Fire sign Polish international Frankowski

Story and photo courtesy Chicago Fire Communications

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (February 21, 2008) - The Chicago Fire announced today that the club has signed Polish international forward Tomasz Frankowski to the team’s 28-man roster, pending P-1 work visa clearance. Frankowski, 33, joins Chicago after accepting an invitation in early February to convene with the team for preseason training. Per league policy, terms of his contract were not disclosed.

Tomasz Frankowski
“I am happy to sign with the Chicago Fire and I want to thank them for their faith in me,” said Frankowski. “After a couple days in training camp I realized the high standard of play and the quality of the organization and its players. I believe I will fulfill everyone’s expectations, and I realize how large the Polish community is here in Chicago and hope that they will give us all their support.”

The Bialystok, Poland native began his career with Jagiellonia Bialystok in 1991 and has since played for clubs in Poland, France, Japan, Spain, and England. Frankowski most recently played with Spanish side CD Tenerife while on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers of England. The Polish striker spent the majority of his career (177 appearances) with Polish side Wisla Krakow, helping the club to five Polish Championships (1999, 2001, and 2003-05) and two Polish Cups (2002 and 2003). Frankowski took home the title of top scorer in the Polish premier league, the Orange Ekstraklasa, three times (1999, 2001, and 2005).

Frankowski has also recorded 10 goals for the Polish National Team in 22 appearances.

“Tomasz is a very experienced forward and we are excited to have him on the roster,” said Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett. “We saw a lot of positive play from Tomasz in Bradenton, he is clinical around the box and we feel he will fit in well with our system.”

9 Tomasz Frankowski
Position: Forward
Height: 5'7" (1.72 m)
Weight: 146 lbs. (66 kg)
Born: August 16, 1974 in Bialystok, Poland
Hometown: Bialystok, Poland
Citizenship: Poland
Last Club: CD Tenerife (SPA)
How Acquired: Signed on Feb. 21, 2008