FC Dallas took an early lead thanks to a remarkable goal from Kenny Cooper, but the Chicago Fire stormed back with goals from Justin Mapp, Brian McBride and Cuauhtemoc Blanco for a 3-1 victory Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park in the MLS season opener for both teams.
The win snapped FCD's six-match unbeaten streak against the Fire as the teams renewed their Brimstone Cup rivalry, the honor given to the winner of the season series by the supporters groups of both teams, which FCD has won seven years in a row.
In the ninth minute, Cooper gave the partisan crowd something to roar about when he scored on a long-range bomb from his own side of midfield. The FCD striker saw Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch off his line and decided to take a shot. Busch quickly backpedaled but was a step late as Cooper's shot floated into the right side of the net for the goal.
Despite the early goal, the Fire began to control the run of play for much of the first half and spent much of the opening half in FCD's third of the field. Mapp took a number of free kicks in that area of the field, and in the 19th minute struck a perfect cross that traveled through the FCD box to Marco Pappa. But his shot was a bit off the mark and sailed high over goal.
The Men in Red drew level in the 38th minute thanks to Mapp. The play started when Chicago right back Tim Ward played a ball from deep in the Chicago end. Ward's bomb landed near the top of the restraining arc, where Patrick Nyarko was waiting.
While Ward's ball was en route, FCD center back Steve Purdy, who was marking Nyarko, fell down, which allowed the Fire forward to gain possession, After tapping the ball back a step with his right foot, Nyarko slotted a pass to Mapp, who was just inside the right side of the FCD box. Mapp's shot from 16 yards out went past FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala and the match was deadlocked.
Chicago gained their first lead of the evening six minutes after halftime when McBride converted a penalty kick. The spot kick was awarded after FCD right back Drew Moor was whistled for a handball inside the box.
Once again, Ward started things off for the visitors, chipping the ball from the right flank toward Mapp, who was battling Moor for position on the left flank. As Ward's cross was coming in, the ball bounced off the field and hit Moor's hand, triggering the penalty kick.
FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman made his first change of the night in the 70th minute when he subbed Eric Avila in for fill-in defensive midfielder Bruno Guarda. The Brazilian stepped with FCD captain Pablo Ricchetti unavailable because he was serving suspension after being ejected in FCD's 2008 season finale at Los Angeles.
Right after Avila entered the game, things started happening for FCD as they chased the equalizer. A Pappa takedown from behind of Blake Wagner in the 71st resulted in the Chicago midfielder being shown yellow. In the 71st, a great individual effort by Wagner near the top of the box almost produced a goal, but his shot missed the left side by mere inches.
However, the home side's best chance for an equalizer came in the 72nd minute. Dax McCarty took a great corner from the far flag which Moor headed squarely towards goal. But Moor's header hit the right post and was then cleared.
FCD hit the post again in the 81st when a header by Jeff Cunningham rattled off the crossbar near the right corner.
Blanco, the former Mexican international, didn't start because of a sore knee, but once he came on in the 79th minute for Pappa, he started to again tilt the action in Chicago's favor. Less than a minute after entering, he took a shot. In the 80th, he ran up the right flank and attempted to chip the ball over Sala's head into the net but the FCD 'keeper was on point and able to make the save.
Blanco's goal came less than a minute before the final whistle. After John Thorrington was fouled by Purdy right outside the area, the Mexican international stepped up and took the free kick from about 20 yards out. As he has done countless times before, Blanco struck the ball with pinpoint precision and it went into the left side of the net to give the Fire a 3-1 lead.
The home side outshot the Fire 15-8 in the final frame, but in the end, FCD was unable to overcome the Fire advantage. The loss also ended an FCD unbeaten streak in Dallas against the Men in Red that had reached 14 matches.
Chicago returns to the field next Saturday at RFK Stadium against D.C. United while FCD will play host to Chivas USA next Sunday afternoon in Frisco.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
