LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL (Friday, February 16, 2007) - Defender Jim Curtin might have earned the start, but it was his brother Jeff Curtin that got the big finish for the Chicago Fire on Friday night, his 90th minute goal giving the "Men in Red" a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake in a preseason exhibition contest that was part of Disney's Presidents' Day Weekend Showcase at the Wide World of Sports complex. A goal from Fire midfielder Justin Mapp put Chicago up a dozen minutes into the match, but a penalty kick conversion by Real forward Chris Brown seven minutes from time would square things up, setting the stage for the younger Curtin's last-minute heroics.
Chicago came out looking the sharper squad, routinely keeping possession and using the flanks to their advantage by spreading out the RSL defense. The Fire got on the board in the 12th minute, as midfielder Pascal Bedrossian played a square ball at the midfield line to forward Justin Mapp, who brought back images of his run for the U.S. National Team against Denmark last month by streaking down the right side of the field on a 45-yard jaunt downfield. At full speed, Mapp cut inside past a Real defender and put a low blast from 12 yards out into the left side-netting to give Chicago a 1-0 advantage.
Mapp's running mate up top, forward Chris Rolfe, nearly doubled the lead in the 33rd minute, but his curling shot from 16 yards out just missed hitting the upper right 90. Midfielder Logan Pause also had a chance to up the Fire lead four minutes later when he cut across the box to redirect a cross from the left flank by midfielder Ivan Guerrero, but the shot was chipped right to RSL 'keeper Kyle Reynish, keeping the score at 1-0 Chicago heading into halftime.
After its starters went the entirety of the first half, the Fire would see its squad turn over fully by the 63rd minute, while Real made a full line change at the halftime break. Real's changes included the insertion of midfielder Duke Hashimoto, who jumpstarted the Utah side's attack with chances in the 50th and 53rd minute that were blocked and ripped wide right, respectively. Mapp would have one more chance to impress just prior to being removed in the 63rd minute with a first-time rocket off a laid-off pass by forward Calen Carr, but Real defender Haddon Kirk blocked the 20-yard rocket before it reached goal. Chicago striker Jerson Monteiro had two quality chances midway through the stanza, but RSL netminder Chase Harrison did well to knock away the dangerous shots in the 73rd and 75th minutes.
Hashimoto would again come to the fore in the 80th minute with a wicked side-volley from 20 yards out that forced a leaping, tip save from Fire goaltender Josh Saunders. But Hashimoto's efforts would finally pay off in the 83rd minute when Jeff Curtin was deemed to take down the Salt Lake playmaker inside the area, setting up a spot kick which Brown confidently deposited into the left side of goal to even things up at 1-1. The match appeared destined for a draw until the Fire earned a corner in the 90th minute, which was played short and resulted in a cross by midfielder Brian Plotkin into the six-yard box. Carr would leap high and head the ball to the feet of the younger Curtin, who made up for the earlier PK call by poking the ball just inside the right post from four yards out to give the Fire the win in the waning seconds.
The Fire will complete its weekend schedule at Disney's Wide World of Sports on Sunday evening, when it squares off against the defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Fire will head back to Bradenton following that contest to complete the first leg of its preseason at the IMG Academy, including a scrimmage against the Kansas City Wizards next Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
CHI - Justin Mapp 1 (Pascal Bedrossian 2) 12
RSL - Chris Brown (penalty kick) 83
CHI - Jeff Curtin 1 (Calen Carr 2, Brian Plotkin 2) 90
Fire Lineup (3-5-2): GK-Matt Pickens (Josh Saunders 45); D-Osei Telesford (Daniel Woolard 63), D-Jim Curtin (Jeff Curtin 59), D-C.J. Brown (Jordan Russolillo 60), M-Logan Pause (Erik Hort 61), M-Chris Armas (Derek Kosek 45), M-Diego Gutierrez (Bakary Soumare 56), M-Pascal Bedrossian (Calen Carr 45), M-Ivan Guerrero (Brian Plotkin 60), F-Chris Rolfe (Jerson Monteiro 59), F-Justin Mapp (Asmir Pervan 63).
Real Salt Lake Lineup (3-5-2): GK-Kyle Reynish (Chase Harrison 45), D-Jack Stewart (Jared Kent 45), D-Eddie Pope (Haddon Kirk 45), D-Danny Torres (Scott Palguta 45), M-Chris Klein (Kevin Novak 45) (Steven Curfman 80), M-Carey Talley (Brian Gil 45), M-Jason Kreis (Kenny Cutler 45), M-Freddy Adu (Duke Hashimoto 45), M-Mehdi Ballouchy (Willis Forko 45) (Joey Worthen 80), F-Jeff Cunningham (Kyle Brown 45), F-Andy Williams (Chris Brown 45).
Discipline Summary
None
