It’s been a while now since the Fire’s 2-0 thrashing of D.C. United, but the passage of time hasn’t made that victory any less impressive. As a said in the immediate aftermath of the match, this was the Fire’s most complete performance of the season, and even against a bottom-dwelling side, the Fire deserve a lot of credit for thoroughly dismantling a team that does possess a lot of quality.
While every man in the squad deserves credit for Chicago’s best ever start to a league season, nobody is more deserving of plaudits than head coach Denis Hamlett. I would still argue that he has yet to prove himself from a tactical standpoint - some of his lineup decisions have really left me scratching my head. Nevertheless but the coach has managed to keep his players motivated and playing at a very high level over the season’s first seven games – a combination teams often struggle to achieve early on in an MLS season. The Fire have also displayed wonderful organization on the pitch all season long, thanks mainly to Hamlett, along with veterans like Cuautemoc Blanco and Diego Gutierrez. Furthermore, the Fire have even drawn attention from the national media for having perhaps the best team spirit in MLS – a characteristic of the team that I agree on and that I think really bodes well for Chicago’s prospects this season.
To be frank, the Fire have been playing some of their best football in recent memory and it looks like team chemistry may be at an all-time high. The Fire’s combination of talented young players like Chris Rolfe, Bakary Soumare, Justin Mapp, Chad Barrett, and Gonzalo Segares, and experienced veterans like Blanco, Gutierrez, and Jon Busch has been a revelation. Additionally, the Fire still have a number of potentially key contributors who haven’t made much of an impact this season waiting in the wings, in the form of defenders Wilman Conde, Dasan Robinson, and C.J. Brown, and forwards Patrick Nyarko and Andy Herron. The way things have gone for Chicago in recent weeks, somebody new has come up with a big contribution right on cue whenever the Fire need it, and a string of wins has been the result. Chicago has been as impressive as anyone in MLS so far this season and are without question contenders for the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup.
With all that said, though, it is too early in the season for fan’s to make an awful lot of Chicago’s torrid start. It’s understandable that Chicago have been the darlings of the national media all week, after all they have to write something, but it’s easy to forget that we’re still only a quarter of the way through the season. Remember, last year’s MLS Cup Champion (and today’s Fire opponent) Houston Dynamo got off to a rather slow start in 2007, and let’s not forget that the Fire were in last place in the Eastern Conference midway through the season before eventually making it to the conference finals. Chicago looks great right now, but the playoffs are still 23 games away and every roster in the league will look different by summer’s end. The Fire will surely endure injuries, goal droughts, and harsh refereeing decisions within that time. It’s great that the Fire have a head start on everyone except Columbus towards winning the Supporter’s Shield and making the playoffs, but whether or not this season goes down as a historic one for the Fire will be decided in October and November. Just saying.
A few notes:
- Pedro Gomez reported during the Fire’s win over DC that Wilman Conde is once again unhappy in Chicago, this time due to the fact that he hasn’t played. Conde has drawn the criticism of numerous fans for airing his dirty laundry in public, but in this case I sympathize with the Colombian defender. As he has pointed out, if he’s really so good that the Fire won’t trade him, why has he only appeared in one match? I can understand that Hamlett wants to keep in tact a backline that has only allowed three goals so far this season, but Conde needs to play and there are other ways to get him on the pitch. I would love to see Conde come in for Mapp at left-mid when the American is inevitably subbed out at around 70 minutes of any match the Fire are leading. Conde actually played occasionally on the left wing under then coach Juan Carlos Osorio last season, and bringing in a quality player with an excellent defensive prowess would make a lot of sense while the Fire are trying to hold on to a lead. Another option would be for Conde to come on as a defensive midfielder either as a partner for Logan Pause, or as a late replacement from the holding midfielder. The point is, it’s a huge waste for the Fire to spend the amount of money they are on Conde on somebody who doesn’t play, and I think the defender has a lot to offer the team. Here’s hoping that he gets in today against Houston.
- Stephen King and John Thorrington will both be unavailable for today’s match, which means the Fire will have to find a new player to use on the right wing. I’m expecting Hamlett to move Chris Rolfe back to that position and insert Tomasz Frankowski as a second forward along side Chad Barrett meaning that the Fire will be using the same 4-4-2 formation that they did over the first 5 games of the season. My hope, though, is that Hamlett will simply insert Calen Carr into last week’s lineup as a right midfielder, which would allow Chicago to stick with the same 4-5-1 that has worked so well over the last two weeks. In that formation, Chris Rolfe is asked to cover a lot of ground as the forward most midfielder on offense, and a defender behind Blanco and Barrett when Chicago does not have the ball. Rolfe has fulfilled this role very well, however, scoring against New England and performing well in both matches. We’ve already seen Calen Carr perform adequately on the right wing at times, he started in that position during Chicago’s playoff series against DC last season, so I think using him at right mid is Chicago’s best option. If the Fire revert to a 4-4-2, however, I feel as though the squad is weakened offensively and defensively.
On defense, the Fire are worse off in a 4-4-2 because Blanco is asked to defend behind Barrett and Frankowski, meaning that the Fire basically have a really weak defender in the center of midfield. Let’s not forget the way that teams like San Jose penetrated into Chicago’s attacking third seemingly at will earlier this season when the Fire used this lineup.
In addition to being weaker defensively, however, I feel as though the Fire’s 4-4-2 lineup, with Rolfe on the right wing, doesn’t meet its potentially offensively. This is due to the fact that Rolfe, who is easily the team’s best goal-scorer, can’t get forward enough to make himself much of a goal scoring threat, because he has to cover defensively for the likes of Barrett, Frankowski, and Blanco.
Here’s hoping we don’t see Frankowski in the starting lineup tonight.
- Cuautemoc Blanco’s goal won Sierra Mist Goal of the Week this week, as expected. All-star voting has opened on mlsnet.com, so now is a good time to log on start voting for your favorite Fire stars to participate in this year’s event in Toronto. In my opinion, Blanco, Soumare, and Segares all deserve strong consideration for their play so far this season, while guys like Rolfe and Mapp still have a shot if their production picks up over the next month or so.
- The tables have turned considerably since Chicago and Houston last met in Chicago, when the Dynamo thrashed the Fire 4-0 at Toyota Park. At the time, Blanco had yet to join the Chicago outfit which was near the bottom of MLS, and the Dynamo’s new signings Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya were helping Houston kick start the run that would end in their winning the MLS Cup.
Now, however, the Fire sit in second place in MLS, while Houston, without the players I just mentioned, only got its first win of the season last week. Still, there’s no denying that the Dynamo possess more quality in their team than their results this season would indicate, and Fire fans should hope that tonight’s match doesn’t turn out to be a breakout game for player’s like Dwayne DeRosario, Brian Ching, and Brad Davis. I’m expecting a hard fought match, with the Fire hopefully managing to pull out the win. Whether or not Rolfe is given enough freedom in attack will likely determine tonight’s outcome.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Red hot Fire burn DC 2-0
Another game against D.C. United, another win for the Chicago Fire. Chicago knocked off the defending Supporter’s Shield winners 2-0 at DC’s RFK Stadium Thursday night to temporarily take over first place in MLS. In what has been one of MLS’ most heated rivalries over the past few seasons, the Fire have now dropped just one of their last eight games against United meaning that this rivalry has also become perhaps the league’s most one-sided grudge-match.
The Fire, with the win, are now off to their best start in club history, having taken 16 points from seven games.
In what turned out to be a truly comprehensive performance by the Fire, Justin Mapp opened the scoring for Chicago with a classy, composed finish. The left-footed midfielder was unmarked in the center of the penalty area when Chad Barrett’s superb header fell for him to confidently side-foot past Zach Wells in the 38th minute. The goal was Mapp’s first since the 2006 playoffs, and was probably a fair reward for the 23 year-old’s most vigorous performance in recent memory. Mapp showed more pace, athleticism, and fitness Thursday night than we have seen from the winger all season, and his excellent second half through ball to Gonzalo Segares should have led to an insurance goal for the Fire. It looks as though Mapp’s form is slowly improving to where it was prior to last season’s injury, and if the Mississippi native can eventually regain the form he showed late in 2006, he’ll once again be worthy of the title best left midfielder in MLS.
Cuautemoc Blanco contributed perhaps his best performance of the 2008 season and scored a brilliant insurance goal for Chicago on 62 minutes when he powered a blistering left-footed drive into the upper corner from long range. While some, including myself, consider Blanco to be the most gifted player in MLS, the Fire’s playmaker had gone 4 games without registering a goal or an assist. It’s true that Blanco had still contributed to a number of Chicago goals within that time span without being credited for an assist, but seeing the Mexican legend seize the spotlight in the way he did against DC must have been reassuring to fans who expected more concrete production from Chicago’s offensive leader. It’s safe to say that Blanco’s golazo will win this week’s Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award, and I’d put the blast among the early contenders for Goal of the Year.
The win was Chicago’s third in a row, and was perhaps the Fire’s most impressive so far this season. The Fire completely dominated the proceedings – limiting DC to just two shots on target in the entire match – and numerous members of the squad deserve credit for putting in first rate performances.
Bakary Soumare provided perhaps his best performance in a Fire uniform – closing down numerous DC attacks and physically dominating United’s forwards in the air all night. The match, in typical DC-Chicago fashion, turned out to be a rugged, physical occasion which included 5 bookings (2 to Chicago) and one colossal let-off for United’s Rod Dyachenko who should’ve been sent marching after his malicious tackle on Logan Pause late in the match. The game's rough style of play perhaps suited Chicago’s brawny center back Soumare, but the former #2 overall draft-pick deserves as much credit for his fine positioning, composure, and the vast amount of ground he covered, as he does for being able to knock around his opponents.
In fact, while Soumare’s best showing yet probably came against DC, it’s becoming evident that the athletic, energetic center back is perhaps the perfect partner to 35 year-old Diego Gutierrez, who makes up what he lacks in physical attributes with his experience and positioning. The Fire still have numerous options in defense, but Soumare and Gutierrez are showing great chemistry in the center of Chicago’s defense, and so far the results speak for themselves.
Barrett, Chris Rolfe, goalkeeper Jon Busch, and Segares were for more players who showed very well for the Fire. Segares has terrorized opposing defenses all season long with the overlapping runs he makes from his left-back spot, and the ability he has to get up the wing has allowed Mapp to get into the type of central positions that allow him to become a better distributor of the ball and a more likely goal-scorer. Segares should’ve done better when he was sent in on goal by Mapp early in the second half, but sending his shot just to the wrong side of Wells’ left post was perhaps the only mistake the Costa Rican made all match.
Barrett, too was guilty of wasting two golden chances to score before Blanco’s stunner, but he was unlucky to be thwarted by a pair of excellent close-range saves by Wells. While Barrett has missed more than his fair share of chances over the last few seasons, on this occasion his finishing was still better than normal, and in light of the Fires’s win, Barrett’s overall quality play, and his class assist of Mapp’s goal, I’d say that the two misses can be excused this one time. We’ll save the complaining for a less splendid occasion.
There will be more to talk about from this week’s match, but for now the Fire sit in second place, still two points behind Columbus.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- Justin Mapp 1 (Chad Barrett 3, Chris Rolfe 2) 38
CHI -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco 3 (unassisted) 62
Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Marc Burch (caution; Reckless Foul) 30
DC -- Rod Dyachenko (caution; Reckless Foul) 40
DC -- Bryan Namoff (caution; Reckless Foul) 73
CHI -- Brandon Prideaux (caution; Game Disrepute) 77
CHI -- John Thorrington (caution; Game Disrepute) 92
referee: Terry Vaughn
Referee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Bill Dittmar
4th official: Jeff Gontarek
time of game: 1:51
attendance: 18,605
weather: Cloudy -and- 70 degrees
The Fire, with the win, are now off to their best start in club history, having taken 16 points from seven games.
In what turned out to be a truly comprehensive performance by the Fire, Justin Mapp opened the scoring for Chicago with a classy, composed finish. The left-footed midfielder was unmarked in the center of the penalty area when Chad Barrett’s superb header fell for him to confidently side-foot past Zach Wells in the 38th minute. The goal was Mapp’s first since the 2006 playoffs, and was probably a fair reward for the 23 year-old’s most vigorous performance in recent memory. Mapp showed more pace, athleticism, and fitness Thursday night than we have seen from the winger all season, and his excellent second half through ball to Gonzalo Segares should have led to an insurance goal for the Fire. It looks as though Mapp’s form is slowly improving to where it was prior to last season’s injury, and if the Mississippi native can eventually regain the form he showed late in 2006, he’ll once again be worthy of the title best left midfielder in MLS.
Cuautemoc Blanco contributed perhaps his best performance of the 2008 season and scored a brilliant insurance goal for Chicago on 62 minutes when he powered a blistering left-footed drive into the upper corner from long range. While some, including myself, consider Blanco to be the most gifted player in MLS, the Fire’s playmaker had gone 4 games without registering a goal or an assist. It’s true that Blanco had still contributed to a number of Chicago goals within that time span without being credited for an assist, but seeing the Mexican legend seize the spotlight in the way he did against DC must have been reassuring to fans who expected more concrete production from Chicago’s offensive leader. It’s safe to say that Blanco’s golazo will win this week’s Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award, and I’d put the blast among the early contenders for Goal of the Year.
The win was Chicago’s third in a row, and was perhaps the Fire’s most impressive so far this season. The Fire completely dominated the proceedings – limiting DC to just two shots on target in the entire match – and numerous members of the squad deserve credit for putting in first rate performances.
Bakary Soumare provided perhaps his best performance in a Fire uniform – closing down numerous DC attacks and physically dominating United’s forwards in the air all night. The match, in typical DC-Chicago fashion, turned out to be a rugged, physical occasion which included 5 bookings (2 to Chicago) and one colossal let-off for United’s Rod Dyachenko who should’ve been sent marching after his malicious tackle on Logan Pause late in the match. The game's rough style of play perhaps suited Chicago’s brawny center back Soumare, but the former #2 overall draft-pick deserves as much credit for his fine positioning, composure, and the vast amount of ground he covered, as he does for being able to knock around his opponents.
In fact, while Soumare’s best showing yet probably came against DC, it’s becoming evident that the athletic, energetic center back is perhaps the perfect partner to 35 year-old Diego Gutierrez, who makes up what he lacks in physical attributes with his experience and positioning. The Fire still have numerous options in defense, but Soumare and Gutierrez are showing great chemistry in the center of Chicago’s defense, and so far the results speak for themselves.
Barrett, Chris Rolfe, goalkeeper Jon Busch, and Segares were for more players who showed very well for the Fire. Segares has terrorized opposing defenses all season long with the overlapping runs he makes from his left-back spot, and the ability he has to get up the wing has allowed Mapp to get into the type of central positions that allow him to become a better distributor of the ball and a more likely goal-scorer. Segares should’ve done better when he was sent in on goal by Mapp early in the second half, but sending his shot just to the wrong side of Wells’ left post was perhaps the only mistake the Costa Rican made all match.
Barrett, too was guilty of wasting two golden chances to score before Blanco’s stunner, but he was unlucky to be thwarted by a pair of excellent close-range saves by Wells. While Barrett has missed more than his fair share of chances over the last few seasons, on this occasion his finishing was still better than normal, and in light of the Fires’s win, Barrett’s overall quality play, and his class assist of Mapp’s goal, I’d say that the two misses can be excused this one time. We’ll save the complaining for a less splendid occasion.
There will be more to talk about from this week’s match, but for now the Fire sit in second place, still two points behind Columbus.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- Justin Mapp 1 (Chad Barrett 3, Chris Rolfe 2) 38
CHI -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco 3 (unassisted) 62
Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Marc Burch (caution; Reckless Foul) 30
DC -- Rod Dyachenko (caution; Reckless Foul) 40
DC -- Bryan Namoff (caution; Reckless Foul) 73
CHI -- Brandon Prideaux (caution; Game Disrepute) 77
CHI -- John Thorrington (caution; Game Disrepute) 92
referee: Terry Vaughn
Referee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Bill Dittmar
4th official: Jeff Gontarek
time of game: 1:51
attendance: 18,605
weather: Cloudy -and- 70 degrees
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Gameday: Chicago Fire at D.C. United
The Fire visit D.C. United tonight in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal, won 3-2 by Chicago. Tonight’s contest also features a match-up of Chicago’s league leading defense (3 goals conceded in 2008) versus DC’s potent offense (at least on paper).
The Fire have been in excellent form of late, most recently knocking off New England 3-0 Saturday night. Chicago has not been spectacular so far this season, but the side has been extremely steady and has 13 points from six games to show for it.
I think tonight’s match will likely be decided, however, by the play of United – probably the most up and down team in MLS so far this season. DC, in just six games, has tallied two 4-1 decisions, but also dropped their other four matches by a combined ten goals to one. If the Fire can strike early and shake DC’s confidence, there’s a good chance tonight’s match will be smooth sailing for Chicago.
The Fire have, however, permitted a truckload more chances than you’d expect of the top defensive team in the league, and if United’s Luciano Emilio can find his form tonight, DC could easily be on the victory trail. I definitely think that there are at least a couple of goals in tonight’s contest, so whoever strikes first will probably decide the outcome of the match.
A few notes:
- Given the contributions of Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington to last Saturday’s victory, it seems like a given that head coach Denis Hamlett will trot out the same eleven for opening kickoff tonight. Tomasz Frankowski should be back from the ankle knock that kept him out of Saturday’s match though, so I’m still nervous that Hamlett will move Rolfe to right mid and start Frankowski next to Chad Barrett up top. I understand the whole putting your best eleven guys on the field philosophy, but with the way Thorrington has played the last two weeks it would seem that Thorrington and Rolfe both belong in that group. Besides, Rolfe now has one goal from the one game he started at forward, whereas Barrett and Frankowski have two apiece from 6 and 5 starts respectively. The decision seems like a no-brainer, but here’s hoping Hamlett does stick with Saturday’s lineup.
- William Conde may be available after recovering from the stomach illness that kept him out of Saturday’s match. I fully expect Hamlett to start the same back four as against New England, but I’d love to get a look at Conde in a defensive midfield role at some point in tonight’s match.
- Chris Rolfe’s game winner against New England was named Sierra Mist Goal of the Week yesterday, surprisingly topping both of the long range strikes David Beckham scored against Real Salt Lake. To be honest, my vote was for Beckham’s bending first goal that found the top corner in a similar manner to Cuautemoc Blanco’s stunner against RSL last year. Congrats to Rolfe on the award though!
- Coverage of tonight’s game starts in about 45 minutes on espn2, at 7:30 ET.
The Fire have been in excellent form of late, most recently knocking off New England 3-0 Saturday night. Chicago has not been spectacular so far this season, but the side has been extremely steady and has 13 points from six games to show for it.
I think tonight’s match will likely be decided, however, by the play of United – probably the most up and down team in MLS so far this season. DC, in just six games, has tallied two 4-1 decisions, but also dropped their other four matches by a combined ten goals to one. If the Fire can strike early and shake DC’s confidence, there’s a good chance tonight’s match will be smooth sailing for Chicago.
The Fire have, however, permitted a truckload more chances than you’d expect of the top defensive team in the league, and if United’s Luciano Emilio can find his form tonight, DC could easily be on the victory trail. I definitely think that there are at least a couple of goals in tonight’s contest, so whoever strikes first will probably decide the outcome of the match.
A few notes:
- Given the contributions of Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington to last Saturday’s victory, it seems like a given that head coach Denis Hamlett will trot out the same eleven for opening kickoff tonight. Tomasz Frankowski should be back from the ankle knock that kept him out of Saturday’s match though, so I’m still nervous that Hamlett will move Rolfe to right mid and start Frankowski next to Chad Barrett up top. I understand the whole putting your best eleven guys on the field philosophy, but with the way Thorrington has played the last two weeks it would seem that Thorrington and Rolfe both belong in that group. Besides, Rolfe now has one goal from the one game he started at forward, whereas Barrett and Frankowski have two apiece from 6 and 5 starts respectively. The decision seems like a no-brainer, but here’s hoping Hamlett does stick with Saturday’s lineup.
- William Conde may be available after recovering from the stomach illness that kept him out of Saturday’s match. I fully expect Hamlett to start the same back four as against New England, but I’d love to get a look at Conde in a defensive midfield role at some point in tonight’s match.
- Chris Rolfe’s game winner against New England was named Sierra Mist Goal of the Week yesterday, surprisingly topping both of the long range strikes David Beckham scored against Real Salt Lake. To be honest, my vote was for Beckham’s bending first goal that found the top corner in a similar manner to Cuautemoc Blanco’s stunner against RSL last year. Congrats to Rolfe on the award though!
- Coverage of tonight’s game starts in about 45 minutes on espn2, at 7:30 ET.
Rolfe, Thorrington push Fire past Revs
It’s not often that a team like the New England Revolution, who is the defending Eastern Conference Champion after all, gets drubbed by a few goals. In fact, the Revolution lost by more than two goals just twice last season.
After Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Chicago Fire, though, the Fire have already outscored the Revs 7-0 in two meetings this season and, within the first 6 weeks of the MLS season handed New England two losses as bad or worse than their two worse defeats of 2007.
The score line may have flattered Chicago, in fact New England had more of the game before Chris Rolfe’s clinical finish on 29 minutes staked Chicago to a one-nil lead. For the second week in a row, it was right midfielder John Thorrington playing the role of a difference maker on offense. His precision ball split four defenders to find Rolfe unmarked just inside the penalty area, and after a cool first touch, Rolfe expertly drove his shot low and to the right of Matt Reis.
The Revolution, playing without their two best attackers Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston still put the Fire under pressure, especially over the later part of the first half. Goalkeeper Jon Busch was up to the task though, and a number of fine saves kept the score at a goal to nil heading into half time.
Early in the second half, John Thorrington again proved to be the danger man for the Fire, effectively putting the score out of reach with a sublime goal in the 50th minute. Chicago had already put together its most impressive offensive move of the night to work into the New England end, and when Chad Barrett laid off to Thorrington just outside the eighteen yard line, the midfielder did exceptionally well to steer his precision attempt to the bottom right corner for a 2-0 lead.
Stephen King added a late goal for the Fire, netting his first goal as a professional on 76 minutes after Barrett’s close range try was stuffed by Reis.
A few thoughts on the match:
- Another week, another delightful performance by John Thorrington. The right midfielder who was once on the books for Manchester United played a huge role in the Fire’s victory for a second week in a row; setting up Rolfe’s opener and then burying his only half-chance of the match on 50 minutes.
When Thorrington got his first start of the season three weeks ago, Chicago fans were merely hoping that the man could fill in adequately at right midfield while Rolfe was out hurt. Now, Thorrington has played a big part in putting together four of the side’s last five goals and looks to be one of the Fire’s most important players. Let’s hope this scintillating run of form continues.
- Chris Rolfe finally got to start at his natural position Saturday, and he rewarded head coach Denis Hamlett by burying an early chance that wasn’t all that straight-forward. The goal completely changed the proceedings, allowing Chicago to go on and win three-nil.
I really think this only goes to show that Rolfe belongs up top whenever he’s available to play. He’s proven himself to be an impeccable finisher – one of the two best in MLS in my opinion – over the last few years and Saturday’s tally was a perfect example of the way Rolfe can steal a match through his superb quality in front of goal.
- Chad Barrett’s performance wasn’t brilliant Saturday night, but he gave a workmanlike effort that directly led to the Fire’s impressive win. It was his intelligent run that created the space for Rolfe’s opener, and Barrett assisted Thorrington’s score before providing a Damani Ralph assist to Stephen King late. Furthermore, Barrett managed to go 83 minutes without squandering any easy chances. More of the same from him could be enough to help Chicago to more victories as long as Rolfe is in the lineup.
- The Fire, once again, managed a result that flattered them by winning a match that was essentially even between the penalty areas 3-0. Luck, all too often plays a role in the outcome of soccer matches, but in the Fire’s recent triumph’s it has to be said that Chicago has made its own luck. The Fire only outplayed New England by a fraction, if at all, but matches are won by goals and if the Fire continue to finish the way they did on Saturday they should have a really successful season. As potent of a finisher as Chris Rolfe is, I feel as though if he continues to start up top, I like his chances in any match of putting a goal away before the opposition does.
- The Fire now stand 4-1-1 through six weeks, which puts them on 13 points and in second place in all of MLS.(and with a game on hand on two of the three teams immediately trailing with 10 points). The only side that has been more successful than the Fire so far has been Columbus, which pushed its record to 5-1 with a 2-1 win over Kansas City, Saturday night.
Unfortunately, while the Crew are located closer to Chicago than any opponent in the league, the Fire and Crew don’t square off until a July 5th meeting at Crew Stadium in Columbus. If both teams continue their winning ways, though, that match-up could be one to remember.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- Chris Rolfe 1 (John Thorrington 1) 29
CHI -- John Thorrington 3 (Chad Barrett 2, Chris Rolfe 1) 50
CHI -- Stephen King 1 (unassisted) 76
Misconduct Summary:
none
referee: Jair Marrufo
Referee's Assistants: George Gansner; Nate Clement
4th official: Alex Prus
time of game: 1:50
attendance: 10,858
weather: Cloudy -and- 44 degrees
After Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Chicago Fire, though, the Fire have already outscored the Revs 7-0 in two meetings this season and, within the first 6 weeks of the MLS season handed New England two losses as bad or worse than their two worse defeats of 2007.
The score line may have flattered Chicago, in fact New England had more of the game before Chris Rolfe’s clinical finish on 29 minutes staked Chicago to a one-nil lead. For the second week in a row, it was right midfielder John Thorrington playing the role of a difference maker on offense. His precision ball split four defenders to find Rolfe unmarked just inside the penalty area, and after a cool first touch, Rolfe expertly drove his shot low and to the right of Matt Reis.
The Revolution, playing without their two best attackers Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston still put the Fire under pressure, especially over the later part of the first half. Goalkeeper Jon Busch was up to the task though, and a number of fine saves kept the score at a goal to nil heading into half time.
Early in the second half, John Thorrington again proved to be the danger man for the Fire, effectively putting the score out of reach with a sublime goal in the 50th minute. Chicago had already put together its most impressive offensive move of the night to work into the New England end, and when Chad Barrett laid off to Thorrington just outside the eighteen yard line, the midfielder did exceptionally well to steer his precision attempt to the bottom right corner for a 2-0 lead.
Stephen King added a late goal for the Fire, netting his first goal as a professional on 76 minutes after Barrett’s close range try was stuffed by Reis.
A few thoughts on the match:
- Another week, another delightful performance by John Thorrington. The right midfielder who was once on the books for Manchester United played a huge role in the Fire’s victory for a second week in a row; setting up Rolfe’s opener and then burying his only half-chance of the match on 50 minutes.
When Thorrington got his first start of the season three weeks ago, Chicago fans were merely hoping that the man could fill in adequately at right midfield while Rolfe was out hurt. Now, Thorrington has played a big part in putting together four of the side’s last five goals and looks to be one of the Fire’s most important players. Let’s hope this scintillating run of form continues.
- Chris Rolfe finally got to start at his natural position Saturday, and he rewarded head coach Denis Hamlett by burying an early chance that wasn’t all that straight-forward. The goal completely changed the proceedings, allowing Chicago to go on and win three-nil.
I really think this only goes to show that Rolfe belongs up top whenever he’s available to play. He’s proven himself to be an impeccable finisher – one of the two best in MLS in my opinion – over the last few years and Saturday’s tally was a perfect example of the way Rolfe can steal a match through his superb quality in front of goal.
- Chad Barrett’s performance wasn’t brilliant Saturday night, but he gave a workmanlike effort that directly led to the Fire’s impressive win. It was his intelligent run that created the space for Rolfe’s opener, and Barrett assisted Thorrington’s score before providing a Damani Ralph assist to Stephen King late. Furthermore, Barrett managed to go 83 minutes without squandering any easy chances. More of the same from him could be enough to help Chicago to more victories as long as Rolfe is in the lineup.
- The Fire, once again, managed a result that flattered them by winning a match that was essentially even between the penalty areas 3-0. Luck, all too often plays a role in the outcome of soccer matches, but in the Fire’s recent triumph’s it has to be said that Chicago has made its own luck. The Fire only outplayed New England by a fraction, if at all, but matches are won by goals and if the Fire continue to finish the way they did on Saturday they should have a really successful season. As potent of a finisher as Chris Rolfe is, I feel as though if he continues to start up top, I like his chances in any match of putting a goal away before the opposition does.
- The Fire now stand 4-1-1 through six weeks, which puts them on 13 points and in second place in all of MLS.(and with a game on hand on two of the three teams immediately trailing with 10 points). The only side that has been more successful than the Fire so far has been Columbus, which pushed its record to 5-1 with a 2-1 win over Kansas City, Saturday night.
Unfortunately, while the Crew are located closer to Chicago than any opponent in the league, the Fire and Crew don’t square off until a July 5th meeting at Crew Stadium in Columbus. If both teams continue their winning ways, though, that match-up could be one to remember.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- Chris Rolfe 1 (John Thorrington 1) 29
CHI -- John Thorrington 3 (Chad Barrett 2, Chris Rolfe 1) 50
CHI -- Stephen King 1 (unassisted) 76
Misconduct Summary:
none
referee: Jair Marrufo
Referee's Assistants: George Gansner; Nate Clement
4th official: Alex Prus
time of game: 1:50
attendance: 10,858
weather: Cloudy -and- 44 degrees
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Gameday: Chicago Fire at New England Revolution
The Fire square off against the New England Revolution this evening for the second time this season. Five weeks after dismantling a ten-man Revs side 4-0 at Toyota Park, the Fire visit Gillette stadium to play their third road match of the 2008 MLS season.
Both sides appear healthier than they were for their last meeting, so tonight’s contest could feature better and more even play between the two teams. The Fire once again are without captain C.J. Brown, however reserve midfielder Brian Plotkin is the only other red affected by injury. Star forward Taylor Twellman is unlikely to play for the Revs, but key contributors Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jeff Larentowicz, and Steve Ralston could all be available for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Here are a few storylines to consider when viewing tonight’s match:
- Chicago’s forwards: Who will play? How will they perform?
How the Fire’s attackers play tonight will go a long ways towards determining what Chicago gets out of tonight’s match. That goes without saying. Still, I’m particularly intrigued to see who head coach Denis Hamlett goes with tonight and how they play, because I think both of those questions are much more up in the air than normal.
John Thorrington, having scored both goals in the Fire’s 2-1 win over Colorado last week, seems poised to start at right mid for the third week in a row. If that indeed happens, then with Chris Rolfe finally healthy, tonight marks the first time all season that Hamlett truly has all of his options to pick from to fill two forward spots.
The top candidates to start would appear to be Tomasz Frankowski and Chad Barrett, who have started at forward in every match for Chicago this season, and Rolfe who is almost certainly the team’s best striker but up until today has only appeared at right midfield. Two more forwards who could see time for Chicago are Andy Herron, the team’s MVP in 2006, and Calen Carr.
Barrett and Frankowski, of course, were fantastic in the Fire’s 4-0 win over New England a few weeks back, scoring 3 of the 4 goals in that contest. Aside from in that game, however, the two players have struggled mightily to finish any chances. In fact Barrett and Frankowski have scored just one goal combined in the Fire’s other four games this season.
Hamlett has continued to start Frankowski and Barrett in spite of the pair’s inability to produce goals, citing an unwillingness to change a lineup that had been winning matches. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that had Thorrington established himself as the answer at right midfield by week one, Rolfe would’ve probably started the season playing striker. Now, with Thorrington performing ably in that role and Barrett and Frankowski having done little with ample opportunities to impress, tonight could be the night that Rolfe starts up top for the Fire.
Either way, the way that Chicago’s forwards perform tonight will probably decide the match. Chicago’s midfield, led by Cuautemoc Blanco and Justin Mapp, has shown the ability to consistently provide service to the team’s forwards. If Rolfe is in the lineup tonight, it will be important that he shakes off the rust from not playing forward this season and perform like the clinical poacher we’re used to seeing. If Herron gets the nod, Chicago fans will be hoping to see, for the first time all season, the same forward who made aggressive runs, beat defenders with the dribble, and scored goals in bunches along the way to being team MVP in 2006. If Barrett and/or Frankowski start up top for Chicago, whether they play the way they did in the first Fire-Revs game this year, or in the Fire’s other four games so far this season will go a long ways towards determining the outcome of the contest. Oh, and if for some reason Calen Carr starts up top for the Fire, fans will just be hoping that Blanco atleast buries one of the free kicks that he draws.
- Cuautemoc Blanco: I’ve heard fans say before that as ‘Temo goes, so go the Chicago Fire. I would argue that that’s not really true however. After all, we’ve all seen at least a few games where Blanco played great and the Fire still lost. With that said, he’s certainly the best player on the team and if he doesn’t have a good game, it’s pretty difficult for the Fire to beat anyone.
In the Fire’s win over New England back in March, a dominant Blanco helped set up three Fire goals and scored the other from the penalty spot. Blanco, playing against an undermanned Revolution team after Jeff Larentowicz’s sending off, enjoyed incredible time and space and non-existent defensive responsibility in that match, and pretty much pulled apart the New England back over the course of the night. With the Fire dominating the game from a field position and possession standpoint, the Revs were run ragged and were never able to even challenge Blanco in the middle of the field.
Tonight should be different though. The Revs, barring another sending off, will be at even strength, and Shalrie Joseph, one of the best and most physical defensive midfielders in MLS, will probably be entrusted with the responsibility of trying to shut down Blanco. After enjoying what amounted to a stroll in the park in his last outing against the Revs, Blanco likely faces his toughest scenario so far this season in squaring off against Joseph tonight. Whether or not he manages to impact the match will be key.
- Fire coverage on the flanks: With athletic wingers Khano Smith and Sainey Nyassi playing a big part in the Revs’ attack so far this season, a large part of the team’s offense has come on forays down either sideline. With those two players, plus former US national team winger Steve Ralston likely in the lineup for New England tonight, the Fire will need to be especially wary of how it defends on both wings.
Justin Mapp and John Thorrington seem the likely starters for Chicago tonight at left and right mid, respectively, meaning that they will shoulder much of the responsibility of containing New England’s wing players. Neither member of the Fire is known for his defensive pedigree, though, a worrisome reality heading into tonight’s match. While Thorrington is the player who joined the team as a forward, it has actually been Mapp, in particular, who has looked like a defensive liability at times so far in 2008.
Containing the likes of Nyassi, Smith, and Ralston will be critical for the Fire tonight, however, so how Thorrington and Mapp perform their defensive responsibilities will be a huge factor in how the match plays out. Of course the type of support those two players get from the fullbacks behind them will also play a role.
In the case of Mapp that news should be somewhat encouraging – left back Gonzalo Segares shut down Nyassi numerous times in the teams’ firs meeting this season.
Both sides appear healthier than they were for their last meeting, so tonight’s contest could feature better and more even play between the two teams. The Fire once again are without captain C.J. Brown, however reserve midfielder Brian Plotkin is the only other red affected by injury. Star forward Taylor Twellman is unlikely to play for the Revs, but key contributors Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jeff Larentowicz, and Steve Ralston could all be available for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Here are a few storylines to consider when viewing tonight’s match:
- Chicago’s forwards: Who will play? How will they perform?
How the Fire’s attackers play tonight will go a long ways towards determining what Chicago gets out of tonight’s match. That goes without saying. Still, I’m particularly intrigued to see who head coach Denis Hamlett goes with tonight and how they play, because I think both of those questions are much more up in the air than normal.
John Thorrington, having scored both goals in the Fire’s 2-1 win over Colorado last week, seems poised to start at right mid for the third week in a row. If that indeed happens, then with Chris Rolfe finally healthy, tonight marks the first time all season that Hamlett truly has all of his options to pick from to fill two forward spots.
The top candidates to start would appear to be Tomasz Frankowski and Chad Barrett, who have started at forward in every match for Chicago this season, and Rolfe who is almost certainly the team’s best striker but up until today has only appeared at right midfield. Two more forwards who could see time for Chicago are Andy Herron, the team’s MVP in 2006, and Calen Carr.
Barrett and Frankowski, of course, were fantastic in the Fire’s 4-0 win over New England a few weeks back, scoring 3 of the 4 goals in that contest. Aside from in that game, however, the two players have struggled mightily to finish any chances. In fact Barrett and Frankowski have scored just one goal combined in the Fire’s other four games this season.
Hamlett has continued to start Frankowski and Barrett in spite of the pair’s inability to produce goals, citing an unwillingness to change a lineup that had been winning matches. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that had Thorrington established himself as the answer at right midfield by week one, Rolfe would’ve probably started the season playing striker. Now, with Thorrington performing ably in that role and Barrett and Frankowski having done little with ample opportunities to impress, tonight could be the night that Rolfe starts up top for the Fire.
Either way, the way that Chicago’s forwards perform tonight will probably decide the match. Chicago’s midfield, led by Cuautemoc Blanco and Justin Mapp, has shown the ability to consistently provide service to the team’s forwards. If Rolfe is in the lineup tonight, it will be important that he shakes off the rust from not playing forward this season and perform like the clinical poacher we’re used to seeing. If Herron gets the nod, Chicago fans will be hoping to see, for the first time all season, the same forward who made aggressive runs, beat defenders with the dribble, and scored goals in bunches along the way to being team MVP in 2006. If Barrett and/or Frankowski start up top for Chicago, whether they play the way they did in the first Fire-Revs game this year, or in the Fire’s other four games so far this season will go a long ways towards determining the outcome of the contest. Oh, and if for some reason Calen Carr starts up top for the Fire, fans will just be hoping that Blanco atleast buries one of the free kicks that he draws.
- Cuautemoc Blanco: I’ve heard fans say before that as ‘Temo goes, so go the Chicago Fire. I would argue that that’s not really true however. After all, we’ve all seen at least a few games where Blanco played great and the Fire still lost. With that said, he’s certainly the best player on the team and if he doesn’t have a good game, it’s pretty difficult for the Fire to beat anyone.
In the Fire’s win over New England back in March, a dominant Blanco helped set up three Fire goals and scored the other from the penalty spot. Blanco, playing against an undermanned Revolution team after Jeff Larentowicz’s sending off, enjoyed incredible time and space and non-existent defensive responsibility in that match, and pretty much pulled apart the New England back over the course of the night. With the Fire dominating the game from a field position and possession standpoint, the Revs were run ragged and were never able to even challenge Blanco in the middle of the field.
Tonight should be different though. The Revs, barring another sending off, will be at even strength, and Shalrie Joseph, one of the best and most physical defensive midfielders in MLS, will probably be entrusted with the responsibility of trying to shut down Blanco. After enjoying what amounted to a stroll in the park in his last outing against the Revs, Blanco likely faces his toughest scenario so far this season in squaring off against Joseph tonight. Whether or not he manages to impact the match will be key.
- Fire coverage on the flanks: With athletic wingers Khano Smith and Sainey Nyassi playing a big part in the Revs’ attack so far this season, a large part of the team’s offense has come on forays down either sideline. With those two players, plus former US national team winger Steve Ralston likely in the lineup for New England tonight, the Fire will need to be especially wary of how it defends on both wings.
Justin Mapp and John Thorrington seem the likely starters for Chicago tonight at left and right mid, respectively, meaning that they will shoulder much of the responsibility of containing New England’s wing players. Neither member of the Fire is known for his defensive pedigree, though, a worrisome reality heading into tonight’s match. While Thorrington is the player who joined the team as a forward, it has actually been Mapp, in particular, who has looked like a defensive liability at times so far in 2008.
Containing the likes of Nyassi, Smith, and Ralston will be critical for the Fire tonight, however, so how Thorrington and Mapp perform their defensive responsibilities will be a huge factor in how the match plays out. Of course the type of support those two players get from the fullbacks behind them will also play a role.
In the case of Mapp that news should be somewhat encouraging – left back Gonzalo Segares shut down Nyassi numerous times in the teams’ firs meeting this season.
Thorrington could be answer at right mid, Marmol signs with Fire
John Thorrington’s performance Saturday night was perhaps the biggest positive Chicago could take away from the 2-1 victory. The Fire haven’t had a true right midfielder in the side’s best XI in years, and if Thorrington could become that player it would be a huge boost to the squad.
Both of his goals were obviously critical, and the manner with which he took his chances was truly impressive. His opener came on a really quality strike of an awkward ball, and while I question how consistently he’ll be able to put chances like that one away, he certainly showed great ability in guiding his shot past Bouna Coundoul.
His second goal is less likely to show up as a Goal of the Week candidate, but it did impress me as much as the first one because of the composure and intelligence Thorrington showed in converting. Thorrington did well to find the only opening in the defense through which Justin Mapp could deliver a cross, and having received Mapp’s pass, Thorrington showed great patience and confidence in controlling the ball then picking out a corner to steer his shot into.
While Thorrington’s goals were both impressive, I was also pleased to discover that to many observers of Saturday night’s match, Thorrington had already been Chicago’s best performer up until his first goal. I haven’t been able to witness either of Thorrington’s starts live, but it sounds as though he’s done quite well when given the chance. Even head coach Denis Hamlett acknowledged in the aftermath of Saturday’s win that Thorrington is making a strong case to continue starting on the right wing.
If he is able to win a permanent starting spot in at right mid, that development could provide Denis Hamlett the luxury of starting Chris Rolfe in his natural position – forward. Rolfe, of course, has been the Fire’s best forward over the last few seasons and is an occasional member of the United States national team. He has only appeared on the right side of midfield so far this season, however, because of the Fire’s abundance of forwards and apparent lack of first team-caliber right-sided midfielders.
With Thorrington poised to player a bigger role in that position, Fire fans may finally get to see Rolfe trying to finish off the side’s chances in front of goal.
Marmol finally joins Fire
The Lider Marmol saga finally came to an end this week, with the Fire signing the Paraguayan defender/midfielder. Marmol won’t be available to suit up for Chicago until he secures a visa, which could take a couple of weeks, but his eventual inclusion in the squad will leave the Fire with a wealth of defensive options.
At one time I viewed the Fire’s depth – at least on defense – as a weakness; however the opposite is turning out to be the case. The signing of Marmol and the emergence of Brandon Prideaux as a quality option at right back leaves Chicago with no less than eight quality defenders who can play along the backline (including C.J. Brown who should return from injury this month). A number of those players also possess the ability to play in a defensive midfield role (although true midfielder Logan Pause has started in that spot every game this season), which means that Hamlett will have a fair amount of flexibility when constructing his lineups as the season goes on.
Five Chicago forwards have seen time for the Fire so far this season and first round draft pick Patrick Nyarko is still waiting in the wings, so it’s safe to say that the Fire also enjoy a fair amount of depth at the forward position.
The Fire’s depth should be a real asset to the team as the season progresses and every team in MLS deals with injuries and fatigue. It will be interesting to see whether or not Hamlett frequently adjusts his starting lineup over the course of the season, because having so many quality options in the back should allow Chicago to field a fresher, more energetic team late in the season than many of its opponents. Former head coach Dave Sarachan seemed to employ a rotation strategy when constructing his lineups in 2006, and the tactic paid off as the Fire finished the regular season one of MLS’ hottest teams before falling on penalties to New England in the conference semifinals.
The Fire’s depth could prove to be even more valuable, however, in this summer’s US Open Cup. It’s typical, of course, for MLS sides to approach the majority of their cup matches with a lineup featuring mainly players not slated to start in their side’s league matches that week. With the MLS schedule as busy as it is, a manager rarely has the luxury of starting a first choice side in both a US Open Cup match and the league matches surrounding it.
Chicago, with the amount of depth it possesses, stands to place well in this summer’s Open Cup in my opinion. In a given week, our second team should include players like Chad Barrett, Andy Herron, Dasan Robinson, and Diego Gutierrez. I would definitely fancy a lineup including those players to almost any second team in the league.
Both of his goals were obviously critical, and the manner with which he took his chances was truly impressive. His opener came on a really quality strike of an awkward ball, and while I question how consistently he’ll be able to put chances like that one away, he certainly showed great ability in guiding his shot past Bouna Coundoul.
His second goal is less likely to show up as a Goal of the Week candidate, but it did impress me as much as the first one because of the composure and intelligence Thorrington showed in converting. Thorrington did well to find the only opening in the defense through which Justin Mapp could deliver a cross, and having received Mapp’s pass, Thorrington showed great patience and confidence in controlling the ball then picking out a corner to steer his shot into.
While Thorrington’s goals were both impressive, I was also pleased to discover that to many observers of Saturday night’s match, Thorrington had already been Chicago’s best performer up until his first goal. I haven’t been able to witness either of Thorrington’s starts live, but it sounds as though he’s done quite well when given the chance. Even head coach Denis Hamlett acknowledged in the aftermath of Saturday’s win that Thorrington is making a strong case to continue starting on the right wing.
If he is able to win a permanent starting spot in at right mid, that development could provide Denis Hamlett the luxury of starting Chris Rolfe in his natural position – forward. Rolfe, of course, has been the Fire’s best forward over the last few seasons and is an occasional member of the United States national team. He has only appeared on the right side of midfield so far this season, however, because of the Fire’s abundance of forwards and apparent lack of first team-caliber right-sided midfielders.
With Thorrington poised to player a bigger role in that position, Fire fans may finally get to see Rolfe trying to finish off the side’s chances in front of goal.
Marmol finally joins Fire
The Lider Marmol saga finally came to an end this week, with the Fire signing the Paraguayan defender/midfielder. Marmol won’t be available to suit up for Chicago until he secures a visa, which could take a couple of weeks, but his eventual inclusion in the squad will leave the Fire with a wealth of defensive options.
At one time I viewed the Fire’s depth – at least on defense – as a weakness; however the opposite is turning out to be the case. The signing of Marmol and the emergence of Brandon Prideaux as a quality option at right back leaves Chicago with no less than eight quality defenders who can play along the backline (including C.J. Brown who should return from injury this month). A number of those players also possess the ability to play in a defensive midfield role (although true midfielder Logan Pause has started in that spot every game this season), which means that Hamlett will have a fair amount of flexibility when constructing his lineups as the season goes on.
Five Chicago forwards have seen time for the Fire so far this season and first round draft pick Patrick Nyarko is still waiting in the wings, so it’s safe to say that the Fire also enjoy a fair amount of depth at the forward position.
The Fire’s depth should be a real asset to the team as the season progresses and every team in MLS deals with injuries and fatigue. It will be interesting to see whether or not Hamlett frequently adjusts his starting lineup over the course of the season, because having so many quality options in the back should allow Chicago to field a fresher, more energetic team late in the season than many of its opponents. Former head coach Dave Sarachan seemed to employ a rotation strategy when constructing his lineups in 2006, and the tactic paid off as the Fire finished the regular season one of MLS’ hottest teams before falling on penalties to New England in the conference semifinals.
The Fire’s depth could prove to be even more valuable, however, in this summer’s US Open Cup. It’s typical, of course, for MLS sides to approach the majority of their cup matches with a lineup featuring mainly players not slated to start in their side’s league matches that week. With the MLS schedule as busy as it is, a manager rarely has the luxury of starting a first choice side in both a US Open Cup match and the league matches surrounding it.
Chicago, with the amount of depth it possesses, stands to place well in this summer’s Open Cup in my opinion. In a given week, our second team should include players like Chad Barrett, Andy Herron, Dasan Robinson, and Diego Gutierrez. I would definitely fancy a lineup including those players to almost any second team in the league.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thorrington brace pushes Fire past Colorado
The Fire scored an important victory Saturday night, using a pair of second half goals by John Thorrington to knock off the Colorado Rapids 2-1. For the second week in a row, the game was not even televised in Ann Arbor, so I was relegated to listening to the game on Spanish radio and then watching the highlights later.
Thorrington, starting on the right side of midfield for the second consecutive week, was the hero for Chicago. His second half brace, coming on goals in the 53rd and 84th minutes, staked the Fire to a 2-0 lead. Colorado pulled a goal back late as an unattended Torn McManus got free to tap home Christian Gomez’ free kick, but the Fire held on for the 2-1 result.
From what I heard on the radio, this match was just more of what Fire fans have become accustomed to in the early part of this season. Justin Mapp and Cuautemoc Blanco seemed to be the Fire’s most active attackers, but Mapp also - apparently – made his fair share of mistakes before his exquisite cross set up Chicago’s second goal. Gonzalo Segares, according to all reports, gave another fantastic performance, and it sounded like he was maybe even winning more balls in defense than normal. The entire backline apparently performed relatively well, and up front Chad Barrett and Tomasz Frankowski both failed to score although they once again had some decent chances(I atleast think they didn’t miss any sitters as easy as last week’s). Also, Calen Carr who came on as a late sub apparently missed a really easy chance to put the game away, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to Chicago supporters either.
Individual performances aside, this match also seems to mirror recent Fire performances in that the Fire delivered a solid but unconvincing performance, and still came away with a result. With Saturday’s win in the books, the Fire are now 3-1-1 and sit in second place in MLS’ Eastern Conference.
I really think that going into this season, most fans would’ve been satisfied with a 3-1-1 start by the Fire. What’s more impressive about that record, though, is that the Fire have managed to take 10 points from 5 games, while only truly outplaying one opponent. Nobody would dispute that Chicago dominated New England in their 4-0 win a few weeks back, but the Fire were actually lucky to get a win and a tie out of underwhelming road performances at Real Salt Lake and San Jose. Add in the Fire’s 3 points from two reportedly even home games (against Kansas City and Colorado) and you have a team that is consistently getting results without dominating its opposition.
Some might argue that at this stage in the season, performance is more important than results – after all MLS is decided by a playoffs rather than a league table. I disagree with that notion, however, because the MLS season is long enough that a team’s form in April or May is a pretty horrible predictor of how that team will be playing come September, October, and November. Just take the 2006 and 2007 editions of the Fire as an example.
More importantly, while the Fire’s results might not completely reflect the way they’ve played thus far this season, I wouldn’t argue that there are many teams who have been better over the first month of the season than Chicago. It’s not as though there are a bunch of stronger sides lurking behind the Fire ready to overtake them in the standings. The Eastern Conference is notably strong this year, however, and in a season where there might be more parody across MLS than ever before, every point taken in April could become really critical in October. I’m glad that the Fire will perhaps have the advantage, come fall, of having stolen some points along the way. Also, when you consider that Chris Rolfe and Andy Herron have not really even impacted the team thus far, I would argue that the Fire have room for improvement between now and the MLS playoffs. The fact that Chicago is second in the league without having played its best football up to this point is really encouraging.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- John Thorrington 1 (unassisted) 53
CHI -- John Thorrington 2 (Justin Mapp 2, Tomasz Frankowski 1) 84
COL -- Tom McManus 1 (Christian Gomez 1) 86
Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Christian Gomez (caution; Reckless Foul) 45
CHI -- Gonzalo Segares (caution; Game Disrepute) 45
COL -- Herculez Gomez (caution; Persistent Infringement) 64
COL -- Kelly Gray (caution; Dissent) 66
CHI -- Diego Gutierrez (caution; Dissent) 88
Referee: Tim Weyland
Referee's Assistants: Corey Rockwell; Steven Taylor
4th official: Ricardo Salazar
time of game: 1:53
attendance: 14,251
weather: Sunny -and- 55 degrees
Thorrington, starting on the right side of midfield for the second consecutive week, was the hero for Chicago. His second half brace, coming on goals in the 53rd and 84th minutes, staked the Fire to a 2-0 lead. Colorado pulled a goal back late as an unattended Torn McManus got free to tap home Christian Gomez’ free kick, but the Fire held on for the 2-1 result.
From what I heard on the radio, this match was just more of what Fire fans have become accustomed to in the early part of this season. Justin Mapp and Cuautemoc Blanco seemed to be the Fire’s most active attackers, but Mapp also - apparently – made his fair share of mistakes before his exquisite cross set up Chicago’s second goal. Gonzalo Segares, according to all reports, gave another fantastic performance, and it sounded like he was maybe even winning more balls in defense than normal. The entire backline apparently performed relatively well, and up front Chad Barrett and Tomasz Frankowski both failed to score although they once again had some decent chances(I atleast think they didn’t miss any sitters as easy as last week’s). Also, Calen Carr who came on as a late sub apparently missed a really easy chance to put the game away, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to Chicago supporters either.
Individual performances aside, this match also seems to mirror recent Fire performances in that the Fire delivered a solid but unconvincing performance, and still came away with a result. With Saturday’s win in the books, the Fire are now 3-1-1 and sit in second place in MLS’ Eastern Conference.
I really think that going into this season, most fans would’ve been satisfied with a 3-1-1 start by the Fire. What’s more impressive about that record, though, is that the Fire have managed to take 10 points from 5 games, while only truly outplaying one opponent. Nobody would dispute that Chicago dominated New England in their 4-0 win a few weeks back, but the Fire were actually lucky to get a win and a tie out of underwhelming road performances at Real Salt Lake and San Jose. Add in the Fire’s 3 points from two reportedly even home games (against Kansas City and Colorado) and you have a team that is consistently getting results without dominating its opposition.
Some might argue that at this stage in the season, performance is more important than results – after all MLS is decided by a playoffs rather than a league table. I disagree with that notion, however, because the MLS season is long enough that a team’s form in April or May is a pretty horrible predictor of how that team will be playing come September, October, and November. Just take the 2006 and 2007 editions of the Fire as an example.
More importantly, while the Fire’s results might not completely reflect the way they’ve played thus far this season, I wouldn’t argue that there are many teams who have been better over the first month of the season than Chicago. It’s not as though there are a bunch of stronger sides lurking behind the Fire ready to overtake them in the standings. The Eastern Conference is notably strong this year, however, and in a season where there might be more parody across MLS than ever before, every point taken in April could become really critical in October. I’m glad that the Fire will perhaps have the advantage, come fall, of having stolen some points along the way. Also, when you consider that Chris Rolfe and Andy Herron have not really even impacted the team thus far, I would argue that the Fire have room for improvement between now and the MLS playoffs. The fact that Chicago is second in the league without having played its best football up to this point is really encouraging.
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- John Thorrington 1 (unassisted) 53
CHI -- John Thorrington 2 (Justin Mapp 2, Tomasz Frankowski 1) 84
COL -- Tom McManus 1 (Christian Gomez 1) 86
Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Christian Gomez (caution; Reckless Foul) 45
CHI -- Gonzalo Segares (caution; Game Disrepute) 45
COL -- Herculez Gomez (caution; Persistent Infringement) 64
COL -- Kelly Gray (caution; Dissent) 66
CHI -- Diego Gutierrez (caution; Dissent) 88
Referee: Tim Weyland
Referee's Assistants: Corey Rockwell; Steven Taylor
4th official: Ricardo Salazar
time of game: 1:53
attendance: 14,251
weather: Sunny -and- 55 degrees
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