Since he became the new head coach for the Chicago Fire in early July, Juan Carlos Osorio has shown that he is not a man that is easily pleased.
The Fire came back twice in their Eastern Conference matchup against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Toyota Park, which led to a 2-2 tie -- and positive comments from their coach.
"I think the players showed great character and mental strength to play with one man down and manage to come back," Osorio said. "I think there was some general good play, especially with Chris (Rolfe) and Cuauhtémoc (Blanco) in the middle. I think we kept the ball better and I'm pleased. Obviously, we needed to win but I will take that point and hopefully we'll keep improving and next game we will be more clinical in our final third."
New York scored in the 10th minute when Dave van den Bergh latched onto a partially cleared corner and drove it back into the goal, where Diego Gutierrez couldn't keep it out as it deflected off him into the goal as he tried to clear.
After being held scoreless in the first half, the Fire came out strongly after the break and tied the game in the 54th minute when Blanco converted a penalty kick.
Blanco chipped a crossing floater from just outside the Red Bulls area for Barrett at the far post. As Barrett was dashing to meet the Blanco pass, the Chicago forward was hauled down by Chris Leitch. Blanco took the spot kick for Chicago and he beat Red Bulls goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus low and inside of the left post for his third goal this season.
"I got by him and the only thing he (Leitch) could do was grab my shirt," Barrett said. "He kept grabbing it all night and the only thing I could do in that situation was fall to the ground."
Chicago gave New York another golden opportunity when defender Wilman Conde was issued his second yellow card of the game when he was charged with a deliberate handball in the 68th minute. Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel took the penalty kick and easily beat Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens for his 15th goal of the season and a 2-1 lead.
"I can't tell you what I told him but believe me, I was not happy," Osorio said.
Although they were down a man with Conde's ejection, the Fire responded two minutes later when defender Gonzalo Segares headed home a Blanco free kick in the 70th minute.
"I noticed that a couple of times I went out and I didn't have a mark," Segares said. "Cuauhtémoc crossed a pretty good ball and I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I took advantage of it."
Chicago had eight shots on goal while New York was able to generate five on the evening.
"From my notes, we had four clear chances and if we would have capitalized on one of our chances in the seventh (minute), it may have been a different game," Osorio said. "I told my strikers that we have to practice finishing our chances but I was pleased that we had more opportunities to score but we did not put enough in to win."
While the Fire remained in eighth place in the MLS standings and in a playoff spot for the moment, ahead of Colorado's game with Chivas USA on Sunday, the Red Bulls saw things tighten up in the middle of the pack, where FC Dallas, New York and Kansas City are separated by just three points for places 5-7.
"I'm disappointed we didn't get the three points. We didn't do a good job I think after getting the second goal, and obviously that lapse in concentration costs us some important points," said Red Bulls manager Bruce Arena. "To get this point on the road tonight against the team that really is chasing us is important. The result is good for us; probably not as good as for Chicago."
The Fire's charge back into playoff contention has come mainly with the addition of Blanco. Since his arrival, the club is 4-2-2 and he has tallied three goals to go with five assists. Although Chicago fans are happy with the Mexican import, not everyone is pleased to play against him.
"It's annoying when the referee doesn't do anything about him," van den Bergh said. "You have to stand up to him and he's a nightmare to play against. Not because he's good but because he's annoying. He takes the fun out of the game for a lot of people.
"I think he belongs definitely on the field but he could be in a swimming pool because he dives so much. It's just his whole demeanor, always trying to get a yellow card for his opponent," van den Bergh continued. "This isn't a league for diving. This is a league for the guys who play the game and play tough. Either he needs to adapt or the ref needs to do something about it."
Tim Hilton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
