Many areas have been of concern for the Chicago Fire this year, but one area that has stood out has been the lack of offense.
With the arrival of Cuauhtémoc Blanco, it might be time for the Fire to say goodbye to a dismal first half of the season and have reason for optimism as they enter into the second part of the MLS schedule.
The 34-year-old Mexican superstar attacker scored his first goal for Chicago in his debut for the club and it was also the Fire's lone tally in a 1-1 draw against Scottish Premier League champion Celtic FC in a friendly Sunday at Toyota Park.
Chicago head coach Juan Carlos Osorio said that Blanco has assets that will benefit the Fire's offensive attack.
"(Blanco) brings something special to the team and those are his vision and his creativity," Osorio said. "If you look back and analyze the game, you'll notice that he was in on 75 percent of the times that we got in the attacking third. It was through him that we created better chances, and to put the icing on the cake, he scored a beautiful goal. Hopefully, he will get fitter and fitter and we'll get more of him in the games to come."
Blanco showed off his trademark offensive skills on his goal in the 30th minute of play. Breaking down the field, Blanco dribbled past two Celtic FC defenders and was able to draw Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc out of the goal before rolling in an empty-netter for the tally.
"I always try to score and I had an opportunity to score," Blanco said. "The truth is I am very happy I was able to score. The objective of today's game was not met as we did not win. But I think little by little we will keep playing better and better and turn these results into victories."
Blanco was taken out of the contest in the 58th minute and left to a standing ovation from the Fire fans in attendance.
"They're good. I was happy," Blanco said of his reception from the Chicago fans. "I hope to give them more satisfaction in the upcoming games."
Osorio said it was in the game plan that he would take Blanco out around the 60th minute.
"I asked him how he felt and he thought he could play about 60 minutes," Osorio said. "He has been doing a lot of traveling with the Mexican national team and we had a moderate session on Saturday so we both felt that it was a safe amount of minutes."
Fellow Chicago midfielder Ivan Guerrero said he impressed with Blanco's transition to the Fire.
"I was surprised with how well he fit in and played," Guerrero said. "He brings a lot to the team and he can create more opportunities for us."
Blanco knows he has some of the burden to carry but he said he does not think he is bigger than the team.
"I'm just another person," Blanco said. "I'm not God. I'm not Superman. I'm hoping to help us play better as a team. We have a good team. It is our goal to start playing better and get into the playoffs."
Tim Hilton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
