 13-year veteran who retired after the 2010 season, Brown holds the Fire record for most MLS regular season appearances (296), MLS Cup playoff appearances (35) and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup appearances (25).

Brown joins Peter Nowak, Lubos Kubik, Frank Klopas, Peter Wilt, Bob Bradley and Chris Armas in the Ring of Fire.

Daniel Paladini scored in the 49th minute to give the Chicago Fire a 1-0 preseason victory over Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon at the Oxnard College Soccer Complex in Oxnard, Calif.

Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson got his first preseason action, playing the first 45 minutes as coach Frank Klopas played a different group in each half. Johnson rejoined the team this week after participating in a month-long U.S. Men’s National Team training camp.

The Fire return to preseason action on Wednesday against the Portland Timbers.

Dominic Oduro scored two goals in the first half as the Chicago Fire won a preseason international friendly 3-1 over Real C.D. España on Saturday in New Orleans.

Fire goalkeeper Jay Nolly played the full 90 minutes in his preseason Fire debut, allowing one goal on a header by España’s Edder Gonzalez.

Orr Barouch iced the game for the Fire with a goal in the 88th minute.

Defenders Cory Gibbs and Gonzalo Segares missed the match after getting banged up on Wednesday in the Fire’s 3-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Fire will return to Chicago on Sunday before a trip to Ventura, Calif. on Wednesday. While in California, the Fire will play preseason games against Chivas USA (Feb. 11), the Portland Timbers (Feb. 15) and the San Jose Earthquakes (Feb. 18).

The Mexican National team will stop in Chicago on its U.S. tour, facing Bosnia-Herzegovina on May 31 at Soldier Field.

Mexico also has games planned in Miami (Feb. 29) and New York (May 27). Mexico will use the tour matches as preparation for its qualifiers on June 8 against Guyana and June 12 against El Salvador.

Tickets for the game at Soldier Field, which starts at 8 p.m. CT, go on sale to the general public on Monday.

The Chicago Fire traded the rights to defender Wilman Conde to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.

Conde and the Red Bulls agreed to terms on a contract and he will join the team pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.

“The club is pleased with the talent we’ve assembled,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “We reviewed the situation and wanted to support Wilman’s return to MLS. The allocation money we received in return will help us continue to build our team.”

Conde, who joined the Fire in 2007, had four goals and four assists in 77 matches before signing with Mexican side Club Atlas on a free transfer in January 2011.

Having protected Conde during the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft, the Fire held the MLS right of first refusal on him.

The Chicago Fire got a first look at their talent on Sunday, opening the preseason with a 0-0 draw against D.C. United at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Fire head coach Frank Klopas played 33 of the 36 players on the club's preseason roster, including 10 returning players.

Supplemental draft pick Carl Woszczynski started in goal in the first of nine preseason matches.

The Fire threatened in the 60th minute when new forward Kheli Dube laid the ball off for Lucky Mkosana. The second-round draft pick drilled a shot on goal, but D.C. United goalkeeper Joe Willis made the save.

The Chicago Fire signed 28-year-old Zimbabwean striker Kheli Dube on Wednesday.

Dube, the eighth overall selection by the New England Revolution in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft, was the Fire's only pick in the MLS Re-Entry Process

“Kheli has been an offensive threat since he came into the league,” said Fire coach Frank Klopas. “He’s a gritty, hard-working forward that plays for the badge. Since joining us in preseason Kheli has shown his desire to be part of our club.”

Dube had four goals and four assists and helped the Revs to the 2008 SuperLiga title. He was named a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year.

Dube split his collegiate career between Lindsey Wilson College (2004-05) and Coastal Carolina University (2006-07), where he was named 2007 Big South Player of the Year.

The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday it had re-signed midfielder Pavel Pardo.

Pardo played in 14 matches after joining the Fire in July. He had one goal and five assists while helping the Fire to the second best regular season finish in club history at 7-2-1.

“Pavel helped kick-start our turnaround at the end of last season,” said Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas. “He provides tremendous experience for us in the middle of the park, serves as a great example for our younger players and plays for the badge every time he steps on the field.”

Pardo began his career with hometown Mexican Primera side Club Atlas, where he appeared in 156 matches and recorded seven goals from 1993-98. Following a brief stint with UAG Tecos, Pardo joined Mexican giants Club America for the first of two career stints in 1999. It was with las Aguilas that Pardo made his mark, appearing in 224 matches, scoring 24 goals from 1999-2006 while helping the club to the 2002 Verano and 2005 Clausura championships as well as the 2006 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

His play for America propelled him to Europe, signing with German side Vfb Stuttgart in 2006. While with Die Roten, Pardo appeared in 71 matches, scoring four times while helping the Reds to the 2006-07 Bundesliga title, the club’s first since 1992. He returned to Club America following the 2009 Bundesliga season, going on to play in another 86 matches for las Aguilas through the 2011 Mexican Clausura.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Fire has a new shirt sponsor, agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Quaker Oats Co.

Quaker's name and logo will be on the front of both the Fire's home and away jerseys in a deal that Crain's Chicago Business reported could be worth up to $8 million over three years. The Major League Soccer team had been without a shirt sponsor since Best Buy declined to renew its deal following the 2010 season.

As part of the deal, Quaker and the Fire will team up on a programs designed to encourage healthy eating and staying active. Quaker also will sponsor the Chicago Fire Juniors, the team's player development program, and there will be a "Quaker Corner" seating area at Toyota Park, the Fire stadium in suburban Bridgeview.

The Chicago Fire selected Louisville defender Austin Berry with the ninth pick in the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday.

In his senior season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Berry was named a NSCAA Third Team All-American, Soccer America Second Team MVP and Big East Conference First Team. A member of the 2010 Chicago Fire Premier team, Berry signed a deal with MLS prior to the draft.

“Austin is a menacing defender who will be a fantastic addition to the Chicago Fire Soccer Club,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “His strength in the back, ability in the air and the danger he provides going forward will be a great asset to us heading into the 2012 MLS season.”

Berry, a 23-year-old native of Cincinnati, appeared in 95 matches, starting 87, in his time with the Cardinals, with 11 goals and five assists.

An offseason of turnover continued for the Chicago Fire on Wednesday with the team's announcement that it had signed Uruguayan striker Federico Puppo.

“Federico Puppo is a player we’ve kept an eye for the past few seasons,” said Fire head coach Frank Klopas. “He is a smart forward who moves well off the ball and finishes in front of the goal. His addition helps us to strengthen our attacking core. We are excited to get all of these guys into camp and begin putting in the work on the field.”

Puppo, 25, will join the Fire from the Primera División Uruguaya club Danubio F.C. He scored two goals in ten matches with Danubio.

Puppo was a member of the Uruguay team that played in the 2011 Pan American Games held in Guadalajara. He scored a goal in appearances in that tournament.

The Chicago Fire announced Monday the signing of Colombian midfielder Rafael Robayo from Club Deportivo Los Millionarios.

Robayo, 27, played for Colombian Liga Postobón and will be added to the Fire's roster as an international upon the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P1 Visa.

"Rafael Robayo has an excellent work rate, good defensive energy and will provide support on both sides of the ball,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. "Rafael is a sizable player who can get in and create around the box. He will join our core group in preseason camp as we continue to build toward the 2012 campaign."

The Fire open the regular season on the road against the expansion Montreal Impact on March 17.