Aug. 7, 2009

VENTURA, Calif. - On Saturday, Aug. 8, the Chicago Fire will take the field against the Ventura County Fusion with the United Soccer League's Premier Development League Championship on the line. Chicago's run to the championship match would not have been possible without the contributions of three members of George Mason's men's soccer team - Richard Edgar, Victor Freeman and Ryan Gracia.

A midfielder, Edgar has played in five matches this season with one goal on four shots. Freeman has played in six matches at the forward position and scored two goals on three shots. Gracia, a midfielder, has played in five matches with a goal and an assist.

The championship match will take place on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET at Buena High School in Ventura, Calif. The match will be broadcast on tape delay on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

The Fire play in the Great Lakes Division of the league's Central Conference and finished in second place in the division with a 10-1-5 record for 35 points. The Fire's opponent in Saturday's contest, the Fusion, play in the Southwest Division of the league's Western Conference and finished in third place with 28 points and a 7-2-7 record.

Having qualified for the playoffs every season in their nine-year existence, the Fire will make their second appearance in the PDL title game on Saturday. In 2003, Chicago fell to the Cape Cod Crusaders 2-0. Conversely, 2009 marks the first appearance by the Ventura County Fusion in the postseason after narrowly missing out on the playoffs in each of their first two years in the league.