the only blemish on Chicago's record in its new home.
But the Revolution scored a pair of well-worked goals to take a first-half lead. In the 23rd minute, Taylor Twellman sent a long ball to the left flank, where Clint Dempsey took on the Fire defense before rolling a pass to a running Steve Ralston. Ralston escaped a defender with a neat turn and curled the ball inside the right-hand post for the opener.
Then in the 37th minute, Andy Dorman set Twellman free to run at the Fire defense, then continued his run down the center of the park. At the top of the area, Twellman cut away before knocking a neat backheel into Dorman's path, and he bent home a sharp left-footed shot from just outside the area.
After the break, the Fire unleashed an onslaught at the Revolution. But they could only hit home once: Diego Gutierrez sent a long back up in the inside-left channel, Nate Jaqua shielded off his marker and powered a dipping blast inside the far post to pull a goal back.
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made one change to the team that lost 3-2 to the Colorado Rapids in Denver on July 4. Avery John returned from suspension, coming into central defense as Tony Lochhead returned to the substitutes' bench.
Here's Nicol's team (4-4-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John, James Riley - Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Andy Dorman (Tony Lochhead 89) - Clint Dempsey (Pat Noonan 82), Taylor Twellman (Willie Sims 92+). [Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Brown, Jose Cancela, Jani Galik, Doug Warren]
"I'm delighted when we get three points. First half we were deserving of the two-nil ahead, we were keeping well, we were making good decisions and they really didn't trouble us too much," Nicol said. "Second half was a complete opposite. All they did was give us trouble. We didn't pass the ball well. But we got some great boys with big hearts and they toughed it out."TEAM NEWS
Over the last month, the Revolution have played eight games - and have lost only one. The victory in Chicago was the third in that stretch.
"You know, we've had seven games in 22 days. And to pull that many points, we're pleased with it," Nicol said. "We'll give the guys a few days off and hopefully they can recover. We still have another tough stretch, a game at home and another three away. We're not of the woods as far as that is concerned, but this obviously helps."
Still, the Revs knew they survived a difficult second half. "It was a tale of two halves right there. First half we played pretty well, second half we got too much of a show," Steve Ralston said. "We have to do a better of keeping the ball and getting forward. You can't sit back for that long. Three or four minutes more and might have gotten tied up. We are lucky we got out of here with three points. It's a big three points for us after the schedule we've had recently and ending it with three points is big."
Taylor Twellman saw his goal-scoring streak ended at three games. But he assisted on both goals - meaning he's been in on six of the Revolution's last 13 goals.
Pat Noonan came on in the 82nd minute, his first appearance since June 3. He was not on the trip for the Colorado match, but was in the 18-man group for the visit to Chicago.
"It's great to have options," Nicol said to The Boston Globe. "He's got some things on fitness. He hasn't had any real training for six weeks. He's got a wee bit of work to do. But he's healthy."
With the start against the Fire, defender Jay Heaps became the all-time leader in appearances for the Revolution. "It was my dream to play for the Revolution when the team started," said Heaps, who was raised in Longmeadow, Mass., to the Globe. "Being a hometown guy, it's neat having the most games and most minutes played. I'm not in a position to be a leading goal-scorer or most assists, so it's a nice accomplishment."REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake had their winless streak extended to six games, the Los Angeles Galaxy scoring two quick goals early in the second half for a 2-0 victory Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. Real have 13 points from 16 matches, still in sixth place in the Western Conference, now five behind the fifth-place Galaxy and 10 behind Chivas USA, who hold the final playoff place in the division.
LAST MATCH
The Galaxy were all of a sudden carrying a three-game unbeaten run and hadn't allowed a goal in more than 5 1/2 hours. After winning three games in four outings to seemingly turn around their sophomore season, Real had gone five games with a victory.
A quiet first half burst to life with a pair of goals in the first five minutes after the break. In the 47th minute, a quick throw-in found Herculez Gomez behind the RSL defense near the endline. He skipped back toward his own goal, slipping past two defenders and sent a blast inside the near post to put the Galaxy in the lead.
Then three minutes later the Galaxy were gifted a second. A poor clearance from Scott Garlick was intercepted by Josh Gardner just outside the area, and after he created an angle he drove the ball into the empty net.
The Galaxy held on for their fourth consecutive clean sheet -- Andy Williams saw a shot go off the face of the bar in the 70th minute -- and they now hold the longest shutout streak in MLS this season at 422 minutes.
Real head coach John Ellinger made two changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Chivas USA on July 4. Carey Talley came back into the team in central midfield and Nelson Akwari into the back, as Jeff Cunningham and Willis Forko returned to the substitutes' bench, Ellinger also man-marking Landon Donovan with Kevin Novak.
Here's Ellinger's team (3-1-4-2): Scott Garlick - Nelson Akwari, Eddie Pope, Daniel Torres - Kevin Novak (Jamie Watson 75) - Chris Klein (Andy Williams 65), Douglas Sequeira, Carey Talley, Mehdi Ballouchy - Jason Kreis, Atiba Harris (Jeff Cunningham 59). [Substitutes Not Used: Chris Brown, Kenny Cutler, Willis Forko, Jay Nolly]
"Bottom line is there were two shots on goal, and both went in. We just can't give them away like that," Ellinger said. "There is accountability. I take responsibility for every loss. The players win games, so if we lose it is not a problem with me to take the loss again."TEAM NEWS
Ellinger wasn't pleased with the way the goals came about. "We gave it away," he said. "On the first goal, the ball should have been kicked away and cleared downfield, and I don't know about how everyone else saw the other, but from where I was standing, it was pretty ugly. That ball should have been kicked downfield. We took unnecessary risks in both those goals and it cost us."
Real have now been shut out in three of their last four league games. "Defensively we have been playing pretty well, but if we are just going to give goals away than this is just going to keep happening time after time after time and we are never going to get out of the cellar," Ellinger said.
After scoring 10 goals in a four-game unbeaten run, Real have scored just two goals over their last six matches. "It was difficult afterward to get a goal but we need to do is to keep moving forward," Douglas Sequeira said. "When we take our lumps, we need to show that we have the capability of responding. Next week in Boston we need to show that."
Despite Real's record, Kreis is far from giving up. The team's leader and workhorse struggles to comprehend reports saying RSL is out of contention.
"I've been hearing a lot and reading a lot that we have a slim chance of making the playoffs; I don't understand that, I really don't," Kreis said. "There's 48 points left available, there's 16 games, we're only halfway through the season. We don't trail teams by that many points; maybe I'm just wrong. Maybe I'm just flat out wrong, but I believe this team has a lot of fight left in them."
On Tuesday, Real survived their third-round match in the U.S. Open Cup, overcoming a game Virginia Beach Mariners of the USL First Division (second tier) 2-1 in extra time at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Jeff Cunningham gave Real a lead after 28 minutes when he converted from the penalty spot after Jamie Watson was taken down in the area, but Tim O'Neill pulled the Mariners level nine minutes later. Then in the third minute of extra time - after a half-hour weather delay - Andy Williams drilled home a free kick to send Real into the fourth round for the first time ever.
"The rest of (last) season it hung over our heads every time a U.S. Open Cup game rolled around," Ellinger said. "It was a great goal by Andy and it gets us into the next round."
Here's Ellinger's team for the Open Cup tie: Jay Nolly, Kevin Novak, Nikolas Besagno, Cameron Knowles, Willis Forko, Chris Brown (Ryan Johnson 83), Kenny Cutler, Carey Talley (Mehdi Ballouchy 61), Andy Williams, Jamie Watson (Atiba Harris 72), Jeff Cunningham (Joey Worthen 61).
