BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – A subdued Frank Yallop dissected the details from the Chicago Fire’s 15th draw of the season and admitted “we’re not quite good enough.”
The Fire raced into an 11th-minute lead with a superb goal from the unlikely head of Lovel Palmer, but a second-half saved penalty on Jeff Larentowicz and a late equalizer from Dwayne De Rosario ensured Toronto FC left Toyota Park with a point instead of three.
“I never make excuses and I never hide behind anything. We’re not quite good enough,” Yallop told reporters at the postgame press conference. “Another tie is not great for us. Usually you find ways to lose matches as a group, and a lot of coaches have said that, but we find ways to tie matches when we should be winning them. It’s frustrating, but it’s where we’re at.”
Larentowicz’s 57th-minute penalty was well saved by Joe Bendik, who also repelled the rebound from Quincy Amarikwa. It was the Fire’s fourth penalty kick miss of the season, and Yallop conceded that those missed opportunities have cost his side this year.
“I won’t say that penalty kicks have haunted us this year, but I think they have, especially at home,” Yallop lamented. “We’ve still got to see the game out, though. Forget the penalty kick; 1-0 late in the game, we have to find a way to sort it out. It’s just lax marking again and not having that real last do-or-die spirit to win a game. And that’s what’s missing.”
In truth, the late equalizer was probably no more than Greg Vanney’s visitors deserved after enjoying 70 percent possession on the night. And although that dominance didn’t translate into chances, with Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson a virtual spectator until the dramatic finale, Toronto could have won the game in the dying seconds if not for a controversial call from referee David Gantar to rule out Gilberto’s late effort for a questionable foul on Bakary Soumare.
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“They actually could have won it,” Yallop added. “I haven’t seen the play again on video, but they could have won 2-1. It’s disappointing. Same old sort of story when I felt we were in control of the game, doing great.”
Yallop concluded by paying tribute to his players, who overpowered their opponents in spells with pace and power, especially on the break from attacking trio Amarikwa, Sanna Nyassi and Grant Ward. Still, there is obviously room for improvement.
“I can’t fault the guys for their continued efforts, but their slight mental breakdowns are hurting us," said Yallop. "I think that’s the big thing for us. We’ve tied another game, but should have won it, to be honest.”
