After getting trounced by Monaracas Morelia last Wednesday 5-1, the Chicago Fire needed, at the very least, a tie against a hot New England Revolution team on Saturday night.
The SuperLiga has been a rebirth for the Revolution (4-9-2 in the MLS), upsetting UNAM Pumas in their first group match. It was a night-and-day difference between the Fire and the Revolution, as the former was reeling from a myriad of issues and the latter was playing as confident as ever.
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
The Fire came out of the gates with an intensity that hasn’t been displayed for a while. Midfielder Deris Umanzor was able to get off a shot one minute and twenty two seconds into the game. This was a stark contrast to their last game, where the first shot was taken in the 23rd minute. The aggressiveness continued as the Fire were able to get in six more shots before halftime. Throughout the first half, the Fire dominated almost every aspect including possession.
Their success continued into the second half. The defense finally showed up for the Fire, especially goalie Sean Johnson, who was starting for the first time in the SuperLiga. Head coach Carlos de los Cabos had seen enough from goalie Andrew Dykstra in the loss to Morelia to make the change. It was a change that proved to be a good one, as Johnson shutout the Revolution for 75 minutes. The only problem was that the Fire were being shutout as well.
In the 76th minute, Revolution midfielder Marko Perovic was able to break free for a goal to give the Revolution a 1-0 lead. It was an unfortunate mistake, as the Fire had been dominating all game long.
“We controlled the whole game,” de los Cabos said. “Unfortunately, they were efficient in the last stretch of the game. That’s soccer.”
Maybe that’s soccer to de los Cabos, but to the viewing public, what the Fire are displaying is far from what soccer should be. With the 1-0 loss to New England and the continued inability to score goals, one wonders how much longer coach de los Cabos will be employed.
The 2010 SuperLiga has been an absolute disaster for the Fire, losing their first two games. They currently sit in last place in Group B and are mathematically eliminated from the tournament no matter what their result is against UNAM Pumas Tuesday night.
If Chicago Fire fans have one thing to look forward to it’s the signing of Mexican forward Nery Castillos, who will have the responsibility of providing a much needed boost to the offensive attack. However, in order to be successful the Fire can’t rely on one player.
“We definitely can’t depend on him to just come in and change things around,” defender C.J. Brown said. “The signing is to help the team get better. I think bringing him in will do that.”
For coach de los Cabos’ sake, let’s hope Brown is right.
Read more articles from Justin Mertes-Mistretta here.