Often, when a team scores a remarkable victory early in the season, it falls upon the coach of the winning team to bring his players back to earth in preparation for the next tough contest.
But the Chicago Fire's 4-0 win against the New England Revolution last week was so remarkable, the glow from the victory resonated for several days.
The Fire (1-0-1) must start anew Saturday when they visit the new San Jose Earthquakes (0-1-0) at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, but there was a confidence built out of the previous game that could have ramifications the entire Fire season.
"It was a good night for us," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. "I think our guys know, in this league, all of the games aren't going to be like that. But when you have a man advantage and you move the ball on a big field, you should create chances and hopefully you will have a night when you finish them. When you do that, you get a game like (last week)."
The Fire scored all of their goals in the first half, and actually had a 2-0 lead after just 22 minutes. The Revolution suffered a red card ejection in that game in the seventh minute, setting the tone for a great home opener for the Fire.
"It was an unbelievable feeling, coming into the locker room at halftime," forward Chad Barrett said. "At that point, you think the game is in the bag and all you want to do is not concede a goal. It gave us a chance to learn how to protect a large lead, and not to sit back and let them come at us. The first half of that game was just amazing."
The scoring was all the more remarkable because the Fire, for all of their talent, had extreme difficulty last season scoring goals (31 goals in 30 games). The offseason acquisition of Tomasz Frankowski and the return of Andy Herron, joining Barrett, Chris Rolfe, Justin Mapp and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, gives the Fire a stunning amount of talent up front.
"People were really starting to question us because of our (inability to) finish the last three years," Barrett said. "But we had all this talent that came in, and in our first home game, we silenced some of the critics."
"We had guys find themselves in good spots and that is what goal scorers do, they finish the play," Hamlett said. "The guys that set them up are also attacking guys. We had the combination of guys being on the same page, with good movement and the right pass. When you have those combinations, it is pretty easy. We had two good runs that were tap-ins."
The Fire have also not seen their opponents "score" against them in two games. The only goal allowed in the Real Salt Lake game was an own goal, as Bakary Soumare accidentally deflected a cross into his own net.
The Fire reported a couple of new injuries on the back line, just as a couple other players are returning from injury.
Diego Gutierrez was listed as doubtful with a wrist sprain, and defender Brandon Prideaux is doubtful with a hip strain.
At the same time, third-year defender Dasan Robinson appears to have returned from injury and played a full reserve game last week. Veteran center back C.J. Brown is returning from a pelvic injury but worked out with the team on Monday and could also be available.
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
