Fire Superstar Blanco Ready To Return Home

Cuauhtemoc Blanco said he'd be ready to move on from Chicago following the 2009 MLS season.

Mar 26, 2009 5:07:00 PM

More On :  Chicago Fire
The poster child for the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer is ready to come back home. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who joined the Fire in 2007, said he has felt like he has made an impact with Chicago but now it will soon be time to move on.

“My contract will be done, and I will leave happy because I have great teammates. It’s a decision I made. I’m going to look for other options,” Blanco told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday.
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“I want to return to Mexico or see offers [in MLS] from another team, but this is my last year with the Fire,” the 36-year-old said. “I think I’ve made an impact here. But when this season ends, I’ll look for other options.”

Blanco joined the Fire from Club America with a three-year contract worth which will pay him $2.76 million in 2009. The Los Angeles Galaxy also signed David Beckham at around the same time for about twice the price ($6.5 million) but it seems that Blanco means more for the success of the Fire than Beckham does. He has played so well that even Sven-Goran Eriksson has called him up three times with the national team.

“Playing with Blanco raises the level of play among the team, I’m also very happy to be playing with a player of his caliber,” Marco Pappa said after the Fire’s preseason match in Phoenix.

Blanco said that he likes his teammates but disagrees with the makeup of the roster.


“From my point of view, I think we need midfielders, but those are the coach’s decision. And we have eight defenders which, honestly, is a lot to me,” he said.

Blanco is a favorite amongst the Mexican fans and any team would take him in except for Chivas, America's league nemesis. He is a great ambassador for the sport in the U.S. and has not caused any mayhem for his team, as some superstars do. He retired from the national team in September and played for Santos Laguna on a short-term loan during the Apertura 2008 Liguilla. It would seem only be fitting for him to end his career in Mexico.

Sylvestre Adame, Goal.com

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