One minute, what was once your dream season looks like it’s really going down the drain, the next, your back on top of the world. Such is life in the parody-ridden MLS.
After 90 minutes of complete superiority, the Chicago Fire still looked headed for another demoralizing tie – which would’ve been their sixth consecutive negative result – until John Thorrington’s stoppage time winner put the Chicago faithful into utter ecstasy, and very possibly changed the course of this year’s campaign.
On the one hand, three points is three points is three points no matter when or how they come. On the other hand, it really felt like the Fire needed last Saturday’s win more than ever, because after the way the last two months had played out, another bad result might’ve been too much to stomach.
Only a week after the Fire were lingering close to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the side now holds the third best record in MLS and with a win Saturday can firmly plant itself back in the race for the Supporters Shield. More than that, the Fire still have one of the best teams in MLS and with this sudden change in momentum, once again look like one of the stronger candidates to hoist the MLS Cup this November.
The amazing thing is that without Justin Mapp’s blooped header or Thorrington’s right-place-right-time finish at the death, Saturday’s game would’ve gone down as just the latest edition to a long line of dropped points and missed opportunities. After completely dominating the entire match and leading for the majority- at home, and against another Eastern Conference playoff contender- sharing points after permitting another second half comeback would’ve been really hard for the Fire and its fans to take. Not only would the result have put the side lower in the standings, worse, it might’ve really damaged the side’s already vulnerable morale. Instead, thanks to Thorrington’s timely, albeit a bit fortunate, nutmeg, the Fire have ever reason to look positively on the rest of the season.
Sure the team still has its flaws, and the loss of Calen Carr for the season is a big hit, but Chicago is nevertheless one of the strongest all around teams in MLS. With a home win Saturday against Real Salt Lake, the Fire can move within a point of Columbus and within six of New England – with a game in hand on the Revs – which definitely puts the Fire in a position to compete for the Supporter’s Shield from here on out. It had appeared, with the Fire’s elimination from the U.S. Open Cup that the team would have to win MLS this season in order to secure a Champion’s League birth next fall. Now though, it’s definitely possible that the Fire could stamp its ticket to that competition by finishing with the best regular season record this October.
A few observations on the state of the Fire:
- Chris Rolfe’s absolute golazo 5 minutes into Saturday’s win was just further proof of the reality that he has to play forward for the Fire. Give the guy one half-chance and he usually buries it. I understand that playing him in a five man midfield gives Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Mapp, and Thorrington more freedom to create as they see fit, but football is about scoring goals – not creating chances – and nobody in MLS does it better than Rolfe.
I really think that if I were in charge I’d trot the guys out in a 4-4-2 and order Thorrington to spend more time on the right wing. Granted, the guy does a great job when he plays further inside, but I do think that the Fire’s lack of anyone playing the right side hurts Chicago at time. Thorrington should still have the freedom to be creative, but Rolfe needs to have the responsibility of a forward – not a midfielder - and to balance that change I think that Thorrington needs to be more responsible for the right side.
The way things are now, Thorrington, Rolfe, and Blanco all pop up on the right wing from time to time, but nobody has been playing like a true right midfielder. Maybe if Dasan Robinson, who likes to get forward, were available to play right back then things would be different. As things stand now, though, I think the Fire would be better off with Rolfe truly playing as a second forward rather than as a midfielder, and with Thorrington shouldering more of the responsibility on the right that he currently shares with Rolfe.
- The Fire and Toronto F.C. still haven’t worked out a deal to bring US National Team legend Brian McBride to Chicago. Reports have Toronto insisting on receiving either Justin Mapp or Chris Rolfe in any deal for McBride, and while McBride would be the premier forward in MLS, the Fire would be fools to give up either of their two best young stars. Furthermore, although the Fire have a lot of depth in the back, I think that giving up any of Gonzalo Segares, Bakary Soumare, or Wilman Conde would be a big mistake. It’s true that Conde could be headed to Europe in the off-season and that Segares’ deal with the Fire is up after next season, but all three players are young and among the absolute best defenders in MLS.
The fact is that McBride wants to come to Chicago and the Allocation order changes after this season. One way or another, McBride is going to wind up with the Fire, so it’s up to Toronto to decide whether or not they want to get anything for the Allocation they currently hold. I’m not saying that Chicago should fleece Toronto – other than the five players I just mentioned and Blanco, I’d give up any two other players on the team for McBride – but the Fire shouldn’t have to give up that much for a player who hasn’t signed with MLS and wants to Chicago.
Tomorrow’s game, with the MLS transfer window having re-opened July 15, marks the first game in which McBride could have played had a deal been worked out by now. Instead, he’s off to the Olympics with the US team – a competition he said he would’ve considered skipping if he had been able to join Chicago, which means even if a deal is worked out by the time the Olympic games end, he’ll only be available for eight games plus the playoffs this season. Granted I would love to see him and Chris Rolfe paired together when we face D.C. United and New England this offseason, but it’s not worth giving up one of our best players for someone that we can pickup in the off-season anyway.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber also conceded this week that it’s possible the league will intervene if neither side budges on its demands. This type of thing has actually happened numerous times in MLS history, such as when MLS arranged for DC United to be able to draft Freddy Adu and when MLS forced the Galaxy to trade Carlos Ruiz to FC Dallas so that Landon Donovan could come home to Los Angeles. My feeling is that if MLS intervenes it will probably be a good thing for the Fire. I wouldn’t want Chicago to have to give up anybody as good as Carlos Ruiz was at the time of the Landon Donovan incident, but at the same time the value of a 35 year-old McBride is much lower than that of a 22 year-old Donovan. What will probably happen if MLS intervenes is that Toronto will get less talent from Chicago than it’s demanding, but with the reassurance of the league that they’ll receive similar considerations in the future. Afterall, if Dwayne DeRosario or Julian D’Guzman stated a desire to play for Toronto FC, the Canadians would be pretty perturbed to see it not happen. So here’s hoping that something happens and soon – before the end of the Olympics. If no deal is reached, though, I’m pretty confident that McBride will still be sporting the Fire’s red jerseys before the start of next season.
- Cuauhtemoc Blanco was selected as one of the starting XI for this month’s MLS All-Star game, but Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares, and Jon Busch all just missed the cut. In my opinion all three have been the best player at their position in MLS this season – that’s not even debatable in the case of Segares, so I’m disappointed for them that they didn’t make it. On the other hand, it is kind of nice for the Fire that those guys get a week rest and don’t have to risk injury. There are still end of season awards, and the occasional post-emptive All-Star nod, so as long as those players are recognized in some way later this season all will be forgiven. It was only two years ago, actually, that Justin Mapp didn’t make the All-Star game but was named MLS Best XI at season’s end.
Soumare and Segares did finish 4th and 5th in the league’s All-Star voting (only the top three make it as starters) which is actually really impressive at a position where reputation means everything, considering that neither player had much of a reputation around the league heading into this season. Revolution coach Steve Nicol and MLS commissioner Don Garber selected the seven bench players, however, and both overlooked the Fire’s two defenders. Busch finished second in the voting for goalkeepers but also wasn’t selected for the team – a surprise to some considering he’s been statistically the best keeper in the league this season.
I also feel as though Justin Mapp is one of the eighteen most deserving players so far in MLS, but I never really expected him to get the All-Star nod. My pick’s for the most deserving players to make the All-Star game (players who didn’t make it in bold):
Jon Busch
Frankie Hejduk
Bakary Soumare
Gonzalo Segares
Steve Ralston
Guillermo Barros Schelloto
Cuauhtemoc Blanco
David Beckham
Robbie Rogers
Kenny Cooper
Landon Donovan
Bench:
Matt Reis
Justin Mapp
Edson Buddle
Luciano Emilio
Michael Parkhurst
Jimmy Conrad
Dwayne DeRosario
- Calen Carr’s season ending knee injury is really a disappointment considering that, in my estimation, he was in his all-time best form and becoming a very important player for the Fire. I wrote last week that I thought Carr was our best option on the right wing, and his absence means that Chicago now has even fewer options on the right flank. I do think that Thorrington can do an adequate job if he’s given the responsibility of truly playing as a right mid, but recently we’ve seen him and Rolfe all over the field with nobody truly playing as a right midfielder. I still think that Thorrington can do the job, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing someone like Patrick Nyarko – a forward with pace who actually reminds me a bit of Carr – given a chance. The Fire are also said to be pursing a (Guatemalan?) midfielder capable of playing on the right, so that could be another option for Chicago down the road.
- With Bakary Soumare suspended last weekend, Daniel Woolard got his first MLS start against Toronto and did very well I thought. The guy made me nervous at times with all his dribbling out of the back, but he clearly has great feet and good composure on the ball – two traits that are rare amongst MLS defenders. It looks as though the rookie should have a bright future with the Fire.
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