June 22, 2007

Former George Mason men's soccer standout Denis Hamlett has been named interim head coach of the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. Hamlett, in his tenth season on the bench for the Fire, takes over for Dave Sarachan who was relieved of his coaching duties after the Fire started the season 1-6-1.

Hamlett, an All-CAA and All-Region athlete as a senior with the Patriots, was the 12th overall selection in the league's inaugural 1996 Draft. He started 31 of the Colorado Rapids' 32 games that year. He was named the team's BIC Tough Defender of the Year that season.

Hamlett has been a member of the Chicago Fire coaching staff since the team's inaugural season in 1998. Beginning with 2001, he was promoted to the top assistant's position and he is also the team's Community Relations liaison. He also was in his third year as head coach of the Fire's MLS Reserve Division Squad which was 9-9-5 over its first two seasons.

Hamlett's first match as the head coach of the Fire will be tonight when Chicago hosts MKS Cracovia in an international friendly. After taking on the Polish team, the Fire will have a little more than a week off before hosting the Colorado Rapids on July 1 in Hamlettt's first MLS match.