On this day in Fire history in 2002, Sarachan was named head coach
November 4, 2009, 7:39 PM
By: Charlie Corr
On this date in Chicago Fire history, Nov. 4, 2002, the Fire named Dave Sarachan as the organization's second head coach.
Before taking over the Fire, Sarachan was the top assistant coach under head coach Bruce Arena for the U.S. Men's National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In four and a half seasons with Chicago, Sarachan had a 55-50-31 regular-season record, a 5-2-2 postseason record, playoff appearances in three of his four full seasons with the team, two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, and a strong first season in 2003. Sarachan's first year included a 17-5-8 regular season, the Supporters' Shield, MLS Coach of the Year honors, and an appearance in the MLS Cup, falling short against Landon Donovan's San Jose Earthquakes.
He was fired in 2007 after the team started the season with a 4-6-2 mark. "I was shocked," Sarachan simply stated.
Sarachan reunited with Arena as the Los Angeles Galaxy's associate head coach, and the Galaxy organization went through a strong turnaround to reach this year's MLS playoffs and finish runner-up to the Columbus Crew in the Supporters' Shield race. Also this year, Sarachan was inducted into the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Sarachan name still is here locally with Dave's son, Ian, who is a Warren Township grad and current senior midfielder for the University of Illinois-Chicago.
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Charlie Corr
Charlie Corr is a Chicago-based soccer writer and sports public relations specialist for two professional soccer teams. Contact him by clicking here.
