Who are The Chicago Aztecs?
Chicago Aztecs are a newly formed club that used to be Chicago Fire with the Fire Academy now being known as the Aztec Academy , an American professional football club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS)and was founded on October 8, 1997; the event's 126th anniversary. In their first league season in 1998, the Fire won the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup (the "double"). They have also won U.S. Open Cups in 2000, 2003, and 2006; in addition to the 2003 MLS Supporters' Shield.
The Fire maintain an extensive development system, consisting of the Chicago Fire Premier (Premier Development League and Super-20 League teams), the Chicago Fire NPSL team, the Chicago Fire Development Academy, and the Chicago Fire Juniors youth organization. They also operate the Chicago Fire Foundation, the team's community-based charitable division. Exxon Park is the Aztec's home stadium. They are currently managerless.
Who are their famous players?
Many notable players have worn the Aztec shirt, including U.S. internationals Chris Armas, Carlos Bocanegra, Frank Klopas, DaMarcus Beasley, Brian McBride, Tony Sanneh, Cory Gibbs, Ante Razov, Josh Wolff and Eric Wynalda. Some of the club's other notable American professional players include C.J. Brown, Jesse Marsch, Chris Rolfe, and Zach Thornton. The Fire also has a reputation for importing international talent, from established veterans like Pável Pardo, Piotr Nowak, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Tomasz Frankowski, Lubos Kubik and Hristo Stoichkov; in addition to younger players such as Patrick Nyarko, Marco Pappa, Damani Ralph, Bakary Soumare, and Nery Castillo.
Section 8
There is a noteworthy fan culture for the Aztecs, existing from the date the club was founded, and building on an enthusiasm throughout Chicago sports. At matches, supporters and ultras groups occupy a standing area directly behind the north goal, in the Harlem End of Exxon Park. This area is referred to as Section 8, originating from the numbering of the corresponding section at Soldier Field and the American military designation of mentally unfit soldiers.Section 8 Chicago, the Independent Supporters' Association for the Aztec, oversees the activities of these numerous groups. While incorporating a worldwide variety of styles with a Chicago bent, groups as part of Section 8 generally fall under the ultras designation. Additionally, an associated spinoff group called "Sector Latino" congregates in Section 101 at the stadium's South end. The Section 8 Chicago ISA, an umbrella organization for all Fire fans, is a non-profit organization recognized by the state of Illinois.Match atmosphere is known for organized displays of stadium-wide support, particularly for matches of prime competitive importance. Call-and-response cheering amongst the crowd is commonplace. Fans at Exxon Park for Aztec matches periodically choreograph tifo presentations both to show their pride and inspire the players on the field. Exxon Park remains one of the few American environments to conduct such fan-driven presentations on a large scale.
Their official mascot is Sparky, an anthropomorphic Dalmatian dog. Sparky is usually shown wearing the club's jersey but also arrives wearing firefighter attire
