After Two Days in Portland, Fire Set for Stabaek Sunday

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club will take the next significant step in its preseason preparation when it opens the 2015 Simple Invitational against the Bob Bradley-coached Stabaek IF (Norway) at 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday. Fans can watch a live online stream of the match at www.chicago-fire.com or www.csnchicago.com, with Dan Kelly handling the play-by-play and Kevin Egan providing color analysis.

On Saturday, the Fire got a feel for the playing surface at Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers and site of the Simple Invitational. They were put through their paces during a 90-minute session at the field, which included formational work, a brief scrimmage and individual drills.

Upon arrival in Portland, head coach Frank Yallop stressed the importance of having a full allotment of players in camp to gel ahead of the club’s MLS regular season opener against the LA Galaxy on Friday, March 6 (9 p.m. CT / UniMas).

“We’re just gearing up for the LA game,” Yallop reiterated. “Results obviously don’t matter in the preseason, they matter in the proper season. The big thing for us is to get through these three games with limited injuries – no injuries, hopefully; get some good minutes and game time for all the players involved and get a good rhythm for our starting 11 in our final match to get ready for that LA game.”

The only absences from Yallop's list of available players Sunday will be Mike Magee and Patrick Nyarko, each of whom continues to rehab from long-term injuries suffered in 2014. Those two aside, Yallop will have plenty to choose from with Designated Players Shaun Maloney and David Accam joining the squad for the tournament.

Accam got his first run out with his teammates on Friday as the team worked through a light training session at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field. The Ghanaian forward missed the first weeks of camp after helping his home country reach the final of the 2015 African Cup of Nations.

“It’s good to start training with the team and to know the guys now,” Accam said. “I think it will take another one or two sessions to really feel the atmosphere, but it feels good so far. It’s [been] a long journey, but it feels good to finally be here.”

Also at Yallop's disposal is a midfielder with great familiarity with Bob Bradley's Stabaek side, Michael Stephens. The former LA Galaxy man spent the 2014 campaign with the Norwegian club, appearing in all 30 matches and leading the squad with seven assists, before returning to MLS and his hometown Fire in December.

     • MORE: Stephens Signs with Fire After 2014 Stint with Stabaek

“It was good for me to go over and play every game and learn from Bob, who was a really big influence on me," Stephens told Chicago-Fire.com upon his signing. "He really helped me to develop a lot. From the day I got there to the day I left, I took some good strides.”

Similar to MLS, the Norwegian Tippeligaen runs on a March-through-November season schedule, providing ample opportunity for clubs from both leagues to square off in preseason friendlies.

In addition to Sunday’s match, the Fire also will play the host Timbers on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. CT and Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 4:30 p.m. CT. All matches will be streamed live at www.chicago-fire.com and www.csnchicago.com. Live video links below will become live shortly before kickoff.