The Chicago Fire head into the MLS Cup Playoffs with the best possible tonic, getting goals from Gonzalo Segares, Nate Jaqua and Andy Herron for a 3-2 victory against D.C. United in the final game of the regular season Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium.
In what was essentially a game without tangible playoff implications because the final Eastern Conference standings were already set, both teams were looking to set the foundation for their MLS Cup bids with a victory heading into their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series next weekend, with the Fire taking on New England and United playing New York.
United, the winners of the MLS Supporters' Shield as holders of the league's best regular season record, were fielding a mostly full-strength squad for the first time in weeks due to injuries and suspensions, looked shaky in the back to start the game as the Fire probed behind the United defense, creating multiple opportunities.
Fire forward Chris Rolfe missed a golden opportunity in the third minute to open his team's account when he went in alone against United keeper Nick Rimando on a well-placed through ball from captain Chris Armas out of the midfield. Rolfe tried to get Rimando down early, but the netminder made an excellent diving save to his right to palm away the low attempt.
Minutes later, though, a through ball from from the left side of the midfield found Ivan Guerrero splitting between two United defenders to latch on to the pass at the top of the box. As he touched the ball into space, United's Brian Carroll knocked the speedy Honduran to the ground, and referee Baldomero Toledo pointed to the spot.
Rimando, filling in for starting 'keeper Troy Perkins, who was ill, made a brilliant dive to his right again to stop Herron's penalty attempt.
The Fire's pressure finally paid off when they found the net in the 21st minute. Justin Mapp collected the ball on the right side and lofted a left-footed cross over the United defense to an onrushing Segares, who shrugged off the pressure of United midfielder Matias Donnet and firmly headed the ball past a helpless Rimando for his first tally of the season.
Just minutes later Jaqua, playing in a wide midfield role, volleyed the ball into the net off another cross from the wing to give the Fire a commanding 2-0 lead. This time the ball came from the left side from a curling cross from Ivan Guerrero, which found Jaqua wide open at the far post to easily beat Rimando. The strike was the lanky hitman's eighth on the season, a career best.
United would not be kept down though, as Christian Gomez notched his 13th goal of the season with a beautiful display of skill in the 34th minute to bring the home team within one.
Freddy Adu, playing in the central midfield, received a pass from Jaime Moreno and carried the ball unopposed down the middle of the field and laid it off to his left for Gomez in the left side of the area. Gomez made a deft cutback and floated an arcing, curling right-footed shot into the upper right hand side of the goal past leaping Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens.
United narrowly missed leveling the score in the 42nd minute when Josh Gros took a similar shot to Gomez's earlier goal, though his lofted attempt sailed just beyond the framework.
United, looking eager to snatch a win and finally gain some momentum heading into the playoffs, made a double substitution at the half, inserting midfielder Ben Olsen for Donnet, and Alecko Eskandarian for rookie striker Rod Dyachenko.
While the Fire controlled much of the play in the early parts of the second half, Pickens was kept busy in the Fire goal. He made a solid grab of Adu's curling free kick from the right side of the in the 63rd minute, caught a hard knuckler struck from outside the box by Olsen, parried away a wicked strike from inside the box by Eskandarian and punched a deflected free kick from Gomez all within a matter of minutes.
But the Fire hit for the all-important third when Herron rocketed home his ninth goal of the season. After a beautiful build-up in which the Men in Red pieced together at least 10 consecutive passes, Guerrero received the ball near the top of the box from substitute Calen Carr, moved toward the net and left the ball off for Herron, whose hard shot from 18 yards rattled into the roof of the goal.
United nearly scored a few minutes later as Gomez hit an inswinging cross from the left side that found midfielder Josh Gros open in front of net. But he mis-hit his header and the ball skidded over the end line to safety.
Gomez and United would not concede so easily though, and in the 82nd minute he and Adu hooked up again, collecting a chip in the right side of the area and bouncing a low shot off the inside of the far post for his second of the game and 14th of the season.
Olsen nearly equalized after latching onto a header from substitute Clyde Simms in the 90th minute, but his strike was turned back by the crossbar to preserve the victory for the Fire and giving them momentum heading into their two-game semifinal series against the New England Revolution beginning next Sunday.
Jordan Brown is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
