Tag Archives: soccer

June 21, 2011 · 9:20 pm

Chicago Fire vs. Real Salt Lake: Five things to watch for

Another match and another rival. That seems to be the case lately for the Chicago Fire, who picked up five points from a possible nine during a three match road trip that included matches against rivals Columbus and New England. The Fire finally return to Toyota Park on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. and will welcome back former Fire captain and current Real Salt Lake assistant coach C.J. Brown and his new team. Both sides are coming off 1-1 draws as Real Salt Lake picked up a point at home against D.C. United and the Fire earned a point on the road in New England. RSL currently sits in 4th place in the Western Conference with 22 points from 13 matches, while the Chicago Fire have moved up to sixth in the East 15 points from 15 matches. RSL won both meetings last year by a 1-0 scoreline, but the Fire will be hoping to avenge those losses and pick up its third win of the season.

Form guide:

Chicago: D-D-D-W-D

Real Salt Lake: L-W-L-D-D

Five things to watch for:

Danger man – With four goals in nine starts this season, Fabian Espindola is RSL’s leading scorer and earns a spot in my list of five things to watch for on Wednesday. The Argentinean is also RSL’s most threatening offensive player with 22 shots on goal this season, only five short of what he managed the entire season last year. The Fire defense will have their work cut out for them when it comes to containing Espindola and will certainly need to keep an eye on him throughout the match if they want to get a win.

Don’t be shy – In the aftermath of their 1-1 draw with D.C. United, RSL could be forgiven for feeling hard done by the referee for awarding Charlie Davies with a late penalty for what was a clear dive. But anyone who watched the match will know that it was D.C. United who should have been feeling frustrated with just a point at the final whistle. Ben Olsen’s side dominated most of the game and certainly created the better chances. Chris Pontius even hit the crossbar twice with shots from the edge of the area, which seemed to be a big weakness for RSL. Central defenders Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers were too slow to close down D.C.’s midfield around the edge of the box and they nearly paid the price. The Fire could benefit from that type of defending on Wednesday, as several players for Chicago are capable of hitting the back of the net from outside the box. I can already see Paladini, Oduro and Nyarko lining up to hit one.

Ghanaian connection – With Nyarko returning from injury and Marco Pappa on duty for Guatemala in the Gold Cup, Nyarko and the in-form Oduro have occupied both of the wings in the last few matches. As a result, the Fire have reaped the benefits and enjoyed success on both wings, with Nyarko most recently teeing up Oduro for his first half goal against the Revolution last weekend. The main question now is whether Frank Klopas continues with both Ghanaians on the wing or if he gives Pappa an immediate return to the starting eleven. Regardless of what combination Klopas opts for, the Fire are in good shape on the wings. Look for Oduro and Nyarko to start on Wednesday and for Pappa to make a late second half appearance off the bench.

Due some luck – I’m going to go out on a limb and going to say that Orr Barouch will score on Wednesday night. Incredibly, the Israeli forward has amassed 13 appearances this season but is still yet to earn a start. I don’t see that changing against RSL, but I do think we’ll see a change in fortune in front of goal for Barouch. After all, he’s been extremely unlucky lately. He hit the crossbar late on against Sporting Kansas City and Columbus and was only denied a winner on Saturday against the Revolution by a goal line clearance. I think it’s safe to say a goal is on the way! With Gaston Puerari being transferred last week and Christian Nazarith suspended for the Fire’s next two matches, the Fire could use a goal from Barouch.

Honoring a legend – The Chicago Fire have announced they will honor C.J. Brown at the end of the match. After retiring at the end of last season, Brown took up an assistant coaching role with RSL and will make his first visit to Toyota Park in different colors than the red and white he proudly wore for 12 seasons. In fact, Chicago Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas even played with C.J. for several seasons in a Fire uniform. You can expect a tremendous reception for C.J. when he steps out on the field on Wednesday night and when he is deservedly honored after the match.

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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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June 10, 2011 · 8:29 pm

Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire Post Match Analysis

All of the talk prior to Thursday’s match centered around Sporting Kansas City’s new stadium, but after 90 frustrating minutes the only thing on the Fire’s minds was yet another match without a win. It’s been 75 days and 11 matches since the Fire finished a match on top. Despite coming close to breaking that streak on several occasions the Fire never really looked like earning all three points at LIVESTRONG Park.

Talking points:

Offensive inefficiencies – It’s not the first time this season the Fire have failed to find their offensive rhythm and at it won’t be the last. Christian Nazarit tested KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen with a fine header in the first half, but otherwise saw very little of the ball and looked more and more tired as the match progressed. Gaston Puerari worked his socks off once again but was ultimately inefficient on the attacking side of things while Diego Chaves, who had been dropped to bench for a well earned rest, entered the fray in the second half but never looked like getting anything going. Dominic Oduro was the most threatening for the Fire, using his speed to create several opportunities while forcing Nielsen into several saves before the Danish ‘keeper received his marching orders for handling outside the penalty box.

Sega – One major bright side from the Fire’s past two draws is the form of Gonzalo Segares. Apart from an early misjudged header in his own box early in the first half, the Fire’s first choice left-back was in fine form and proved difficult for KC to get past. Yamith Cuesta and Cory Gibbs also looked solid on Thursday. Note: Segares wore a black armband to honor the death of his girlfriend’s mother.

PaldadiniXI – After all the calls for Daniel Paladini to start for the Fire, the former NASL midfielder has started and impressed in back-to-back matches. He looks intent to shoot from outside whenever he can and who can blame him. His powerful drive in the first half looked goal bound only for a vital deflection to interfere while his long range effort in the second half was spilled by Eric Kronberg, allowing substitute Orr Barouch to come inches away from giving the Fire the lead.

Penalty drama – Following Barouch’s effort that cannoned off the cross bar, Omar Bravo found himself with possession in the Fire penalty box only for Bratislav Ristic to interfere with a stalwart challenge that grounded the former Mexican forward. The disapproval of LIVESTRONG Park was clearly evident as referee Michael Kennedy opted against giving KC what initially appeared like a clear penalty. Upon review, however, it appears Kennedy was spot on (no pun intended) in his decision not to award the home side a penalty kick. His decision is still up for debate, but Ristic looks to have just gotten enough of the ball to fairly thwart Bravo.

What rivalry? – A lot of the talk heard from Kansas City this season has not been about their new stadium, but instead about this new rivalry with the Chicago Fire. As for the Fire, the club has never considered KC to be a rival and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Rivalries aren’t made overnight, they are built over time and Thursday’s match did little in devel

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April 25, 2011 · 5:13 pm

Support OSA World Juggle-a-thon for World Malaria Day!

Every Chicago Fire supporters knows who Mike Banner is, but most will be unaware of the fact that every 45 seconds a child dies from Malaria. Today, the Fire’s very own Mike Banner will be participating in the OSA World Juggle-a-thon to benefit Nothing But Nuts. The event takes place at 6pm CT tonight and soccer players, fans and coaches everywhere are juggling to get better and to save lives. The OSA World Juggle-a-thon is put on by OnlineSoccerAcademy.com for Nothing But Nets.  Nothing But Nets is an MLS partner charity and for every $10 raised they provide a life saving bed net to a person in need in Africa. You too can help!

How do I participate?

1.  Download a pledge sheet on the “OSA World Juggle-a-thon” page of OnlineSoccerAcademy.com (link too http://www.OnlineSoccerAcademy.com)

2.  College pledges or flat donations prior to juggling.  The minimum suggested amount to raise is $30.  Do that, you save 3 lives and you get a shirt!

3.  Juggle for your juggling record by yourself or with friends at 6pm your time!  After follow directions on pledge sheet and mail in your funds raised!

OSA World Juggle-a-thon Highlights so far:

28 pro players on board including Jay Demerit and Carli Lloyd from the US National Team

Multiple pro freestylers participating including 16 year old phenom Indi Cowie (she was on Good Morning America and New York Times recently)

One freestyler is going for Guinness World Record of most sole juggles during OSA World Juggle-a-thon

Multiple youth soccer clubs and pro supporters groups are participating and hosting OSA World Juggle-a-thon parties

CASL in North Carolina is hosting a two field OSA World Juggle-a-thon party – they have over 10,000 youth soccer players

For more information, questions or comments please visit OnlineSoccerAcademy.com (link to http://www.OnlineSoccerAcademy.com) or contact their founder Jared Montz at Jared@JMSoccer10.com.

After spending several years living in Kenya, I can’t begin to tell you the importance of protecting children from malaria. What better way to support a great cause than by juggling a soccer ball? Come on, go and rep the Fire at tonight’s event, you know you want to!

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· 9:21 am

Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo Post Match Analysis

The Chicago Fire appeared destined to take all three points against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night, but an 83rd minute header by Bobby Boswell meant the Fire were forced to settle for a draw. Despite picking up its first point in four matches, the draw felt more like a defeat – for both players and fans – after the Fire had started so brightly. Diego Chaves fired Chicago in front on 18 minutes following some tricky play by Marco Pappa and a fortunate deflection into his path. The goal was well taken and certainly had Toyota Park believing the Fire could finally snap their winless streak. Dominic Oduro could and should have cemented what would have been a vital win in the 66th minute, but the former Dynamo striker could only manage to clip the crossbar on a one-on-one with Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall. The miss would prove costly in the end as the Fire extended its winless streak to four games.

Talking Points:

Diego does it – When the announcement came that the Fire had signed Diego Chaves from Nacional, very few people were predicting that this little Uruguayan would already have four goals to his name at this stage of the season. But in just six matches played, Chaves has already proven his worth and has quickly established himself as the Fire’s main scoring threat. His latest was a clinical yet powerful strike that left Hall with absolutely no chance. It is great to see Chaves flourishing so far and if it wasn’t for the Fire’s stuttering start to the season, I think you would be hearing a lot more people talking about him.

Fans get their wishes – Following the LA Galaxy defeat last weekend, Fire fans were pleading for Carlos de los Cobos to mix things up in midfield in the lead up to Saturday’s match. With Logan Pause and Mike Videira proving to be an ineffective central midfield pairing, most fans would have been thrilled to see Baggio Husidic’s name in the starting XI. Considering his lack of playing time in recent weeks, Husidic put forth an impressive shift in place of Videira. Offering more creativity and attacking impetus, Husidic linked well with Chaves and Oduro and the rest of his midfield counterparts. He may not have had a standout game, but he did the simple things well, was composed on the ball and looked to move the ball forward as much as possible. I think he could be the answer to the Fire’s midfield problems.

Off the line – Drafted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Yamith Cuesta performed admirably in the center of defense for the Fire. Fans were singing Cuesta’s praises in the 23rd minute after the giant defender was on hand to clear Will Bruin’s effort off the line after Josip Mikulic and Jon Conway had been beaten. Although slightly at fault for Houston’s equalizer, Cuesta was impressive for the most part on Saturday and I will certainly feature in plenty more matches for the Fire this season.

One-on-one – It’s a striker’s dream: You’ve been put through on goal by a teammate and the only thing standing between you and the goal is the ‘keeper. More often than not, it’s a certain goal. But that hasn’t been the case for the Chicago Fire this season. Oduro became the latest player to be guilty of missing a glorious one-on-one opportunity after kissing the crossbar with a shot from 12 yards out when instead he should have been celebrating doubling the Fire’s lead. Gaston Puerari, who ironically was left out for Oduro, missed similar opportunities against FC Dallas and the Seattle Sounders earlier this season. The next training session better involve plenty of finishing practice for the Fire forwards.

Stoppage Time – When the fourth official indicated seven minutes of time would be added on, I thought the Fire had a great chance of snatching a late winner. To both my disappointment and the majority of the 12,473 fans in Toyota Park’s frustration, the Fire failed to create a single genuine scoring opportunity. Being the home side and a team without a league win since March 26th, wouldn’t you expect the Fire to at least do a better job of creating goal scoring opportunities late in the match? Instead, the Dynamo looked the more likely team to grab the decisive winner.

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