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10-Man Chicago Fire Defeat New York
A Blanco-less Chicago Fire overcame a red card to defeat the New York Red Bulls, pushing the club to joint-top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Apr 5, 2009 7:20:44 PM
The theme of red cards in MLS games this weekend continued on Sunday as the Chicago Fire defeated the New York Red Bulls for a 1-0 victory.
Like D.C. United, the Fire was the team that was able to overcome the man disadvantage. Unlike United, however, the Fire scored after going a man down, not before.
In fact, no team with a player ejected this weekend had to play with the disadvantage longer than the Fire. Fire midfielder John Thorrington fouled New York's Macoumba Kandji in the 14th minute, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. That meant that for over 75 minutes, the Fire toiled against the Red Bulls with one field player less.
Yet the Red Bulls couldn't put together a clear opportunity on goal. Juan Pablo Angel's freekick from the foul went high in the 15th minute.
With Dominic Oduro replacing Kandji, who suffered a right ankle sprain, New York threw multiple waves of players forward to score. Speedy Dane Richards was at the heart of New York's attacking attempts, but he either shot wide or was otherwise denied.
It was actually the Fire who found the net first. In the 33rd minute, Wilman Conde banged a free kick into the New York box. As goalkeeper Danny Cepero reached for the ball, his own defender, Luke Sassano, cut the ball off by leaping high for the header. The ball was driven down to the ground in front of Marco Pappa, who made the most of the element of surprise, one-timing a shot past the traffic in the box. The ball flew to the goalpost, but took a fortuitous bounce from there into the net.
The Fire's fortune continued throughout the match, as time and again New York looked to be knocking on the door of a goal, but couldn't quite convert.
In the second half, New York's frustration with Chicago's wily counterattacks was evident. The Red Bulls finished the match with ten more fouls than the Fire, who only had six.
Perhaps it was a tactical move, given his age and a game that required full match fitness, but Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco never entered the field, though he was on the substitute's bench and available to play. Instead, the Fire sent in Brandon Prideaux for Justin Mapp at the start of the second half, and then Chris Rolfe spelled in near the end for the tiring legs of Patrick Nyarko. Autin Washington was also a late sub.
To the relief of the hometown Fire fans at Toyota Park, all of Chicago's efforts paid off when the final whistle sounded. They had secured the win and full points to move to the top of the Eastern Conference table in a joint tie with the New England Revolution.
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
Like D.C. United, the Fire was the team that was able to overcome the man disadvantage. Unlike United, however, the Fire scored after going a man down, not before.
In fact, no team with a player ejected this weekend had to play with the disadvantage longer than the Fire. Fire midfielder John Thorrington fouled New York's Macoumba Kandji in the 14th minute, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. That meant that for over 75 minutes, the Fire toiled against the Red Bulls with one field player less.
Yet the Red Bulls couldn't put together a clear opportunity on goal. Juan Pablo Angel's freekick from the foul went high in the 15th minute.
With Dominic Oduro replacing Kandji, who suffered a right ankle sprain, New York threw multiple waves of players forward to score. Speedy Dane Richards was at the heart of New York's attacking attempts, but he either shot wide or was otherwise denied.
It was actually the Fire who found the net first. In the 33rd minute, Wilman Conde banged a free kick into the New York box. As goalkeeper Danny Cepero reached for the ball, his own defender, Luke Sassano, cut the ball off by leaping high for the header. The ball was driven down to the ground in front of Marco Pappa, who made the most of the element of surprise, one-timing a shot past the traffic in the box. The ball flew to the goalpost, but took a fortuitous bounce from there into the net.
The Fire's fortune continued throughout the match, as time and again New York looked to be knocking on the door of a goal, but couldn't quite convert.
In the second half, New York's frustration with Chicago's wily counterattacks was evident. The Red Bulls finished the match with ten more fouls than the Fire, who only had six.
Perhaps it was a tactical move, given his age and a game that required full match fitness, but Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco never entered the field, though he was on the substitute's bench and available to play. Instead, the Fire sent in Brandon Prideaux for Justin Mapp at the start of the second half, and then Chris Rolfe spelled in near the end for the tiring legs of Patrick Nyarko. Autin Washington was also a late sub.
To the relief of the hometown Fire fans at Toyota Park, all of Chicago's efforts paid off when the final whistle sounded. They had secured the win and full points to move to the top of the Eastern Conference table in a joint tie with the New England Revolution.
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
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