With few days left in the year, we here at Chicago-Fire.com thought it appropriate to take a look back on 10 of the Most Memorable of what turned out to be a very successful year.
As it would be difficult to rank all the instances that pulled together a fantastic 15th year, we'll be listing them chronologically over the next two weeks. Some are club-wide and as the Team Writer, others are of a more personal nature but rest assured that all were special.
On Thursday, I remembered the club’s star-studded 15th Anniversary Celebration. Today, I finish Memorable Moments with the awarding of 2012 Rookie of the Year to Fire defender Austin Berry.
When Austin Berry was selected ninth overall by the Fire he was deemed as the most MLS-ready player in the SuperDraft.
Despite that distinction, the former Fire PDL product was left to be an observer through much of the first part of the season, watching as the likes of Cory Gibbs, Jalil Anibaba and Arne Friedrich manned the middle of the back line.
With Gibbs’ injury after just three games and a one-match suspension to Anibaba following a post-game altercation vs. Seattle on April 28, Berry was thrust into the starting lineup for the following week’s game at Chivas USA.
Just 21 minutes into the match, the green defender would get played by veteran striker Alejandro Moreno, who prototypically used minimal contact at the top of the area to draw a penalty kick.
Close-up shots on Berry’s face showed the rookie repeatedly ask referee Baldomero Toledo, “Are you kidding me?” to no avail.
Juan Pablo Angel would slot home the spot kick but the rookie wasn’t left wondering long on how he’d make amends.
WATCH: Berry Gets Debut Redemption