On what turned out to be a cool, but otherwise nearly perfect evening at Toyota Park, Chicago Fire welcomed Seattle Sounders to town as they celebrated their annual “Fire Goes Green” initiative. While it may have been coincidence that the Fire’s eco-friendly event coincided with bringing one of the only green teams in the league to town, there was no mistake when it came to Chicago’s desire to end their winless streak against the Sounders. Unfortunately things would not fall in Chicago’s favor, as they remained winless against Seattle, falling 2-1 in front of 14,166.
Chicago started the game strong, connecting well and mounting an attack from the opening whistle. In spite of numerous first half calls going against the Fire, or going uncalled by referee Michael Kennedy, Chicago persevered in the 1st half, connecting on 80% of their passing and splitting possession evenly with Seattle at 50%.
Chicago would go down just before halftime, on a David Estrada shot that deflected off Arne Friedrich, redirecting past Sean Johnson in the 39th minute for an own goal. Chicago had a number of good chances in the 1st half, but in a story that is all too familiar for Fire fans, they were just out of reach in the finishing department.
The 2nd half would start much like the 1st, with equal chances on both sides of the ball. Chicago would nearly draw level, as 61st minute sub Marco Pappa would blast a free kick past Seattle’s Michael Gspurning in the 63rd minute. The goal was disallowed, however, as obstruction was ruled on the play by Dominic Oduro, in spite of Gspurning not having a play on the shot.
Seattle would strike again in the 67th minute, as a melee in the box after a Fredy Montero free kick would result in Seattle’s Eddie Johnson netting his 1st goal of the season, putting the Sounders up 2-0. Chicago would not back down, however, as again Marco Pappa, this time directly off a corner kick, would strike in the 89th minute, drawing Chicago to within one. Chicago would continue to press, and in spite of a non-call on Rafael Robayo being brought down in the box, Chicago would nearly score again, this time at the feet of Jalil Anibaba, who had pressed forward on a free kick. It was not to be, however, as Chicago would eventually fall 2-1.
Chicago was understandably upset after the match over what seemed to be mostly one-sided officiating from Michael Kennedy. Kennedy became a 12th man in the game, allowing the match to go a step beyond letting both teams play. As tensions continued to mount, both sides were involved in a melee at the end of the match that found Jalil Anibaba and Marc Burch having to be pulled apart by numerous people. In the end, however, it’s difficult to point at just a poor officiating job as the sole reason Chicago remains winless after their 7th MLS match against Seattle. Several unforced errors occured throughout both halves, needless turnovers that surrendered possession, at times when an attack was building. Chicago’s offense, while creating good chances and some nice connection between the midfield and forwards, failed to put goals away at crucial moments, something Chicago’s hoping will change once Chris Rolfe is fully fit and ready for action, which could be as early as next Friday’s away match against Chivas USA.
In the end, Chicago was partly culpable and partly unlucky. Seattle, while not looking like the stronger team in three of the last four matchups against Chicago, found a way to rise above and come out ahead. The Fire, while holding the core of their season-ending 2011 squad, looks to be a different club than last year in some respects. If they hope to mount a strong run that will carry them into the playoffs for the first time in 3 seasons, they will have to find a way to scratch out wins against clubs like Seattle. How they react to matches against opponents like tonight will go a long way in determining how they are viewed, both by the Eastern Conference as well as the rest of the league.
Image courtesy of Getty Images/chicago-fire.com
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