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Frank Klopas and Logan Pause are ready to kick off Chicago's season against Montreal.

The Chicago Fire added to their depth on defense with Thursday's signing of Tony Walls.

Walls was selected in the third round of this past January’s MLS Supplemental Draft. He played his college soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

“Tony is a good addition that adds depth on the outside for us,” said Fire head coach Frank Klopas. “We knew the qualities he possessed after seeing him with our PDL team and he’s done an excellent job throughout preseason to come in, convert from midfield to defense and earn a roster spot in the process.”

ESPN's Taylor Twellman discusses what the Chicago Fire need to do to improve in the 2012 season.

The Chicago Fire waived defender Pari Pantazopoulos, the 2011 Open Tryout winner, the club announced on Sunday.

Pantazopoulos appeared in one game for the Fire last year, logging 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over the Rochester Rhinos in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 28.

CHICAGO -- Arne Friedrich, a veteran of the German team at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, has signed with Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.

The 32-year-old defender made 82 appearances for Germany, the last in a European Championship qualifier in March when he scored an own-goal in a 2-1 win at Austria. He also played at the 2004 and 2008 Euros and set a German record for most games without a goal before scoring. He got his goal in his 77th match, in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal win over Argentina.

A central defender and right back, Friedrich signed with Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga in 2010 but missed the first half of the 2010-11 season due to a slipped disk. He had another slipped disk in June.

The Chicago Fire signed MLS SuperDraft pick Hunter Jumper, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Hunter brings strength, smarts and athleticism to the Fire,” coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “Since seeing him at January’s combine and through preseason, he’s shown the ability to transition his game to the next level and adds depth to our backline heading into the 2012 MLS season.”

Jumper, 23, was selected 28th overall by the Fire in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft following a standout four-year career at the University of Virginia from 2008-11.

The Fire’s scheduled preseason match against the Charleston Battery on Saturday night was cancelled due to severe thunderstorms in the greater Charleston, S.C. area.

The match, the final of the Carolina Challenge Cup, will not be rescheduled.

The Fire’s final preseason game is March 9 against Minnesota Stars FC at the Toyota Park Turf Field. They kick off the 2012 MLS regular season against the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympic on March 17.

Federico Puppo goal in the 80th minute helped the Chicago Fire to a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night. The fire were victorious in Game 2 of the Carolina Challenge Cup despite the absence of six starters who were away on international duty.

Puppo lead Chicago's attack throughout the contest; he nearly found the back of the net in the game's 20th minute if not for a valiant effort by Columbus keeper.

The Fire's next contest in Carolina will take place March 3 against the Charleston Battery.

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.