CHICAGO (February 10, 2016) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club and 97.5 FM Poder announced today a broadcasting agreement for all 34 of the Fire’s Major League Soccer matches this season, beginning with the season opener against New York City FC on Sunday, March 6 at 1:00 p.m. CT. Match day coverage for all Fire games will include pre-game show, post-game wrap-up and comprehensive play-by-play action. Rodrigo Arana and Raquel Ortiz will serve in play-by-play and analysis roles, respectively.

“We at the Fire saw great benefit from our partnership with iHeart Media last year,” said Fire COO Atul Khosla. “As the station sets a new course as 97.5 FM Poder, we’re excited to continue with them, collaborating on-air and in the community across a host of promotional initiatives.”

97.5 FM Poder represents a powerful Mexican Regional format with a blend of music, entertainment and information, targeting Hispanic Adults. As the third highest ranked Hispanic DMA in the USA, Poder impacts the Chicago Market’s spectrum with new opportunities for listeners and advertisers.

“The power of sport and soccer is uniting our ever-expanding loyal fans,” said 97.5 FM Poder general manager, Alfredo Lopez.

A native of Mexico City, Arana has been working nine years covering and broadcasting sporting events. He spent seven years at Fox Sports Latin America, as play-by-play and color analyst for various soccer leagues, NFL, MLB, UFC, and Bellator, including events such as the Super Bowl, World Series and MX League Final. He currently serves as the Sports Anchor for Noticiero Telemundo Chicago at 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. each weekday.

Ortiz began as a Spanish-language columnist for mlssoccer.com, covering the Chicago Fire, in June of 2005. Since then, she has covered the Chicago Fire, contributing to its website and other media radio and television outlet. She debuted with the radio broadcast team in 2006 and has served the past six seasons as the color commentator. Prior to her work covering the Fire, Ortiz hosted and produced a sports-only radio show on Radio Arte 90.5 FM, managing the on-air website content for three years.