FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - For most teams, Gillette Stadium is a foreboding place where earning a point is cause for celebration.
But the Chicago Fire have taken six points from the venerable fortress in two matches after a 1-0 victory over the Revolution on Sunday.
"That's certainly a different feeling than in years' past," said Fire head coach Dave Sarachan. "Fortunately, we've come here and taken six points."
Andy Herron got the eventual winner in the 24th minute as Chris Armas played a ball in behind the Revolution defense. Herron beat the offside trap and powered his effort past Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis to give his side the victory.
"He's right up there amongst our leading scorers," Sarachan said. "With Andy, Nate [Jaqua], Justin [Mapp] and Chad [Barrett], we have a lot of competition. Andy has certain qualities that he showed today."
The victory was second league win in a row for the Fire after a 3-0 drubbing of Kansas City on Wednesday and the Fire have started to gain some momentum. The Men in Red are now tied with the Revs for second place in the tight Eastern Conference playoff chase.
"The team really rallied the troops and they showed it," Sarachan said. "The urgency of where we are in the table has given us more quality in our approach."
That quality has given the Fire a crucial edge over the Revolution in the battle for home-field advantage in the MLS Cup Playoffs. If the season ended today, the Fire would hold the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the season series with Sunday's victory.
After Herron put his side in front, the Fire by no means seemed destined for victory. The Revolution surged forward in the second half sparked by the insertion of Jose Cancela.
"We dodged some bullets," Sarachan said. "They put in Cancela in and gave us a push."
Sarachan countered by sending Gonzalo Segares and Jim Curtin into the fray to ensure the lead in the last half an hour.
But it was Tony Sanneh who drew most of the plaudits after an inspirational performance in central defense. After struggling to find his feet in his first few appearances after returning from injury, Sanneh marshaled the defense against New England, showing the qualities that have earned him international recognition in the past.
"He's battled a lot of injuries," Sarachan said. "We're seeing the reason why we brought him here in the first place."
The two teams will face each other again in three days' time in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
