BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Goalkeeper Sean Johnson would prefer to focus on the offensive strengths of his Chicago Fire teammates rather than worry about the attacking prowess of the opposition ahead of Sunday’s clash with the LA Galaxy at Toyota Park (4 pm ET; MLS Live).
The Fire (2-3-6) entertain an LA Galaxy (4-3-3) side rejuvenated by the return of talisman Landon Donovan following his omission from the USMNT, and his partnership with Ireland’s record goalscorer Robbie Keane means the porous Fire defense will have their hands full once again in pursuit of their first clean sheet of the season.
But the Fire have significant firepower of their own, only the New England Revolution have scored more than their 19 goals in the Eastern Conference, and Johnson believes that should give the visitors cause for concern on Sunday.
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“We have a very talented team,” the Chicago 'keeper said before practice at Toyota Park on Tuesday. “A lot of teams respect us and the way we play, and this season we have had a very strong attack ourselves and scored a lot of goals.
“Defensively, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane will definitely be a concern for us, but we’ll make sure they’re accounted for accordingly. At the same time we have to focus on what we need to do. We’re at home, we’ll definitely be pushing for three points. … We’re right back in the think of it, and we can’t take our foot off the peddle and worry about them too much.”
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The Fire’s attacking unit was weakened by the enforced absence of Mike Magee and Patrick Nyarko for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at the Columbus Crew, and both players remain a concern for this weekend.
And while Johnson was disappointed with his side’s third defeat of the season, he believes the team have what it takes to return to winning ways on Sunday.
“On the night, I just think Columbus were the better team,” Johnson said. “We came out a bit flat and they scored two quick goals and you never want to start on the back foot away from home. That being said, we’ve won two out of our last three games so it’s been a good month for us and we’ll be looking to close out the month strong.”
