Bakary Soumare is preparing to leave the Chicago Fire for French club Boulogne about three weeks after a physical altercation with head coach Denis Hamlett. Soumare said that he wishes that he could leave the Fire on different terms. "You don't like to leave in a situation like that, when it leaves a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths," Soumare said. "There's been a lot of things said and a lot things twisted around and it's unfortunate, because it's the kind of thing you want to keep internal, usually. I wish it happened differently, but that's life. There's no real response to it. It just is what it is."

Soumare, who immigrated from France to New York as a teenager, said that the conflict with Hamlett expedited his move abroad. "We tried to get something done when the offer first came in earlier this season, but the Fire turned it down and we moved on," Soumare said. "We never talked about it again. But after the event that happened in Houston, that was enough for everyone to reconsider the offer on the table. It was enough. I was ready to move in a different direction."

Soumare left the details of the dispute unclear, but said that the two men haven't lost respect for one another. "We still had respect for each other, but as far as the issue goes, we only spoke about it once," Soumare said of Hamlett. "He understood from Day 1 that my mind was made up and I was going to stand firm."

 

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