USMNT Legend Brian McBride Prepares For Final MLS Home Match

U.S. Soccer will say goodbye to a legend in two weeks. Chances are, though, Brian McBride's proper send off will come this weekend when the Chicago Fire play their final home match of the season.

It's probably better this way.

McBride is a Midwest boy, growing up in Illinois, going to college in St. Louis, starting his professional career in Milwaukee and breaking into the MLS with the Columbus Crew before returning to his native home after a successful stint in England to finish up with the Fire.

Along the way, he made a name for himself as a hard-working and skillful player the likes of which the United States had never produced. He not only succeeded at the MLS level -- where he left his initial stint with a strike rate of 62 goals in 161 matches -- but he came reasonably close to equaling that success in England. McBride scored 48 goals in 161 matches at Everton (just eight matches) and Fulham. 

He also was a key component of helping bring the U.S. National Team to respectability, scoring 30 goals in 96 international matches from 1993-2006. He played in three World Cups and became the first American to score in two of them.

Now, the Fire are saying goodbye to a player who scored 17 goals in 57 matches over three injury-shortened seasons.

As part of that, Hot Time In Old Town's Tweed Thornton is compiling fans' favorite McBride memories.

Here's part of one of his that came during a match at DC United:

Leading a charge down the field, McBride set up the movement that led to Patrick Nyarko having the ball on the wing ... Nyarko crossed the ball into the box, McBride had a slight touch pass to Marco Pappa and Pappa slammed home the ball to make it 1-0 Chicago Fire. I went berserk and joined the line of Fire fans in the traditional goal celebration. I accidentally punched a former President of Section 8... but what could he do? In his words, "Don't worry, it's part of the games!". We had barely broken up the line when McBride headed in a goal of his own off a long kick from Andrew Dykstra - total jubilation and pandemonium hit our small band of Fire. As we walked out that of the stadium, RFK rang with the madness of Fire fans chanting "Our House - In the Middle of D.C."