BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - The Chicago Fire held onto a one-goal advantage to secure a 1-0 win over D.C. United in front of 17,834 fans in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series tonight at TOYOTA PARK. Fire forward Chris Rolfe provided the lone goal of the game in the 14th minute of the match, putting a hard shot past United goalkeeper Troy Perkins. Fire goalkeeper Matt Pickens recorded the shutout tonight, his second-ever shutout postseason play. Tonight's attendance marks the second largest home playoff crowd in Fire history, second behind the 1998 playoffs mark of 32,744.
The Chicago Fire opened scoring in the 14th minute of play as Fire defender Gonzalo Segares sent a lofting pass from the left side of the Fire's half, deep into the United defensive third. Fire forward Chad Barrett tried to get a head off the first bounce of the long ball, but United defender Greg Vanney made contact, redirecting the ball towards his own net. Rolfe ran onto the ball and ripped a shot that sailed past Perkins to give the Fire a one-goal advantage.
The Fire continued to attack throughout the second half and in the 77th minute, midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco slipped a ball behind the United defense for forward Calen Carr running up the middle of the pitch. Carr sprinted onto the 50-50 ball in the box, but Perkins came off his line to clear the ball from danger.
The Fire defense held D.C. to nine shot tonight (two on goal), with defender Wilman Conde garnering Honda Man of the Match honors.
"It's not a secret, we played against a very good attacking team, the best in the league. They had 50-something goals during the regular season, Emilio had 20 goals, they have goals by Gomez, Moreno, and Olsen played very well, as well as Fred on the flanks," said Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "It's a very difficult team to play against. We limited them again to very few chances, so we're very pleased with the defensive side of things today."
With the crucial win tonight, Chicago retain an unbeaten 5-0-1 all-time playoff record against D.C., outscoring United 11-0 across all six contests.
The one-game, one-goal aggregate advantage also gives the "Men in Red" momentum heading into the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series next Thursday, Nov. 1 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. (6:30 CT, ESPN2). The winner of the Conference Semifinal Series will advance to the Eastern Conference Championship and take on either the New York Red Bulls or the New England Revolution.
Fire Lineup: GK-Matt Pickens, D-Dasan Robinson, D-C.J. Brown, D-Wilman Conde D-Gonzalo Segares, M-Logan Pause, M-Chris Rolfe, M-Chris Armas (Captain), M-Diego Gutierrez, F-Chad Barrett (Calen Carr 63), F-Cuauhtémoc Blanco (John Thorrington 85).
United Lineup: GK: Troy Perkins, D-Bryan Namoff, D-Devon McTavish, D-Greg Vanney, D-Marc Burch, M-Ben Olsen (Captain), M-Brian Carroll (Luciano Emilio 78), M-Clyde Simms, M- Fred, F-Guy-Roland Kpene (Jaime Moreno 45), F-Christian Gomez.
Scoring Summary
CHI - Chris Rolfe (UA) 14'
Misconduct Summary
CHI - Diego Gutierrez (caution, reckless foul) 12'
DC - Brian Carroll (caution, tackle from behind) 22'
CHI - C.J. Brown (caution, reckless foul) 51'
DC - Jaime Moreno (caution, reckless foul) 86'
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee's Assistants: Emiliano Monje, Jose Corro
4th Official: Ricardo Salazar
Weather: Clear, 45 degrees
