Prior to the Chicago Fire's home opener against the New England Revolution, head coach Denis Hamlett talked about his team's offensive options. By the end of the first half Thursday night, three of those had given the club a 4-0 lead, which turned into a 4-0 win.
"We have tough decisions to make every week," Hamlett said. "We have so many options. It keeps the guys on top of their game. It really depends on who is gelling well."
The Fire controlled the midfield for the majority of the game and outshot the Revs 10-7, including sending eight shots on goal. New England had five shots on goal, all of which Jon Busch was able to save.
"We just kept the ball moving," Busch said. "As long as we kept the ball moving, they had to chase it."
Chad Barrett got on the board first for the Fire after just the fourth minute.
"It was a great start to the evening," Hamlett said. "Our guys came out ready to play. They were into it from the beginning. We got a great goal early."
A red card in the seventh minute certainly helped the cause for the Fire, then newcomer Tomasz Frankowski tallied two goals in the 22nd and 39th minutes.
"Tomasz has an ability to run in the box," Hamlett said. "He gets a half a chance on goal and he scores it. There's definitely competition. We have options up front."
Frankowski's two goals were a first in his two-game MLS career. He actually topped former Fire forward Paulo Wanchope, who tallied two goals in 12 games last season.
"I got a good look on both plays," Frankowski said. "I was in good position and I got the result."
Cuauhtemoc Blanco did what he does best, converting a penalty kick for his second goal of the season and playing a part in two of the other goals with his passing, recording one assist.
Midfielder Justin Mapp collected the first assist on the evening. He said the competition is definitely helping the squad.
"We have so many good players," Mapp said. "There's always competition. It's a good thing when you're not complacent."
Barrett also picked up an assist on the evenings, while Chris Rolfe also created some opportunities. And when it came time to put in some substitutions, Stephen King, Calen Carr and John Thorrington came in and made some noise.
The Fire pulled off a convincing win against a fierce Eastern Conference foe and showed fans that there is something to look forward to in 2008 -- goals. After a 2007 season, which saw the Fire tally 31 goals in 30 games, a 4-0 win is a nice change of pace.
"You're not going to see too many of these results in this league," Busch said. "Tonight was our night. We had a lot of good finishes. It was a good start."
Kathryn L. Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
