CHICAGO FIRE v CHIVAS USA
TOYOTA PARK, Bridgeview, Ill.
7:30 p.m. CT (FSN-PT)
Aug. 12, 2006 (WEEK 19) / MLS Game #125
A pair of teams looking to begin to consolidate their playoff placings come together at Toyota Park. The Chicago Fire are playing the eighth game of their nine-game homestand having gone winless in their last three, and while they are tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and have two games in hand over Kansas City, just eight points separate second to sixth in the division. Chivas USA are also in fourth place in the Western Conference after having drawn four games in a row, four points ahead of the fifth-place tie between Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Craig Lowry; JAR (opposite): Michael Salyers; 4th: Michael Kennedy
MLS Career: 105 games; FC/gm: 30.6; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 23; pens: 34
MLS 2006: 4 games; FC/gm: 27.5 (avg: 28.8); Y/gm: 3.5 (avg: 3.44); R: 0 (MLS: 12); pens: 2 (MLS: 20)
Games involving Fire: P16 W8 L5 T3; FC/gm: 31.9; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 4; pens: 6
Games involving Chivas USA: P3 W2 L1 T0; FC/gm: 34.0; Y/gm: 2.3; R: 0; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: MF Craig Capano (L knee derangement), DF Jeff Curtin (R adductor strain), DF Jordan Russolillo (concussion), MF John Thorrington (L MCL sprain) ... CHIVAS USA - OUT: MF Ramón Ramírez (L knee MCL sprain); FW Mike Muñoz (R ankle tendonitis); DF Lawson Vaughn (sports hernia); DOUBTFUL: MF John O'Brien (R patella tendonitis); QUESTIONABLE: FW Juan Francisco Palencia (L hamstring strain)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHI: Diego Gutierrez, Logan Pause, Gonzalo Segares ... CHV: Jesse Marsch
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: Dasan Robinson ... CHV: Juan Pablo Garcia, Jason Hernandez, Sacha Kljestan, Francisco Mendoza, Tim Regan, Lawson Vaughn
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (3 meetings): Fire 2 wins (0 shootout), 6 goals ... Chivas USA 1 wins (0 shootout), 3 goals ... 0 draws
AT CHICAGO (1 meeting): Fire 1 win (0 shootout), 5 goals ... Chivas USA 0 wins (0 shootout), 2 goals ... 0 draws
This is the second of two meetings between the teams this season, the first one ever at Toyota Park.
A year ago, the Fire won both of the meetings between the teams in Chivas USA's inaugural season, the two encounters coming a little less than a month apart at midseason.
Once again, it's also an encounter of the only two head coaches the Fire club has ever known, both of whom took the club to the MLS Cup Final (Bradley winning in 1998), and both of whom moved to Chicago after stints as an assistant coach with D.C. United where each was part of a MLS Cup victory.
Coaches record: Bob Bradley v CHI: P12 W4 L5 D3 ... Dave Sarachan vs. CHV: P3 W2 L1 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS)
5/27: CHV 1, CHI 0 (Garcia 2)
In the first meeting this season between the clubs, Chivas USA claimed a 1-0 victory at The Home Depot Center on May 27. It didn't take long for Chivas to open their account. Ante Razov collected a through ball on the left side of the area and fired a low shot toward the far post that Fire 'keeper Zach Thornton could only parry. It rolled out to the penalty spot where Juan Pablo Garcia came in to side-foot home
Chivas head coach Bob Bradley gave Preston Burpo his MLS debut in goal - and he made the early goal stand up for his first MLS shutout, the third for Chivas in four home games this season, after allowed eight goals in two road matches leading into the Chicago match.
Here's Bradley's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Lawson Vaughn, Jason Hernandez, Tim Regan, Jonathan Bornstein - Juan Pablo Garcia (Brent Whitfield 82), Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza (Orlando Perez 71) - Juan Francisco Palencia (Matt Taylor 76), Ante Razov. [Substitutes Not Used: Brad Guzan, Drew Helm, Rodrigo Lopez, Estuardo Sanchez]
Here's Sarachan's team (4-3-1-2): Zach Thornton - Tony Sanneh (Floyd Franks 11), Dasan Robinson, Jack Stewart, Leonard Griffin (Calen Carr 64) -, Logan Pause, Chris Armas, Ivan Guerrero - Thiago - Nate Jaqua (Andy Herron 76), Chris Rolfe. [Substitutes Not Used: Jared Montz, Matt Pickens, Brian Plotkin, Gonzalo Segares]
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago Fire come out of the All-Star break tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 22 points from 19 matches, level with the Kansas City Wizards, two behind the New York Red Bulls and six behind second-place New England Revolution. They haven't won in their last four games, now seven games into their nine-game home stretch at their new stadium in Bridgeview.
LAST MATCH
After winning three games in a row to start a nine-game homestand in their new Toyota Park, the Fire had gone winless in three, with two losses followed by a draw. But the Crew were winless in their last 10 games, having not won since June 3.
Each goalkeeper did their part to ensure the game remained scoreless on the night. In the first half, before the first half hour was complete, Fire 'keeper Zach Thornton made two saves to keep the Crew off the board.
Then late in the match, as the Fire looked to grab the three points at the death, Crew 'keeper Bill Gaudette was called upon to make three saves, including a pair in stoppage time- the only ones he made on the night - to ensure his side shared the points.
Fire head coach Dave Sarachan made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with D.C. United the previous Saturday at Toyota Park. Tony Sanneh came in for the suspended Logan Pause wide on the right - making his first start since May 27. Nate Jaqua also returned to the team in attack, for the injured Andy Herron.
Here's Sarachan's team (3-4-1-2): Zach Thornton - Dasan Robinson, C.J. Brown, Gonzalo Segares - Tony Sanneh (Justin Mapp 62), Chris Armas, Diego Gutierrez (Floyd Franks 85), Ivan Guerrero - Thiago - Nate Jaqua, Chris Rolfe (Chad Barrett 76). [Substitutes Not Used: Andy Herron, Jim Curtin, Matt Pickens, Brian Plotkin]
"It was a hard night tonight. We played against a team that sat in. We had three good looks in the end, but their goalkeeper came up big on the night," Sarachan said. "We came up with a point, but it wasn't for the lack of trying to win the game. We put a lot of effort in getting forward and it took us a while in the first half to find the openings, but we made adjustments at halftime. It's just tough because we had the looks that we needed."
TEAM NEWS
The Fire nearly changed their fortunes over the final half-hour, when Justin Mapp, Chad Barrett and Floyd Franks all came on. It was a second consecutive substitute role for Mapp after six consecutive appearances as a starter, while Barrett started the first six games but has not been in the first XI since, though he scored two goals on June 28 v Real Salt Lake.
"It's really important that your reserves give you something and tonight all three did. As we go forward, we've got to have help off the bench," Sarachan said. "We feel we're deep. There have been games in the past where our reserves didn't help us, but tonight all helped make a push. They made it clear they can help us."
Chris Rolfe was in the team for a second consecutive game as a starter after missing eight games to injury. He began his first game back partnered by Andy Herron, but he was hurt after 13 minutes, so Nate Jaqua came on - who started with Rolfe in attack against the Crew.
"[At halftime] we talked about getting on the same page and coordinating our runs a little bit better. Even not at top between the two forwards, but also within the midfield, especially Thiago as well," Rolfe said. "We needed to work together a little bit better. That'll come. This is the second game I've been back. We've got some new guys in there."
The Fire survived the early chances of the Crew, and the visitors rarely threatened over the rest of the way. "It was a tough game because most of the night they want to counter, and we're trying to push numbers forward," Zach Thornton said. "We did a good job of not falling into their hands, you know, breaking up their fast breaks. When we had it we did a good job of getting behind the ball and being pretty organized."
It was the third shutout for the Fire defense in eight matches at Toyota Park. "It's the kind of game you'd like to win at home. Those guys [the defense] always put a great effort in," Thornton said. "I was happy that the defense did a good job and we could get a zero tonight. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the win, which is the most important thing, but it gives us confidence that we can put up zeros."
The fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match against the Kansas City Wizards, postponed because of weather on Aug. 2, will be played next Monday, Aug. 14, at Toyota Park. The winner will take on the New England Revolution, who survived a penalty kick shootout against the USL1 Rochester Raging Rhinos after a scoreless draw.
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Sunday afternoon at the Los Angeles Revolution - their fourth draw in a row - before the largest crowd to see a game involving club teams in U.S. soccer history. Chivas are still in fourth place in the Western Conference with 28 points from 21 matches, one behind the third-place Colorado Rapids and five points ahead of the fifth-place tie between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.
LAST MATCH
Before the largest crowd to watch a match involving just club teams in U.S. soccer history, both teams came in riding streaks of draws - Chivas USA having played to three in a row, the Revolution two.
All the scoring came in a seven-minute span early on. In the 16th minute, Steve Ralston set Pat Noonan free down the right flank, and after cutting into the Chivas penalty area, he hit a rolling ball across the top of the six-yard box. Clint Dempsey swung over the ball as he came running on through the middle, but Twellman was at the back post to sweep it home for his ninth goal of the season.
In the 22nd minute, Sacha Kljestan corraled a bouncing ball as he ran to the corner of the penalty area, and cut a pass back for Jesse Marsch well outside the box. He took a step forward and hammered a low drive through a forest of legs that sailed inside the right-hand post of New England goalkeeper Matt Reis.
The game was played before a crowd of 92,650, surpassing the crowd of 92,216 that saw the Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Tampa Bay Mutiny at the Rose Bowl on June 16, 1996, which was also part of a doubleheader, that involving a USA-Mexico international friendly.
Chivas USA has now played in front of two of the three largest regular-season crowds in MLS history, playing in front of 88,816 last Aug. 10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the "Doble Super Clasico" that also included a match between CD Guadalajara and Club America, the largest previously for games involving only club teams.
Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley made no changes to the team that played to a second successive 3-3 draw, at Real Salt Lake on July 26.
Here's Bradley's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo, Tim Regan, Jason Hernandez, Claudio Suarez, Jonathan Bornstein, Juan Pablo Garcia, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza (Matt Taylor 84), Juan Francisco Palencia (Orlando Perez 68), Ante Razov. [Substitutes Not Used: Rene Corona, Brad Guzan, Drew Helm, Carlos Llamosa, Brent Whitfield]
"The game had the feel of a playoff game. The crowd and the atmosphere were terrific. I think the heat took a lot out of both teams so in the second half things slowed down a little bit. I thought we started the game well, unfortunately got down, had a good response to get to 1-1," Bradley said. "For the rest of the first half I thought we gave the ball away too easily, so we ended up defending too much. We were deep and allowing them too much room. Generally I thought the second half was better. In some cases the final play let us down today."
TEAM NEWS
Not only was it a fourth consecutive draw for Chivas, but an eighth in their last 10 league matches. Since June 18, they've lost just once - but also won just once.
"For the majority of that game I thought we played pretty well and played well enough where I feel like we deserved three points," said Jesse Marsch. "But we need to start to win games like that. I know it's hot, I know the field is hard, it's a different environment, but for me, that's a game we've got to get three points out of."
Said Bradley: "It's a process to become a better team. We're hard to beat now and generally our soccer's pretty good, but now in these games, when you need to be able to raise the bar and play at a little higher level or need to execute a final play when it really counts, those are things that have not been consistent for us."
Chivas have just four home games remaining among their final 11 league encounters - and two of those come in their return home after the Chicago match, Aug. 19 v Kansas City and Aug. 26 v Houston.
"Frustrated, upset, since we need to win," Juan Pablo Garcia said. "We need the three points and now we're losing points that could help us get us into the playoffs."
Both of Marsch's goals have been equalizers to secure an eventual point for Chivas. He scored in the 75th minute on June 28 in a 1-1 home draw with Houston Dynamo.
"Blind squirrels get a nut every once in a while. I just tried to get a good foot on it and it went right where it needed to go," he said. "I think Matt Reis was a little screened but I was glad that we could just get in the game again so that was good."
