March 31, 2005

Dayton, OH - Chris Rolfe, UD's all-time assist leader with men's soccer, signed a contract with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. Rolfe was drafted by the Fire with the No. 29 overall pick in January's MLS SuperDraft. The Flyers have had a player drafted and signed by Chicago the past two seasons.

"It's great to finally settle down with a great club like Chicago after going through the process of searching for the right place to play," Rolfe said. "Chicago is a great city with a team full of potential, and hopefully I can play a role to help the team continue to move forward and accomplish our goals."

Rolfe was selected to the 2004 NSCAA/adidas Men's NCAA Division I All-America Second Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 pick.

Despite playing in only 13 games, Rolfe racked up 24 points in 2004, the third-highest total in the league. He scored seven goals and set a UD single-season assists record with 10, to lead the Atlantic 10 Conference. He does not qualify for the NCAA's statistical averages categories due to his number of games played, but his 0.83 assists per game would be second in the nation, and his 2.00 points per game would rank 10th. His 10 assists tied him for 12th in the NCAA in total assists, despite playing in less games than those above him.

He follows the path from UD to the MLS set by former teammate Denny Clanton, who was selected by the Chicago Fire in the 2004 SuperDraft. Clanton signed with the Fire and played in 10 games, starting six this past season. Due to a number crunch, Clanton was dropped from the Fire roster this spring, but was in camp with the Columbus Crew hoping to catch on.

The Flyers finished 11-7-1 last season, finishing second in the Atlantic 10 regular season. The Flyers will return 22 letter-winners and seven starters for 2005.