Fire on verge of hiring coach

There's still no one answering to the title of "head coach" at the Chicago Fire -- but that could change soon.

According to several published reports, including The Houston Chronicle, the interview list has been narrowed to three candidates -- Fire assistant coach Denis Hamlett, Duke assistant Mike Jeffries, and F.C. Dallas assistant John Spencer.

"They seem to know or think they know more than we've been told," said Fire spokesman Chris Bailey. "We do expect to make an announcement soon. I can't say who is left or how many. But it should be very soon."

The MLS Combine begins this weekend in preparation for the Jan. 18 Superdraft. In the combine, players are grouped into four teams that compete against each other. Some draft decisions may be made at the combine, but Bailey said the team does not necessarily need a head coach for that process.

"I don't think (Fire president John) Guppy feels any pressure to have that done," Bailey said. "That obviously would be preferred. It's not exactly necessary, but it's preferred."

Bailey said the Fire will still be well-represented at the combine and draft, with two assistant coaches, Hamlett and Daryl Shore, contributing their expertise.

The three rumored finalists have plenty of soccer experience.

Hamlett has been on the Fire staff since the team's inception in 1998. A Costa Rican native, Hamlett played college soccer at George Mason and played for several indoor and outdoor teams, culminating with a 31-match performance as a defender in 1996, the MLS inaugural season.

A Duke graduate, Jeffries won the Herrmann Trophy, college soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, in 1983.

He was the Fire goalkeeping coach from 1998-2001. Jeffries was named Dallas Burn head coach in 2001 and was 23-36-16 before he was fired in 2003. Jeffries returned to his alma mater in 2006 as an assistant to head coach John Rennie, who retired at the end of the 2007 season.

Spencer was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and played for Scottish soccer power Rangers as well as London clubs Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.

He moved to MLS in 2001 and played for the Colorado Rapids. A first team all-star in 2001 and a finalist for the MVP award in 2003, Spencer retired after the 2004 season. He was the main assistant under Dominic Kinnear the past two seasons, which ended with the Dynamo winning the MLS Cup.