The Chicago Fire (8-10-6 30 pts.) battled to a 2-2 tie against the New York Red Bulls (11-10-4 37 pts.) tonight at TOYOTA PARK in front of a season-high sell-out crowd of 20,586. The Red Bulls opened scoring with a goal from defender Dave van den Bergh in the 10th minute. The Fire answered with a penalty kick in the 54th minute by Cuauhtémoc Blanco. New York added a second goal off a penalty kick in the 69th minute by forward Juan Pablo Angel, yet the Fire knotted the game a minute later on a header from defender Gonzalo Segares for a 2-2 final score.
The Red Bulls got the first point of the match off a strike by van den Bergh in the 12th minute of play as he collected a mis-cleared corner kick and fired a shot toward goal. The attempt deflected off of the Fire defender Dasan Robinson and midfielder Diego Gutierrez before redirecting into the back of the net for an early goal.
In the 53rd minute Blanco sent a ball into the Red Bulls 18-yard box toward forward Chad Barrett streaking to the left post. Barrett stretched for the ball but was dragged down by defender Chris Leitch, affording the Fire a penalty kick opportunity. Blanco placed the penalty kick just inside the lower left post and past a diving Watereus to tie the match at 1-1 n the 54th minute of play.
A deliberate handball called on Fire defender Wilman Conde inside the Chicago 18-yard box resulted in his second yellow card, and subsequent ejection from the game, as well as a penalty kick for New York. Angel sent the ball into the lower right corner to give the Red Bulls a one goal advantage in the 69th minute.
Despite playing a man down, the Fire leveled the match on a goal courtesy of Fire defender Gonzalo Segares in the 70th minute. Blanco sent a bending cross from 24-yards out toward the left side of the 6-yard box for Segares. The Fire's Costa Rica international got a step on his defender to put a head on the cross, redirecting the ball into the left side of the goal to knot the game 2-2.
"We can't concede goals from set plays, so I was a little disappointed," said Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. In general, I think the players showed great character and mental strength to play one man down and still manage to come back 2-2. Obviously we needed the 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."
The tie tonight brings the Fire to 8-10-6 (30 pts.) in league play, keeping the "Men in Red" in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Chicago currently hold the final wildcard playoff position, sitting two points ahead of both the Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew. The "Men in Red" return to action in an ESPN2 MLS Primetime Thursday match against FC Dallas on Sept. 20, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (7:00 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
