In their 1-1 tie with Scottish Premier League side Celtic FC, Chicago Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio was not taking a light-handed approach with his team after Sunday afternoon's friendly at Toyota Park.
"I let my players know that I am very disappointed that we did not win this game," Osorio said. "I think that if we finished 25 percent of our chances we could have and would have won the game by at least a two-goal difference."
One person who did make a difference was Cuauhtémoc Blanco.
The arrival of the Mexican superstar did not go unnoticed as he scored the lone tally for the Fire in the 30th minute and also led Chicago with five of its 12 shots.
"There were good signs (Sunday)," Osorio said. "We had better perception and I think in general we defended quite well but we'll continue improving the team. There is only one way to do it and it is to work and to work on the training pitch. That's what we're going to do."
With Blanco's arrival, the attacker opened up the field for forwards Calen Carr and Chad Barrett. Carr recorded two shots while Barrett, who is tied with the team lead of four goals, had one attempt on the match.
However, Osorio believes the Fire have great room for improvement as they have scored just 13 goals in 16 MLS contests.
"We need to work and have a better mindset," Osorio said. "We cannot have possession just for the sake of having possession but when we have possession we have to have a purpose. We passed too many times in the attacking third (of the field) and if we had that killer instinct, we would attack more."
Jon Busch came into the game in the second half, replacing Matt Pickens in goal for the Fire. Busch said the Fire still have a good chance to make some noise in the second half of the season.
"It's not a new start but a fresh one," Busch said. "We're not that far from first place and we have a good team to make a run. We feel that we've been playing better and practicing better."
Busch said Osorio has been making his presence felt as the new coach of the Fire.
"He makes everyone accountable," said Busch. "That's the meaning of being a professional. We know if we're not getting the job done, we'll be gone. As someone who has been a professional for 11 years, I appreciate that. It's not personal, it's business."
Tim Hilton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
