Mexico's Blanco is latest star to join MLS

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco joined the Chicago Fire on Tuesday, signing a contract to become the third player to join a MLS club under the designated player rule.

Blanco will return to Mexico City's Club America for the remainder of the season. He is expected to join the Fire in July, pending national team duty.

"I'm ready to work and bring a championship to Chicago," Blanco said at a news conference. "I'm very excited to be here."

Terms of the contract were not released, although Blanco is expected to be with the Fire through 2009, according to team spokesman Daniel Jankowski.

Blanco, 34, has four goals and four assists in nine games this year with his club and has made 95 appearances for Mexico's national team, appearing at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.

He becomes the third designated player in MLS, following David Beckham (L.A. Galaxy) and Claudio Reyna (New York). Designated players can exceed the league's salary cap.

D.C. BOWS OUT: D.C. United fell to Chivas de Guadalajara of the Mexican first division, 2-1, Wednesday in Mexico, a loss that eliminated the MLS team from the CONCACAF Champions' Cup 3-2 on aggregate.

Jaime Moreno opened the scoring for United, but Adolfo Bautista and Gonzalo Pineda responded for Chivas. In the semifinal first leg in Washington D.C. the teams battled to a 1-1 draw.

Houston is the other MLS team in the Cup, and it plays its second leg against Mexican club Pachuca on Thursday. Houston won the first game 2-0.