Chicago Sun-Times

Fire lets late lead slip away, settles for tie

Sun, 29 Sep 2013 02:37:47 -0500

Much was going right Saturday for the Fire. It was playing in front of 18,173 fans at Toyota Park. Mike Magee had scored two goals to push his team-leading total to 18. And the team had opportunities, including a penalty kick, to pad its lead. But the Montreal Impact scored the tying goal in the 87th minute, and the Fire’s playoff hopes suffered a blow in a 2-2 tie. The Fire (11-12-7) earned one point and trails the Philadelphia Union by two in the battle for the fifth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with four regular-season games …

Fire’s game against Montreal has huge playoff Impact

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:12:36 -0500

The excitement burned bright and vanished quickly. On Sept. 14, the collective mood of the Fire was buoyant after a riveting comeback victory over the New England Revolution that thrust the team into a top-five position in the Eastern Conference standings. But then came the most deflating loss of the year, a 3-0 whitewash against the Columbus Crew. This came after the Fire had defeated the Crew in its three previous meetings this year. “We hit the posts, we hit the crossbar, we [had] opportunities [though] overall we were just not good enough,” midfielder and team captain Jeff Larentowicz said. …

Fire falls to Crew, drops out of playoff position

Sun, 22 Sep 2013 00:34:00 -0500

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dominic Oduro gave Columbus the early lead, Federico Higuain converted a penalty kick to in the second half and the Crew cruised to a 3-0 victory over the short-handed Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Oduro took a ball from Jairo Arrieta on the right side of the box in the 15th minute and fired into the far corner for his team-best 11th goal. The Fire (11-12-6) went down a man in the 29th minute when Bakary Soumare was ejected for his challenge of Arrieta just outside the penalty area. Arrieta was tackled by goalkeeper Sean Johnson in …

Fire looking to solidify playoff position

Sat, 21 Sep 2013 02:12:55 -0500

After the Fire’s 3-2 comeback victory last Saturday over the New England Revolution at Toyota Park, coach Frank Klopas appeared wiped out as well as elated. “In the history of the team, this [victory] is right up there with the best,” he said. The game-winning goal by Alex in the 87th minute lifted the Fire from seventh place in the Eastern Conference to fifth, the final playoff qualifier, with six games to play. The Fire (11-11-6, 39 points) is tied with the Philadelphia Union, but it holds the tiebreaker with more victories. The Fire is one point behind the Houston …

Saturday’s result: Fire 3, Revolution 2

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 02:37:56 -0500

He was fresh, ready and alert. The man with the rock star name delivered great theater. Inserted into the game in the 83rd minute, Alex provided a jolt by registering an unassisted score from about 30 yards out that curled inside the near post in the 87th minute for the Fire’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over the New England Revolution Saturday night at Toyota Park. Alex’s score marked a sharp reversal of the Fire’s failure to finish games that haunted the team recently. The crucial victory snapped a four-game non-winning streak, with a loss and draw coming in the 89th …

Fire facing crucial match against Revolution

Sat, 14 Sep 2013 01:38:00 -0500

Since its sluggish start, the Fire has been a team on the outside looking in. Having finally caught up, the team remains without direction, moving sideways more than forward. “We are going to need more energy,” forward Dilly Duka said after the Fire’s 1-1 draw against Toronto FC on Wednesday night. “It hasn’t been an easy stretch, and we’ve played some good teams. We have a home game against New England, and we have got to have energy for 90 minutes and keep it positive.” Sustaining energy and effort has been a crucial issue of late for the Fire. The …

Fire’s offense fades in disappointing 1-1 draw

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 00:21:53 -0500

TORONTO — For 20 minutes the Fire played with requisite aggression and skill and looked poised to secure a necessary road victory — until reverting to some bad habits. The Fire struck first but failed to sustain the edge and left BMO Field here with another disappointing result in a 1-1 draw against a developing Toronto FC team near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. It was the fourth consecutive game the Fire (10-11-6, 36 points) scored just a lone goal. The team is just 1-1-2 in those games and remains a point behind New England and Houston for …

‘Chicago Fire’ cast favors neighborhood bars

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 02:24:22 -0500

The cast of the NBC show drills down on a few favorite watering holes in Chicago.

Fire must make hay on road against Sounders

Sat, 07 Sep 2013 02:13:06 -0500

The mood inside the Fire’s locker room at Toyota Park on Sunday was somber and restrained. It’s hard to imagine an atmosphere so eerie and subdued for a team that didn’t lose. The sense of a missed opportunity was palpable. The reaction was natural after a seemingly secured victory dissipated into a sorrow-filled tie when the Fire surrendered a goal to the Houston Dynamo in the 90th minute of a 1-1 draw. “We really needed to get those points, especially being at home,” coach Frank Klopas said. “You cannot afford really to get just one point there.” The Fire (10-10-5, …

Own goal costs Fire in loss to Sounders

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 01:00:01 -0500

SEATTLE — The Seattle Sounders benefitted from an own goal in the 89th minute to beat the Fire 2-1 for their fourth straight win. The Fire’s Gonzalo Segares ran back toward the goal to clear the ball and instead knocked it into the net. Lamar Neagle also scored for Seattle (14-8-4), which has won seven of its last eight. Mike Magee had a goal for the Fire (10-11-5), which has never beaten the Sounders while losing for the fourth straight time in Seattle. …

Late goal by Dynamo yields 1-1 draw with Fire

Mon, 02 Sep 2013 02:15:12 -0500

The near uncanny combination of opportunity, skill and luck that was holding the Fire aloft came to a crashing halt as the Houston Dynamo scored a goal in the 90th minute to earn a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park. The Fire ended the afternoon how it started, down two points to the Dynamo for sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Despite holding the lead for 53 minutes, the Fire (10-10-5, 34 points) failed to climb above .500 for the first time this year. Technically, Houston players were credited with both goals. The Fire seized the 1-0 lead …