Entering the Ring: Zach Thornton's Ring of Fire recognition is long overdue

As the final whistle of MLS Cup 1998 echoed through the Rose Bowl, Chicago Fire midfielders Chris Armas and Jesse Marsch raced to embrace goalkeeper Zach Thornton. The Men in Red had just clinched a stunning 2-0 victory over the league's first dynasty, D.C. United, before more than 50,000 fans, with Thornton securing a shutout to cap a remarkable season.

This weekend, the Fire will induct Thornton into the Ring of Fire, the club’s hall of fame. He will become the ninth member of the exclusive group and the first inductee in nearly a decade, earning a well-deserved distinction that is long overdue.

But when Thornton first came to Chicago in the expansion draft ahead of the 1998 season, he wasn’t even supposed to be the starter. Then-head coach Bob Bradley had identified Thornton – the New York/New Jersey MetroStars’ backup – as a talented goalkeeper, but alongside general manager Peter Wilt, had initially planned on building around the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Kevin Hartman. A pre-season trade saw Hartman, who had also been left unprotected in the expansion draft, return to L.A., with midfielder Chris Armas and legendary keeper Jorge Campos coming the other way.

The flamboyant Mexican Campos arrived to much fanfare, even if internally, Armas had been considered the more significant addition. The positional like-for-like swap of Hartman for Campos ensured that the Galaxy freed up a much-needed international slot as they acquired Carlos Hermosillo from Liga MX, but also meant that Thornton would be the Fire’s backup heading into the inaugural season.

1998 was a World Cup year, though, and Campos joined up with El Tri for camp ahead of the tournament shortly into the MLS season. Thus, Thornton got an opportunity to prove himself, and despite a slow start for the expansion Fire, he began to stake a claim for the position. Sizing up at six-foot-three and 230 pounds, he could not have been built more differently from five-foot-seven Campos, making for an intriguing positional battle on a team that is said to have had training sessions that were just as if not more competitive than games.

“Campos at this point was going back and forth with the national team,” Thornton told MIR97 Media earlier this year. “I had one or two good games and I think Bob was like ‘Hey, I can start this guy now.’”

Mexico suffered a routine round of 16 exit from France ‘98, and when Campos returned to the Windy City, he found a team that had embarked on an 11-game winning streak behind Thornton's goalkeeping.

“Zach stepped in and won every single game,” Peter Wilt said. “Bob wasn't going to sit him when Jorge came back and he understood that the hot goalie has to be stuck with. Bob tried to get him in as a forward here or there when could, but we really didn't need that much help up front either.”

Thornton was so good during that span that he was named an MLS All-Star. In the pre-cursor to today’s skill challenge, he won the “Pepsi Power Shot,” a title he held three years running. Thornton told media at the time that his 82-mile-per-hour blast could be credited to his “big butt”; in our interview, he declined to comment, albeit with a smile.

Heading into the playoffs, Coach Bradley made it clear that Thornton was officially his #1, and Campos rejoined his old team, Pumas de la UNAM. The decision was a gamble for the Fire but a tremendous show of faith in Thornton, who had, incredibly, beaten out one of the best-ever North American keepers. He rode his momentum into the playoffs, and the Fire went all the way to MLS Cup in Pasadena.

The Fire went on to win the championship convincingly before a huge crowd at the Rose Bowl, upsetting back-to-back reigning champion D.C. United. Despite some early nerves, Thornton had a strong showing, shutting out United’s starpower and leaving the likes of Jaime Moreno and Marco Echeverri stunned. Piotr Nowak had a pair of assists as Jerzy Podbrożny and Diego Gutiérrez got the goals for the Fire in a 2-0 win.

“I think you'll be hard-pressed to find an MLS Cup with more talent than that one,” Thornton said. “I didn't settle down until halftime. Luboš [Kubík], I played him some crap balls, and him being Luboš just got it out, and him knowing I wasn't like grounded yet, said, ‘You'll be fine.’ Then, when the final whistle blew, Chris Armas turned around and looked at me, and he's crying. I couldn't believe we had actually done it. It was an amazing day, something I'll never forget.”

“We wouldn't have been holding the cup at the end of the day without Zach's performance,” Wilt added.

Nowak, Kubík, Bradley, and Armas would quickly be among the first inductees into the Ring of Fire, as were other starters from that game, including Ante Razov, C.J. Brown, and now-head coach Frank Klopas. Wilt was also inducted in 2006, shortly after leaving as general manager.

Five days later, the Fire completed the double, beating the Columbus Crew 2-1 at Soldier Field. Klopas scored the golden goal nine minutes into overtime, coming off the bench to secure the double for his hometown team. It was a moment many consider the greatest in the club’s existence.

Thornton was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for the historic ‘98 season, an incredible feat considering that he had expected to be the backup to no less than two different international goalies before the start of the season and had only played six league games prior. He stayed on with the club through 2006 and was involved in every trophy the Fire has ever won, including three further Open Cups in 2000, 2003, and 2006 and a Supporters’ Shield in 2003.

However, long-standing members like Wilt and Klopas say the Ring of Fire is about much more than just trophies. It is for those in the organization who exemplify the club’s core values of “Tradition, Honor, and Passion,” which have been echoed for many years.

“I think he is a legend here in the club,” Klopas said. “That's one thing, what he has done on the field. Off the field, the values that he has as a person and a human being are the values that reflect this organization. He's a first-class individual.”

“You play with a lot of people, you know a lot of people. But [Zach] is someone that I consider a friend, and you know a lot of people and you are friendly, but he's someone that I consider a close friend.”

Thornton fueled his desire to give back to the Fire when he picked up the phone in December 2022. His former MetroStars teammate Ezra Hendrickson was head coach at the time, and he wanted Thornton to join his staff as a goalkeeping coach. When he arrived, he found former teammates, including Klopas and Brown, still around as part of Hendrickson’s staff, representing the club’s desire to connect its past to its future.

In his current role, Thornton serves as a mentor for the Fire’s extremely talented goalkeeping class. 20-year-old Chris Brady, one of the elite young goalkeepers in the world, has been the #1 ever since Thornton arrived, and he’s also worked with the club’s other up-and-comers like Patrick Los, Patryk Stechnij, and Bryan Dowd.

Thornton’s continued success is also a testament to his longevity. When he joined the Fire, they trained at the original Halas Hall at Lake Forest College, which had been left vacant by the Chicago Bears’ departure shortly prior. Now, under owner Joe Mansueto, the club is in the midst of building a new state-of-the-art facility on the Near West Side. Thornton found a place both in the fledgling MLS of the 1990s and today’s league seeking to establish itself globally.

Aside from the financial investments to bring the Fire up to par, Mansueto’s ownership has revitalized essential club traditions, including the return to the beloved red shirts and the connection with alumni. The Ring of Fire, too, is making its comeback after a nine-year hiatus during which no new players were inducted under previous ownership.

“It's a huge honor to be part of the Ring of Fire,” Thornton said. “You can never forget your past and the Fire has a tremendous past,”

“Now, it’s about also understanding that we want to make our own history and we want to do better than that.”

Thornton will be officially inducted into the Ring of Fire on Saturday, April 27th, at 5:45 P.M., prior to the Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United game at Soldier Field.