BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - The Fire’s 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union Saturday night at Toyota Park may not have been Chicago’s prettiest effort of the year. And it may not have been their most convincing victory of the season.
But when you’re the Fire and you haven’t won a match since April 24th – a span of seven games including friendlies – you’ll take the three points anyway you can.
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“It was kind of a weird game,” said Fire midfielder Justin Mapp. “But we did what we had to do to win.”
And weird it was. The Fire were dominated for the opening 10-plus minutes of the match, failed to control possession, and, at times, looked downright ugly with the ball on their feet. But they worked hard, stayed tight defensively, capitalized on their chances, and, ultimately, got the win.
And regardless of how the game went, the three points at the end of the night is the only thing that matters.
“We needed points, it’s as simple as that,” Mapp said. “We hadn’t won in a number of games so whether [it was] pretty or ugly we just needed three points, so it was big for us.”
The story behind Saturday’s win was a somewhat unfamiliar one for the Fire. The players, who had gotten all too used to answering questions about breakdowns in each box over the last few weeks, did well in both the offensive and defensive thirds against Philadelphia, finishing their opportunities and preventing the Union from putting theirs away.
The first instance came in the 14th minute, when midfielder Baggio Husidic gave the hosts a 1-0 lead. Standing six yards from goal, Husidic received a pass from winger Patrick Nyarko and one-touched a left footed effort into the back of the net.
“I tried to stay calm, not to rush anything,” Nyarko said. “I just slipped it in to [Husidic] and he got contact… All he needed [to do] was to touch it and it went in.”
Winger Marco Pappa gave the Fire a 2-0 advantage in the 74th minute, when he slotted home from 12 yards out after a sequence of Chicago shots left several players on the ground and Union keeper Chris Seitz out of position.
Neither of Chicago’s two goals was an incredibly difficult finish, but both were encouraging. Putting away chances – even the easy ones – has become an issue in recent weeks for the club (midfielder Mike Banner’s missed sitter against FC Dallas immediately comes to mind), and Saturday’s match could represent a turning point in an area that coach Carlos de los Cobos said Tuesday was a point of concern.
Defensively, the Fire limited the mistakes that plagued them in past matches. Apart from one or two shaky moments, the back four looked organized and executed well. In yet another improvement from past weeks, the Fire defense did not allow the Philadelphia attackers too much room in the final third.
But Chicago still has plenty of room for improvement. Chances won’t come as easy against MLS’s big boys as they did against the expansion Union, and the likes of the Galaxy and the Crew certainly won’t waste any opportunities the Fire offer up.
