Wilman Conde's first career MLS goal in the 86th minute proved to be the game-winner for Chicago as they scored twice in the last nine minutes to win 2-1 at New England. Gonzalo Segares scored in the 81st minute to tie the game after the Revolution went ahead in the third minute on Taylor Twellman's goal. The win gave the Fire a three-game season sweep of New England for the first time since 1998. The win extended the Fire's unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4) and brings the club to just one point behind New England in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is now 9-5-5 (32 pts) while New England is 10-5-3 (33 pts.).
GAME NOTES
• Tonight's victory extends the Fire's unbeaten streak to 7 games (3-0-4)...the last time the Fire lost was June 19 at Chivas USA (2-0)...the 7-game streak is Chicago's longest in 2008 and the longest since the club had an eight-game unbeaten streak last year to finish the season (3-0-5).
• The Fire is now 5-2-3 on the road in 2008...tonight's win was the first on the road for the club in 5 road games and the first since May 25 at New York when the club won 5-1.
• Chicago wins the season series against New England by a 3-0- mark.
• Taylor Twellman's goal in the 3rd minute was the fastest for a Chicago opponent in 2008.
• The New England goal in the 3rd minute broke a streak of 300 consecutive scoreless minutes for the Fire and GK Jon Busch...this is the 2nd-longest streak in MLS this season.
• Cuauhtémoc Blanco returned to the Chicago lineup tonight after missing last week's game due to a yellow card suspension.
• Tonight's victory was the first for Chicago this season when the club allowed the first goal...the team is now 1-4-1 when doing so.
• The Fire's next game is Saturday, Aug. 16 vs. D.C. United at TOYOTA PARK. Kickoff for that game is set for 7:30 p.m. (My50, WRTO 1200 AM - Spanish)...Tickets are available via chicago-fire.com, ticketmaster.com or by calling 888.MLS.FIRE.
QUOTES
Chicago Head Coach Denis Hamlett
"[The ejection] definitely changed the game. We ended up taking advantage of that situation, where we had the 11 on 10. Our guys moved the ball pretty well. We had a little bit of luck on the first goal, but sometimes you need that.
"I think we put ourselves in a hole with being behind so early. We were a little too casual to start, which led to the corner kick. They've been dangerous all season, especially the last month. All their goals seem to come off set-pieces. We got behind, but I think our guys felt that we were playing well, we were moving the ball. We weren't quite in synch in the final third, but we just kept moving the ball and kept having patience and it paid off in the last ten minutes."
"We said to our guys, we have to make sure that we play 90 minutes tonight. It's a credit to this group; they've been working hard and they left it all on the field tonight. It's good to see our guys get the 3 points tonight, because I thought we played well enough to deserve the points."
"[Wilman] Conde is a big time player. He understands what it takes to play in this league and how to play. He knew he was at fault for that first goal and he found himself in a spot where he was just alert enough to get in on the end of that play. It was a great ball that Marco [Pappa] played across. Tomasz [Frankowski] took a good shot and Reis made a good save, but Wilman was there to tap it in.
Defender Wilman Conde
On scoring the game-winner
"It was a very important goal for our team. We are trying to get to the top of the conference and to get three points in this game was important."
Defender Gonzalo Seagares
"Tonight's game was a lot of fun. When you get down by a goal early you have to keep fighting. We knew this was not going to be an easy game. They are one of our big rivals and to get three points out of the match is a great result for us."
Goalkeeper Jon Busch
"This is a huge three points for us because it puts us above Columbus and right up there behind New England. I thought them getting a red card and going down to 10 players really helped us. Our guys just kept fighting the entire game and it paid off in the end. Gonzalo has a great shot. I have tried to stop it many times in training and I know it can be difficult to stop."
