Chicago Fire: Winners of Three Straight, Put Onus on a Total Team Effort

With their 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City, the Chicago Fire have won three straight matches and are scorching up the MLS standings.Friday night’s victory puts the Fire within three points of both the New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls. Both teams have matches tonight against Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC. A loss by both or either team would help the Fire tremendously. Midfielder Marco Pappa tied striker Dominic Oduro for the most goals this season for the Fire with his goal against Sporting Kansas City. Pappa’s goal was assisted by Chris Rolfe. They were not the only players who were stellar in Friday night’s win as goalkeeper Sean Johnson finished the game with five saves, giving him 13 for the entire week. It has been a very successful week for the Fire who on Sunday defeated their hated rival, the Columbus Crew. After the win over the Crew, I asked Pappa if there was a friendly competition between he and Oduro for most goals scored. Not only was I received with a laugh but I was given a friendly reminder; the Fire is all about team. “It is not a competition… We are trying to score ...

Chicago Fire: Scorching Offense Helps the Fire Torch the New York Red Bulls 3-1

Going into the game against the New York Red Bulls, the Chicago Fire were looking for a good start. Within only four minutes into the first half, a goal by forward Patrick Nyarko gave the energetic crowd of 18,526 something to celebrate. The end result: a 3-1 scorching of the Red Bulls that helped the Fire jump ahead of both the Houston Dynamo and their rivals, the Columbus Crew. The Fire went into halftime up 1-nil against the Red Bulls, who were without Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez. During the first 45 minutes, the Fire showed great passing and solid defense. In the second half of the match, the tide began to turn, leading to a game-tying goal by Dax McCarty of the Red Bulls in the 55th minute. Shortly after, controversy ensued in the 64th minute of play when an apparent goal by Dominic Oduro was disallowed. The ball appeared to have made its way into the net after deflecting off of Red Bull goalkeeper Ryan Meara’s finger tips. Speaking with Oduro after the match about his scoring opportunities, he took a moment to reflect on the disallowed goal. “As you can see there was one ball in that clearly ...

Can a Loss in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Can Help the Chicago Fire?

Heading to Michigan to face the Michigan Bucks on Tuesday, the Chicago Fire did not expect to lose. But after a 3-2 loss in the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, I must say that it could serve as a blessing in disguise. Losing to a team from the Player Development League (PDL) should be a wake-up call for the Fire.In the Fire's defense, they have been undermanned with two of their top players sidelined with injuries: defender Arne Friedrich has been out along with midfielder Chris Rolfe. The biggest problem is the offense which has also struggled especially early in games.With a trip to New England on the horizon and stinging from the loss to the Bucks should have the Fire come out angry and focused. What better way to get a win streak started than against the seventh-place Revolution? To win on Saturday, the Fire must attack early and often while neutralizing Saer Sene. The MLS rookie from France leads the Revolution in goals scored with seven and shots with 29. While Sene has flourished, New England has struggled, having also lost their third-round matchup to the Harrisburg Islanders. The Fire must also avoid falling behind on the scoreboard. This has been what ...

Poor Starts to Blame for Chicago Fire’s Offensive Struggles

After a 2-1 loss this past Saturday to the Columbus Crew, Austin Berry (second career goal) and the Chicago Fire have to be licking their wounds. The biggest problem the Fire has is getting off to better offensive starts. Going down 2-0 in Columbus marked the ninth time during the season that the Fire have been forced to fight back from a deficit. No one will question the Fire’s resiliency and toughness. There are no issues with the talent. The team has talent ranging from the aforementioned Austin Berry to Mexican superstar Pavel Pardo. Adjustments have been made with Rafael Robayo being added to the starting 11. Before the FC Dallas game, Robayo would be a late game substitution to provide a spark on the offensive end. The thought process behind including Robayo with the starters was: passing would be crisper, shot opportunities would increase, and there would be more spacing on the field. As a result, teams have stacked their defenders around midfield in an attempt to interrupt the Fire’s offensive flow. The Fire must come out with a purpose at the opening kick. They must find Dominic Oduro as well. He has been missing in action ever ...

Chicago Fire Enjoys a 2-1 Win Versus FC Dallas in MLS Action

Chicago Fire midfielder Rafael Robayo wanted more playing time and he got his wish when he was inserted in the starting lineup. As a result, the Fire went on to defeat FC Dallas 2-1 while shaking off a somewhat lethargic first 25 minutes or so. A Sebastian Grazzini goal right before halftime tied the game at one apiece. A goal by FC Dallas’ Matt Hedge that got by goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the 41st minute of play did not damper the Fire’s spirits. Instead, it ignited them. In front of 11,947 fans the Fire came out in the second half with a ton of energy. Fire coach Frank Klopas credited that newly found energy to Grazzini’s goal. Coach Frank Klopas on the goal by Grazzini... “We gave up that goal in the 41st minute of the game, which is never a good time to give up the goal before going into the locker room. Sebastián scored a fantastic goal-a world class goal. Those are the type of goals that he can score with his ability. I felt that the group was positive and that the goal lifted us going into halftime. We talked more about strategy at the ...

Chicago Fire to Take on Sporting Kansas City After Tying with Real Salt Lake

The Chicago Fire completed their second of three games in 11 nights after tying with Real Salt Lake 0-0 on Wednesday.At halftime, the Fire inducted former star and current Real Salt Lake assistant coach C.J. Brown into the "Ring of Fire" during an emotional ceremony. Brown held back tears of joy during his speech.The game also featured marvelous defense that won over the praise of Fire coach Frank Klopas. “As a team we didn’t give anything away and we were good defensively,” Klopas said during his postgame press conference. When speaking about the match ending in a tie, Klopas spoke of cautious optimism:“Overall, I was happy with the team’s performance. It would be great to get three points. But in games like this, when you get those opportunities, you have to make them finish because you’re not going to get too many.” Klopas was aware of the battle that they just had with the team with the best record in Major League Soccer. He is also aware of the team that they will be facing tomorrow when the Eastern Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City invades Toyota Park. Sporting Kansas City comes to town on a two-game losing streak. With losses to ...

Chicago Fire’s Upcoming Week Presents Challenges and a Familiar Face

The Chicago Fire expect to be very busy this week with two MLS games on the docket.Real Salt Lake visits Toyota Park on Wednesday while the Sporting Kansas City invades on Saturday. A difficult stretch continues for the Fire who defeated Chivas USA 2-1 on Friday behind rookie center back Austin Berry’s first career goal.The Fire were also without coach Frank Klopas, who was suspended for abusive language to the referees during the end of the loss against Seattle.   This week's matches against Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City will go a long way in determining how far the Fire can go as MLS Cup contenders. Real Salt Lake are tied for the best record in the league. A win on Wednesday would definitely make a statement. Adding to the drama will be the Ring of Honor induction of all-time great defender C.J. Brown. Brown is the Fire’s all-time leader in starts, minutes and overall games played. The current Real Salt Lake assistant coach is a two-time Chicago Fire defender of the year (2006 and 2010) and three-time humanitarian of the year (2001-03). Emotions will be running high that night. On Saturday, the Fire will have completed a stint in which they would have ...

Chicago Fire Team News and Notes

According to www.chicago-fire.com, Fire midfielder Marco Pappa will throw out the first pitch for the White Sox in their game against the Indians today. Pappa throwing out the ceremonial first pitch can generate more fan interest in the Fire as well as visibility for himself. The Fire has a fan base. For instance, over 14,000 fans showed up at the Fire’s match against the Seattle Sounders. And despite the unseasonably cold weather, where the temperature dropped below 40 degrees, the fans stayed inside Toyota Park throughout the competitive match.  Fire coach Frank Klopas and defender Jalil Anibaba will both be suspended for the Friday match at Chivas USA according to team officials. Klopas was suspended after he berated the referees during the game-ending brawl in last Saturday night’s match versus the Sounders. Anibaba received a red card during the confrontation that took about five minutes to break up. There is still a possibility that more suspension may be forthcoming once MLS officials complete their investigation of the incident.  Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS: Chicago Fire Nullified Goal Paves Way for Seattle Sounders Victory

Chicago Fire’s 2-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC was a game marred by several moments of rough play, including a near brawl at the end of injury time in the second half. Seattle’s physicality was allowed by the referees from the very beginning—physicality that continued throughout the match. It was dirty and at times unnecessary, yet it was effective. What has been somewhat lost in the discussion of the Fire’s defeat was a disallowed goal in the 61st minute.If given, it would have cancelled out a Sounders lead established six minutes before the break when David Estrada's effort was deflected off Arne Friedrich for an own goal.However, striker Dominic Oduro was adjudged to have interfered with Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning before Fire midfielder Marco Pappa netted from 18 yards. Although Oduro did not appear to make contact with Gspurning, the officials felt otherwise. As a result, the call placed much of the Fire’s momentum on hold.Dominic Oduro said after the game: “Apparently I was in front of the goalie destructing the play. Again it’s the referee’s call. I’m just here to play.”The Sounders did not waste much time by responding with a goal six minutes later by Eddie Johnson ...

Chicago Fire Draws Tie with Houston Dynamo in MLS Action

The Chicago Fire played the Houston Dynamo Sunday night in a match that was called in the 66th due to inclement weather of heavy rains and lightning. The competitive match ended up in a1-1 draw. Not bad considering the Fire played against the reigning MLS Eastern Conference champions. When you also add on a 70-minute weather delay early in the match, any team would have completely packed it in. Not the Fire. After Chicago 'keeper Sean Johnson was unable to stop a goal by Dynamo forward Will Bruin in the 24th minute, Fire midfielder Logan Pause quickly responded with a goal of his own three minutes later. Pause's deflection carried over Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall to even the Fire. Plenty to discuss after the game, including a ton of optimism coming from the coaches and players. Fire assistant coach Leo Percovich praised the “aggression” of the team, while going on to say that he felt that the Fire would have won had play continued. From Chicago-Fire.com: We had good chances tonight, we have a lot of mobility.  The team tried to play great soccer for the first half, I guess the wind… their goalkeeper made ...