and a first goal scored by one of their players.
• Just 14 minutes, the Red Bulls were given a massive advantage. Mac Kandji escaped defender Wilman Conde and headed alone toward goal, but John Thorrington tripped him up from behind, and referee Tim Weyland immediately showed a red card.
• But it was the Fire who scored the game's only goal in the 33rd minute. A high ball caught in the wind was half-cleared out the area, and Marco Pappa stepped up to send it back goalward with a low shot. The ball bounced off the inside of the left post and rolled across the goal, barely crossing the line for his first MLS goal.
• Fire head coach Denis Hamlett made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with D.C. United the weekend before. Bakary Soumare and Gonzalo Segares came back from international duty into the back four, in place of C.J. Brown and Daniel Woolard.
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Tim Ward, Bakary Soumare, Wilman Conde, Gonzalo Segares - Logan Pause - Marco Pappa (Austin Washington 84), John Thorrington, Justin Mapp (Brandon Prideaux 46) - Patrick Nyarko (Chris Rolfe 70), Brian McBride. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Banner, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Nick Noble, Dasan Robinson
• "Our team showed unbelievable work rate, commitment, given the conditions tonight. Even though we were a man down early, we stuck together, we kept working, got a little bit of help from the wind with the goal, with Marco (Pappa). Great finish hitting it the first time and I'm more proud of that today. It shows the commitment of the team," Hamlett said.
TEAM NEWS
• The win gave the Fire a record of 2-0-1 in the early season, good enough to remain in a tie with New England for first place in the Eastern Conference. With a clearly stated goal of winning the conference and earning home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs, the result was important.
• I've spoken all of preseason in terms of bringing 21 out of 24 guys back and there's a sense of trust, understanding, commitment, working with each other. Those are the things it takes to try and win a championship," Hamlett said. "I think you've seen it in the three games, three different scenarios, early goal in Dallas and early goal in D.C. and then tonight a man down and come back and get a goal and hold it off the whole second half."
• With the performances of Pappa and striker Patrick Nyarko (who scored the week earlier vs. D.C. United, returning regulars Chris Rolfe and Cuauhtemoc Blanco have been kept on the field. Neither has started a game this season and the duo has played a total of 78 minutes out of a possible 540.
• "These young guys are making my job much harder," Hamlett told the Chicago Tribune. "I can't get Cuauhtemoc [Blanco] and [Chris] Rolfe on the field because they're doing so well."
• On Tuesday night, the Fire played the University of Illinois-Chicago in their annual benefit match, the Fire running out 3-0 winners through goals from Austin Washington, Dasan Robinson and Stefan Dimitrov.
• That gave Hamlett a chance to get a game for both Blanco - who set up a goal - and Rolfe, as each played the full 90 minutes. Here's Hamlett's team: Nick Noble (Andrew Dykstra 45), Mike Banner, Drew Degurian, Dasan Robinson, Brandon Prideaux (Cesar Zambrano 64), Justin Mapp (Ryan Miller 45), Baggio Husidic, Austin Washington (Pat McMahon 83), Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chris Rolfe, Stefan Dimitrov.
• "These games are a great opportunity for our second-string guys to get some playing time," Hamlett said. "It's hard to get everyone minutes. Tonight's game was a good result. We were able to score some goals. Overall, we looked good."
• In addition, Baggio Husidic, the Fire's first-round selection in this year's SuperDraft out of UIC, played the whole match for the Fire. The rookie has yet to see any first-team time this season. "Things are going well. I'm fitting in well with the team," Husidic said. "It's an adjustment, but I think it's going well."
