Tag Archives: Jon Conway

May 13, 2011 · 8:40 am

Five things to watch for against Toronto FC

Three straight losses followed up by three consecutive draws means it’s safe to say things have not gone to plan this season for the Chicago Fire. But with a trip to Toronto on the agenda this weekend, the Fire will hope to finally put an end to such a dismal run. With just one win its first eight matches this season, Toronto FC enters the match in equally poor form and present the Fire’s best chance to return to winning ways.

Toronto FC currently lies in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, just three points ahead of the Fire, and are coming off a 1-0 midweek defeat to FC Dallas. The Fire will hope to avoid a repeat of last season as the Toronto dished out a 4-1 thrashing on May 8th in this corresponding fixture. The Fire will also be hoping to avoid a recurrence of their worst run of form last season. The club’s worst winless streak last year was seven matches, stretching from August 21st to September 29th. The Fire have now gone just over a month without a win and will equal last season’s streak if they fail to earn all three points on Saturday.

Form guide:

Toronto FC: L-D-L-W-L

Chicago: L-L-D-D-D

5 things to watch for:

1)      Jon Conway – After earning his first clean sheet in a Fire jersey last weekend against the Vancouver Whitecaps, another shutout will go a long way towards solidifying his spot as the Fire’s number one ‘keeper. A lot of fans have expressed their desire to see Sean Johnson reinstated between the posts, but Conway can quell some of those protests with a solid performance on Saturday.

2)      Joao Plata – Despite only having one goal to his name this season, Plata is one of the few bright spots for the Canadian club this season. His play in the attacking third is a valuable asset for Toronto and is one of the few weapons in a misfiring offense. Will he be able to deliver on Saturday though?

3)      Midfield Dominance – Thoughts of a disastrous midfield performance against Colorado were somewhat forgotten thanks to a much improved midfield display against the Whitecaps last weekend. But which of the two will we see on Saturday night? Regardless of what formation Carlos de los Cobos assigns, the Fire should be able to easily control the midfield and hopefully make possession count.

4)      Gaston Puerari – After a bright start to his Fire career, the Uruguayan striker has suffered a dip in form of late but will look to recapture some of that form that had Fire fans raving about his arrival in Chicago. Carlos de los Cobos has opted to play him slightly deeper in a more attacking midfield role just behind Diego Chaves. How will de los Cobos deploy him on Saturday? IS he better off in an attacking midfield role or paired up front with Chaves?

5)      Dominic Oduro – Originally used as a player coming off the bench late in games, Oduro has suddenly forced himself into the Fire’s starting XI. The former Dynamo front man has brought positive play in the attacking third but has failed to display any signs of a quality finish. His goal against the LA Galaxy last month is his only goal of the season, but it’s safe to say he should have at least tripled that tally since then.

 

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May 1, 2011 · 12:33 pm

Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire Post Match Analysis

The Chicago Fire continued its winless streak on Saturday night with a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids at Dick Sporting Goods Park. Similar to last weekend’s draw against Houston, the Fire went ahead in the first half but were pegged back by a second half. Marco Pappa, wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in Pause’s absence, opened the scoring with a close-range finish after a delightful cross from Dominic Oduro. But three minutes after the restart, Andre Apkan scored his first goal in his MLS career with a powerful finish past Jon Conway. The result leaves the Fire in eighth place in the Easter Conference with six points from seven games (1-3-3).

Talking points:

Possession - Carlos de los Cobos introduced a 4-1-4-1 formation for the first time this season in hopes of seeing the Fire control possession, but it was Colorado who enjoyed the bulk of possession on Saturday. The first half in particular saw the Rapids control possession as the Fire’s five man midfield failed to really grab a hold of the match. The fact that the Rapids had 67% of possession in the first half speaks volumes. Daniel Paladini, who was making his first league appearance for the club, failed to make an impact and gave the ball away too easily while Corben Bone was even less effective before being substituted for Orr Barouch after 77 minutes.

Big Pappa – The Guatemalan proved once again why he is one of the Fire’s most reliable players. His goal in the 42nd minute was against the run of play and can be credited to some fine build up play involving Gaston Puerari and Oduro. As the picture below demonstrates, Puerari did superbly to find Oduro in open space with a perfectly lofted pass. Oduro’s pace then allowed him to burst towards the penalty box before finding Pappa with a sublime low cross.

Gaston Puerari finds Dominic Oduro in space in the build up to Marco Pappa's goal

Yamith Cuesta – After back-to-back starts in place of the injured Cory Gibbs in which Cuesta performed admirably, the Columbian failed to replicate those performances against a speedy Colorado attack. Cuesta was beaten all too often by Apkan in particular, most notably for the equalizing goal. The Fire have done well to go in front these past two matches, but if they want to hold a lead and secure all three points they need to improve its defense. Players like Cummings and Apkan can’t be given room to run at the Fire’s defense and cause damage.

Wing Play – One of the few positives to come out of the 4-1-4-1 formation was the freedom given to the wingers. The majority of the Fire’s scoring opportunities were generated from the wing and Pappa’s goal can be credited to good play on the right wing by Dominic Oduro. Whether having freedom on the flanks is worth being overrun in central midfield, well, that’s a topic certainly up for debate. In fairness, the Bone and Palidini were making their first appearances of the season and the Fire’s midfield may have been more effective if Pause was healthy.

Not a month to remember – The result not only leaves the Fire just two points off last place in the Eastern Conference, but caps off a winless month. It is the first time the men in red have gone winless in April and it represents the Fire’s worst ever start to a season. Most of the high expectations entering the season have since been dashed by a string of disappointing results. It is still relatively early in the season, but the Fire really cannot afford to continue in this pattern.

Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire Match Highlights

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April 22, 2011 · 1:28 am

Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo: Five things to watch for

Three straight defeats and suspect defending has seen the Chicago Fire slip to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, a position few thought they would be in at this stage of the season following such a positive start. The Fire will hope to regain its winning form on Saturday night at Toyota Park when they play host to the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo are undefeated in their last four matches and travel to Chicago in hopes of piling more misery on the Fire, as well as avoiding a repeat of last year’s corresponding fixture.

The Fire earned the points in this fixture last season, winning 2-0 courtesy of goals from Baggio Husidic and Logan Pause. But with the Dynamo undefeated in four games and the Fire unable to pick up a point in their last three matches, it is anyone’s guess what result Saturday will bring. Here are my top five things to watch for:

1) Defensive Changes – With 11 goals conceded this season, the Fire have yet to keep a clean sheet and have proven to be extremely vulnerable in defense. In fact, only D.C. United has conceded more goals this season (12). The Fire’s defense was put to the sword again last weekend by a weakened Los Angeles Galaxy side and ultimately paid the price for two defensive mistakes. Carlos de los Cobos will be desperate to see his side cut out the mistakes and will most likely shake things up in defense to boost Chicago’s chances of snapping this losing streak. With Cory Gibbs to undergo a late fitness test following the injury he suffered last weekend, Yamith Cuesta is likely to slot in at center-back while Dasan Robinson could step in for Jalil Anibaba at right back. Regardless of who starts in defense for the Fire, an improvement in communication and concentration is necessary if the men in red are to halt the Dynamo.

2) Defense Out, Creativity In – Fire fans have become frustrated after witnessing three straight stuttering performances and there have been a lot of calls for a more dynamic, creative attacking threat in the starting line-up. Mike Videira and Logan Pause have been de los Cobos’ first choice central midfield pairing, but Saturday’s match could see Baggio Husidic or Daniel Paladini earn their first starts of the season alongside captain Logan Pause. Videira is a talented player, but his major strengths are displayed on the defensive side of things. It would be a wise choice for the Fire to deploy Husidic or Paladini in the center of the park in place of Videira. Not only will provide more attacking options, but It will also improve the Fire’s link up play between the forwards and midfield.

3) Playmaker – While the Fire have lacked creativity in the final third, Houston have thrived with the creativity of midfielder Brad Davis. The veteran playmaker recorded 12 assists in each of the two last seasons for the Dynamo and has already tallied three assists this year. Davis was voted as Houston’s MVP last season and he’s one of the reasons the Dynamo find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Fire will need to keep him under wraps on Saturday. Looking at you Logan Pause…

4) Haunt Your Old Club – On March 23rd, just days before the start of the new season, the Fire announced they had traded Calen Carr to the Houston Dynamo for Dominic Oduro. Unfortunately for Carr, he is still recovering from a concussion and will miss out on the chance to play against his former teammates. Oduro, on the other hand, has every chance of playing against his old club and will look to have a similar impact as he did on Sunday if he does get the nod. Released by Houston because of his inability to finish, Oduro silenced some of the doubters against the Galaxy with a superb finish after coming on as a substitute. Although he may not start against the Dynamo, he will most likely see action at some point and a goal against his old club would go some way to silencing his doubters back in Houston… as well as ensuring the Fire get back to winning ways.

5) Safe Hands – Following Sean Johnson’s performance against Portland earlier this month, de los Cobos has handed veteran goalkeeper Jon Conway a place in the starting lineup in place of Johnson. The defeat to the Galaxy saw Conway concede twice, but in fairness he could hardly be blamed for either goal. Conway will face a tough test against a physical Houston side and it will be interesting to see if he can prove that he deserves his starting berth.

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April 18, 2011 · 9:08 am

Chicago Fire vs. LA Galaxy Post Match Analysis

After a torrid road trip in the Pacific Northwest that resulted in back-to-back losses, the Fire returned to Toyota Park on Sunday in hopes of rediscovering their form against a weakened Los Angeles Galaxy side. David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Juninho were all absent from Bruce Arena’s squad but the Galaxy still managed to overcome a lackluster Fire team to win 2-1 and hand the Fire its third straight defeat. Chad Barrett opened the scoring for the Galaxy in the 42nd minute, beating the offside trap to fire past Jon Conway, who was brought in for Sean Johnson following his disappointing performance against Portland in midweek.

Omar Gonzalez doubled the Galaxy’s lead in the 72nd with a header before substitute Dominic Oduro pulled one back for the men in red with one minute of normal time remaining. A late flurry of corners nearly saw the Fire grab an equalizer, but in the end it would be three more points dropped and more questions being asked about this refurbished Fire team.

Talking Points:

Missed Opportunities – Even before former Fire striker Chad Barrett opened the scoring, Chicago could have and certainly should have been in front. Gaston Puerari, who has been guilty of missing several good one-on-one goal scoring opportunities this season, looked set to put the Fire ahead in the 18th minute after Diego Chaves had flicked the ball into open space. But with only Donovan Ricketts to beat, the Uruguayan chipped the ball just beyond the far post. Gonzalo Segares then followed that up with a narrow miss of his own later in the half. When Barrett’s goal did arrive, the Fire could only blame themselves for being down. After all, looking at the picture below you simply have to wonder how Gaston didn’t score and how different the result could have been had this effort gone in the back of the net.

Gaston Puerari misses a golden opportunity for the Fire in the first half

Offside Trap Gone Bust – When Barrett controlled Miguel Lopez’ and fired past Conway for the opener, I immediately looked towards the linesman for the offside flag. From my view behind the goal in Section 8 and judging by how much space Barrett was in, I found it hard to believe that he was not offside, but upon the replay it was painfully obvious that Jalil Anibaba had kept Barrett onside by failing to step up with the rest of the backline. Josip Mikulic had stopped following Barrett’s run to catch him offside but even he and Cory Gibbs failed to come anywhere close to catching him offside meaning the Galaxy forward was left in acres of space. The picture shows just where the Fire defense and Barrett were when the cross is about to be made.

Chad Barrett finds himself in acres of space to give the Galaxy the lead.

Lack of creativity – Apart from Marco Pappa and Patrick Nyarko, the Fire severely missed a creative spark in the midfield. The introduction of Oduro gave some life to the Fire, but midfield was a case of a lack of possession and ineffective efforts to put pressure on the Galaxy’s defense. Logan Pause is a tremendous player, but his gift lies more within the defensive realm of the game. After all, he did enjoy a stint at right back earlier in his Fire career. As for Mike Videira, he is a hard working player and a combative force in the center of midfield, but he isn’t the type of midfielder capable of providing that necessary creative spark.

Work Ethic – Despite three defeats on the bounce now, the bright side is the Fire haven’t been lacking in effort. Take it for what it is, but even when the Fire were down 3-0 to Portland they kept pushing and were able to pull two goals back. A similar case unfolded again on Sunday as the Fire found themselves down 2-0 but continued to labor and managed to cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately it would end up being too little too late, but you have to at least applaud the effort and look at this team as a hungry and determined group of guys. Things may not be clicking yet for the Fire, but I’d be even more concerned if the effort wasn’t there. Thankfully that’s not the case.

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