Fire travel to San Jose on Saturday

The Fire has made three significant announcements since its 1-0 loss to Englands Aston Villa in Saturday nights international friendly at Toyota Park. None figure to have an effect on the next match, a road battle with the high-flying San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
Most noteworthy of the latest developments is the club's scheduling of a second such international match, which may well be a more popular attraction than the first. The Fire announced Wednesday that four-time Mexican first division champion Club Santos Laguna will come to Bridgeview on Sept. 8.
While Aston Villa was on the rebound from an off-season in the English Premier League, Santos Laguna is riding high in Mexico. The club beat Monterrey 3-2 on aggregate to take its league tournament and also placed second in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League.
Santos Laguna's roster features Oswaldo Sanchez, the veteran goalkeeper for Mexico's national team, and striker Hercules Gomez, who has done time with the U.S. nationals. Gomez also played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Colorado Rapids and Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) in Major League Soccer.
Last season the Fire's second friendly was against the immensely popular Guadalajara Chivas, the Mexican side winning 1-0 in a spirited match.
On the pitch the Fire welcomed Dutch forward Sherjill MacDonald. A 10-year veteran with teams in Belgium, the Netherlands and England, MacDonald has long been reported heading to the Fire. His last club was Beerschot AC of Belgium, where he had 15 goals in 82 matches. During his long career in Europe the 27-year old MacDonald scored 47 goals in 217 matches.
"We have followed Sherjill's career over the course of the last year, and he adds to our attacking options," said Javier Leon, president of soccer operations for the Fire. "He's a professional on the field and in the locker room."
MacDonald will occupy a Designated Player spot with the Fire. The last to hold that slot was Uruguayan forward Federico Puppo. He was loaned to Defensor Sporting Club of the Uruguayan league to set the stage for MacDonalds arrival.
Designated Player spots are usually reserved for high-profiles players. The Fire's previous DPs were Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who made a big contribution for parts of three seasons, and Nery Castillo and Freddy Ljungberg, who did not.
Puppo didn't, either. He played in 12 matches across MLS and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competitions, starting only two. He had a goal and an assist and was more recently hampered by an ankle injury. It's doubtful MacDonald will make an immediate impact, either. He needs time to improve his fitness before hell likely play in an MLS match.
The Fire hasn't given up on the 25-year old Puppo, who joined the club on Jan. 11 after playing for another Uruguayan side, Danubio FC.
"This loan is an opportunity to provide Federico with more consistent playing time," said Fire coach Frank Klopas. "We look forward to keeping a close eye on his progress while he's playing in Montevideo."
The Fire (9-7-4) played its last MLS match on July 18, a 1-0 road loss to the New York Red Bulls, and will resume league play against powerhouse San Jose (13-5-4). The Fire will be without a key player. Midfielder Marco Pappa will serve a one-game suspension for yellow card point accumulations.