The Chicago Fire of the MLS announced the signing of French striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle. He’ll be added to the roster once his P1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate are received.
Sinama-Pongolle was signed by Liverpool FC from French club Le Havre AC in 2001, and was loaned back to Le Havre, where he scored seven goals in 42 appearances. He accomplished all this when he was just 16.
In 2003, Sinama-Pongolle returned to Liverpool, scoring four goals in 38 matches. He scored the first goal in a 3-1 victory over Olympiacos in the group stages of the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League. LFC advanced to the final match and were crowned European champions after defeating AC Milan 3-2 in penalty kicks on May 25, 2005.
Sinama-Pongolle also found goal in a 5-3 victory against Luton Town in the 2005-06 FA Cup, and against Real Betis in a 2-1 victory in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League group stage. In January 2006, Sinama-Pongolle was loaned away from Liverpool FC to the Blackburn Rovers. At the age of 29, he has a lot of playing time ahead of him
Paul M. Banks owns and manages The Sports Bank.net, in partnership with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)
