[8] The track-and-field area opened the following year and hosted the NCAA Division III men's outdoor track and field championships in May 2000.

[11] The Chicago Fire, a Major League Soccer team, played their home matches at Cardinal Stadium in 2002 and 2003 while Soldier Field underwent extensive renovations.

[14] To accommodate the team's larger crowds, temporary seating was installed in phases, beginning with bleachers behind the goals in time for the regular season opener.

[18] Additional seats opened up in the following months to bring the stadium's temporary capacity up to 15,000, close to the Fire's average attendance of 16,325 at Soldier Field the previous year.

[22] The temporary seating was removed during the offseason and gradually re-added at the start of the 2003 season, which began with a standing room only crowd of 7,143 at the opener on April 13.

[22][25] The team returned to the reopened Soldier Field for the final two matches of the regular season and the MLS Cup Playoffs.