BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. ā Saturdayās 3-0 loss at FC Dallas didnāt mathematically eliminate the Fire from the postseason, but it might as well have. The defeat kept Chicago in 11th place, 11 points behind eighth-place San Jose with just four games remaining.
Simply put, the Fire were outclassed in all areas on Saturday. They struggled to create chances, defended poorly, and failed to maintain possession, dooming them to their fourth loss in five gamesānot the type of record that makes for a magical push into the postseason.
Two quick observations from Saturdayās match:
1) Tired legs
It wasnāt hard to see that Saturdayās game was the Fireās third in seven days. Chicagoāwho lost 1-0 to Seattle on September 25th and won 3-0 at San Jose on the 29thālooked sluggish from the start, allowing FCD to control the early play before conceding in the 19th minute.
Then, Chicago failed to mount much of a fight after falling behind, getting forward too infrequently for a side with their playoff lives on the line. Their inability to chase the game came down to the tired legs of the starting XIāwhich featured nine players who started in San Jose just three days before.
2) Watson-Siriboe shows his youth
After strong performances in the Fireās two previous games, rookie center back Kwame Watson-Siriboe came back to down to earth on Saturday.
The second-round pick was to blame for Dallasās opener. He misjudged FCD goalie Dario Salaās free kick, allowing forward Milton Rodriguez to run onto the ball just outside the 18. The Dallas striker buried his shot in the upper corner.
Watson-Siriboe didnāt fare much better with the ball at his feet, struggling in distribution before being taken off in the 59th minute. It was a step back for the UConn product, who has shown great potential but obviously still has much to learn.
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.