Tag Archives: Diego Chaves

December 31, 2011 · 12:32 am

The most memorable Chicago Fire quotes from 2011

“I didn’t know that one day I’d get a chance to play with the Fire. I’m just happy to be the winner out of everyone. Every player’s dream is to be a professional with the team they loved and rooted for when they were young. I’m really excited for the opportunity to join the team for preseason.” - Pareskevas Pantazopoulos, winner of the Fire’s annual open tryout (1/19)

“It’s been a dream ever since I was young to be a professional soccer player. I’m super excited and super happy to be with the Fire.” – Orr Barouch on signing with the Chicago Fire (3/14)

“It was absolutely important to get the win at home. Winning here is one of the things we are focused on changing. We got the best fan base in the league and we need to do our part in and be responsible for our actions on the field. We hope to create an environment and mentality that refuse to lose.” – Logan Pause after the Fire’s 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City in its home opener (3/26)

“I was very, very excited. And when that happens, you don’t really think. You’re kind of just having fun and that’s what I was doing.” – Jalil Anibaba after his “guise through the smoke” stunned Colorado in a USOC play-in match. (3/31) Continue reading →

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October 16, 2011 · 12:35 am

“How bout’ them Fire?” – A comeback for the ages

As the match entered the 90th minute of play, it appeared the Chicago Fire’s already slim playoff hopes were finally fading away for good. Moments earlier, MLS’ likely Golden Boot winner Dwayne De Rosario blasted home a penalty after Gonzalo Segares was adjudged to have fouled Santino Quaranta inside the box. RFK stadium was ecstatic. And who can blame them as DC United entered Saturday night’s match on the back of three straight losses.

But all of a sudden, the craziest, most pulsating and unforgettable five minutes of the Fire’s season ensued. It was a series of events no one associated with the Chicago Fire organization will ever, ever forget. The emotions of the players said it all while the celebrations on the Fire bench provided the exclamation point. Meanwhile, 600 miles away in Chicago, the Globe Pub erupted with a combination of shock and jubilation at seeing the men in red pull of one of the most improbable comebacks imaginable. Continue reading →

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July 1, 2011 · 8:36 am

Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire: Five things to watch for

Nothing would make this July 4th weekend more perfect for the Chicago Fire than three points when they take on Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center on Saturday. The win over Columbus has already begun to feel like ages ago as the Fire have once again found it difficult to convert draws into wins. Meanwhile, their opponents on Saturday have recently struggled to even earn a draw and have lost their last three matches.

Form guide:

Chivas USA: D-W-L-L-L

Chicago: D-W-D-D-D

Five things to watch for:

1)      Top scorer – After a highly successful season last year, Justin Braun has continued where he left off and has been an essential figure in this Chivas USA side. He’s scored four goals already and is one of the team’s main go-to-guys.

2)      Full concentration – The Fire looked solid for the majority of the 90 minutes last weekend and came agonizingly close to earning all three points. A defensive error ultimately cost them the win. Against Chivas USA, the Fire can’t afford to shut off defensively at any point in the match against a team who is just as hungry for a win as the Fire.

3)      Heath Pierce – Arguably one of the most important players for Chivas USA, Heath Pierce has started every league match this season and has often been the driving force of this team. He’s been sharp defensively this season and has even chipped in with three assists. The Fire will certainly need to keep tabs on Pearce.

4)      Midfield shuffle – With Daniel Paladini suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, look for Baggio Husidic to pair with Logan Pause in central midfield, who is due to make his return from injury this weekend. Pause will need to focus on controlling the midfield while a lot of pressure will be on Husidic to provide attacking impetus. Will they be able to deliver?

5)      Open the floodgates – After going over two months without a goal, Diego Chaves finally found the net in the Fire’s midweek clash with the Rochester Rhinos in the third round of the US Open Cup. His goal was enough to send the Fire through to the quarter-finals and another goal today will be just as well received. Likely to be paired with Nazarit. Can the two forwards cause problems for Chivas USA’s defense? More importantly, can the Fire finally improve its play in the final third? We can only hope so.

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June 24, 2011 · 6:41 pm

Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls: Five things to watch for

The Chicago Fire welcome the New York Red Bulls to town on Sunday in a match that pits the league’s leading scorers against one of the most in-form defenses. The Red Bulls, currently in first place in the Eastern Conference, have scored 26 goals this season and face a team who has only given up one goal in its last five matches. Both sides will have to be at their best on Sunday as the league leaders look to strengthen their hold on first place while the Fire, unbeaten in six, look to continue their climb up the table. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

Form guide:

Chicago: D-D-W-W-W

New York: D-D-W-D-L

Five things to watch for:

1)      Set-pieces – First and foremost, keep an eye on set pieces. Anyone who watched New York’s 4-2 defeat to the Seattle Sounders will know set-pieces was their downfall. Three of the four goals the Red Bulls conceded were off corner kicks and in the end it proved the difference. Well, that and a horrific mistake by Greg Sutton. We’ll get to that later.

2)      Defensively sound – One goal conceded in the last five matches is an incredible stat for the Chicago Fire. Hearing this, an outsider would think the Fire have been soaring up the table. Well, not quite. But seeing the backline find consistency and cut down on its defensive errors is great for the club. The Fire’s defense will face its most difficult test yet against the Red Bulls.

3)      Goal drought – With the Fire’s defense at the top of their game, the offense needs to start scoring in order to turn some of these draws into wins. Christian Nazarith misses out again through suspension, meaning Orr Barouch or Dominic Oduro will most likely get the start alongside Diego Chaves. As the Fire’s main striker now after the departure of Gaston Puerari, Chaves needs to step up and help carry some of that load. He hasn’t scored since the 1-1 home draw against Houston on April 23rd, but now would be as good of a time as any to change that.

4)      Superstar power – After serving his highly publicized one match suspension, Thierry Henry is in line to start against the Fire. Rafael Marquez (Gold Cup), Tim Ream (Gold Cup), Luke Rodgers (injury) and Juan Agudelo (Gold Cup) are all unavailable so a lot of the Red Bulls’ offense will most likely flow through Henry. You don’t need me telling you what he’s capable of, so now it’s just a matter of the Fire’s defense being up for the task. They’ll also need to be focus on shutting down Dwayne De Rosario and Dane Richards.

5)      Blunder at the back – Apart from Roger Levesque’s brilliant Scuba celebration on Thursday night, the main talking point after the Red Bulls’ loss to the Sounders was New York’s goalkeeper, Greg Sutton. With the score at 3-2, Sutton miscontrolled a simple back pass and allowed Levesque to duly slot the ball into an empty net and celebrate in style. New York has struggled in the goalkeeper department all season and the Fire will have a chance to capitalize on that, particularly if Sutton starts. Substitute ‘keeper Bouna Coundoul could get the nod instead, but regardless of who plays, this is a major weakness in an otherwise strong Red Bulls team.

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June 17, 2011 · 8:02 am

New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire: Five things to watch for

Following a momentous win in Columbus last weekend, the Chicago Fire continue their stretch away from Toyota Park with a trip to rivals New England Revolution on Saturday (kick-off at 6:30 p.m.) in hopes of maintaining that winning feeling. Christian Nazarit ended the Fire’s 11 match winless streak with a goal from close range in the 90th minute of the Fire’s 1-0 win over the Crew to give the men in red their first league win since March 26th. New England could now find themselves in a similar situation, having lost their last four matches and slipping to 7th place in the Eastern Conference, level on points with Chicago.

Form guide:

New England: W-L-L-L-L

Chicago: D-D-D-D-W

Five things to watch for:

  1. Gold Cup regrets? – Having rejected Grenada’s invitation to represent his country in the Gold Cup, Sharie Joseph opted to stay back with the Revolution and help the club move up the standings. The result has not been what he and the Revs would have hoped for, however. Four defeats on the trot has seen New England slide down the standings, with Joseph particularly struggling the past couple of matches. That said, Joseph remains the leading scorer for the Revs with four goals and has proven himself capable of being a match winner in the past, meaning the Fire should still be cautious of what he brings to the table.
  2. Tightening the ship – After shipping goals from almost everywhere on the pitch in the early stages of the season, the Fire have finally come to grips at the back. Yamith Cuesta and Cory Gibbs have established a burgeoning partnership at the heart of defense, while Gonzalo Segares has continued his fine form at left back. Both Bratislav Ristic and Jalil Anibaba have deputized at right back and have helped contribute to three consecutive clean sheets for the Fire. Sean Johnson also looks to his best, causing us to wonder why he was ever kept out of the side for so long by Carlos de los Cobos. A clean sheet on Saturday will equal the club’s record of four straight clean sheets. Can the Fire maintain their defensive form and keep New England out?
  3. Runaway top scorer – The Fire couldn’t really ask for a better opportunity to equal its record of consecutive clean sheets. The Revolution have scored just three goals in the last seven matches and looked out of sorts in front of goal during their 0-0 draw with Toronto FC on Wednesday night. In fact, only Joseph has managed to score more than one goal for the Revs this season. Seven players are tied in second with one goal apiece and the club’s total haul of 11 goals scored this season is a league low.
  4. Attacking options – With Gaston Puerari being transferred to Club Atlas on Wednesday and Marco Pappa still on Gold Cup duty with Guatemala, the Fire’s attacking options will be slightly limited. Patrick Nyarko and Dominic Oduro will most likely start on the wings while Nazarit could partner Diego Chaves up front. If this is the case, we could see Orr Barrouch make yet another substitute appearance if the Fire need more attacking talent on the field as the match progresses. Barrouch has made 12 appearances this season, all of which have been off the bench.
  5. And then there was one little Uruguayan– Puerari’s departure means a greater burden will be placed on Chaves to deliver the goods (despite Puerari not contributing much in terms of goals). Nazarit will need to contribute as well, but he’s still young and finding his feet in the MLS. Chaves started the season in terrific form but hasn’t scored since his opener in the 1-1 home draw with Houston on April 23rd. The Fire will certainly be hoping for a few more goals out of him. Saturday wouldn’t be too bad of a time to score one.

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