Fire aim to reverse form vs. RSL
CHICAGO FIRE v REAL SALT LAKE
TOYOTA PARK, Bridgeview, Ill.
4 p.m. CT (TeleFutura)
May 27, 2007 (WEEK 8) / MLS Game #52
The Chicago Fire return to Toyota Park trying to put an end to their longest losing streak in five years, as they play host to a Real Salt Lake side still looking for their first victory on the 2007 season when the two face off Sunday in Bridgeview. The Fire posted three wins and a draw to begin the campaign before losing four in a row, their longest such skid since 2002. Real have managed four draws in seven games this season, but are still looking for a first victory with Jason Kreis in charge, though he suffered his first defeat as a head coach in a loss to FC Dallas last time out.
REFEREE: Jorge Gonzalez. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Frank Anderson; 4th: Richard Heron
MLS Career: 9 games; FC/gm: 28.3; Y/gm: 4.8; R: 1; pens: 1
Games involving Fire: first game
Games involving Real: P1 W1 L0 T0; FC/gm: 29.0; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 0; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: DF Osei Telesford (L groin strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Calen Carr (L ankle contusion/strain); MF Diego Gutierrez (L toe fracture); FW Chris Rolfe (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: MF Ivan Guerrero (L ankle sprain); MF Thiago (R groin strain); MF Justin Mapp (L shoulder strain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); DF Dasan Robinson (R groin strain); DF Gonzalo Segares (L ankle sprain) ... REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: MF Carey Talley (R fibula hairline fracture); DOUBTFUL: MF Kenny Cutler (obseitis pubis); DF Steven Curfman (R ankle sprain); PROBABLE: FW Chris Brown (L hamstring strain), DF Willis Forko (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: Calen Carr
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (4 meetings): Fire 3 wins, 9 goals ... Real Salt Lake 1 win, 5 goals ... Draws 0
AT CHICAGO: (2 meetings): Fire 2 wins, 5 goals ... Real Salt Lake 0 wins, 2 goals ... Draws 0
• This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one set for Toyota Park. Their only encounter this year at Rice-Eccles Stadium will take place on Aug. 18.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/3: RSL 3, CHI 1 (Cunningham 57, 77; own goal 69 - Plotkin 62)
6/28: CHI 2, RSL 1 (Barrett 80, 85 - Kreis 25)
• A year ago, the teams split their two meetings, each winning on their home ground. Real's 3-1 win at home on June 3 was their first in the series, after Chicago swept the two meetings in RSL's inaugural campaign.
• Coaches record: Dave Sarachan v RSL: P4 W3 L1 D0 ... Jason Kreis vs. CHI: first game
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago Fire saw their losing streak extended to four matches, falling for the second consecutive MLS Primetime Thursday, the New York Red Bulls exploded out of the gates for a 3-0 victory at Giants Stadium. The Fire are still in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 10 points from eight matches, three points behind third-place Kansas City and three ahead of the fifth-place tie between D.C. United and the Columbus Crew.
LAST MATCH
• The Fire were coming off a 2-1 home defeat to FC Dallas after losing back-to-back games on the road, while the Red Bulls put an end to a brief two-game winless skid with a 4-0 rout of the Columbus Crew at home the previous weekend.
• But it didn't take long for the Red Bulls to all but finish off the game. A long ball from the right found Juan Pablo Angel, and he quickly knocked it square to John Wolyniec. With his back to goal, he laid it off for Jozy Altidore, and the 17-year-old slammed it into the back of the net to give the home side the lead after just 55 seconds. It was the fastest goal in New York club history.
• Then barely two minutes later, a cross came in from the right and was only half-cleared. Angel brought it down well and ripped a low drive inside the far post to double the New York lead with the game in just its third minute.
• The goals tied an MLS record for the two fastest goals scored at the start of the game. D.C. United did it in a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 9, 1997 and the Galaxy scored twice in the opening three minutes in a 4-4 tie with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, May 9, 2001.
• While the Fire came back into the game over the remainder of the first half, the Red Bulls put the game away at the three-quarter mark. From sustained pressure off a corner kick, a Seth Stammler cross was met by Taylor Graham, who knocked back into the mixer. A sublime first touch from Angel wrong-footed a defender and the Colombian toe-poked it home from close range for his fourth goal in three games in all competitions for N.Y.
• Fire head coach Dave Sarachan made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to FC Dallas a week previously. Brian Plotkin made his first start of 2007, coming for Dasan Robinson, while Chad Barrett returned to the lineup, in place of Pascal Bedrossian.
• Here's Sarachan's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Pickens - C.J. Brown, Jim Curtin (Thiago 70), Gonzalo Segares - Brian Plotkin (Pascal Bedrossian 63), Logan Pause, Chris Armas, Ivan Guerrero - Justin Mapp (Willian Oliveira 80) - Calen Carr, Chad Barrett. Subs Not Used: Jon Busch, Jerson Monteiro, Bakary Soumare, Daniel Woolard
• "I just think there were some missed assignments, and we were a bit unlucky - two goals in three minutes, that could be a record in Major League Soccer, I don't even know," Sarachan said. "I don't know exactly what happened. It wasn't for a lack of preparation, it wasn't for a lack of being ready, but a couple balls don't bounce your way, and until I see the tape I can't really explain it."
TEAM NEWS
• Despite the lopsided scoreline, the Fire did register a season-high 21 shots in total and 11 shots on target. New York goalkeeper Jon Conway was forced to make a career-best 10 saves.
• "Honestly, and this came from the Red Bulls staff, we had a lot of good stretches of movement and passing. We didn't quit. We were a bit shocked, but I thought interspersed throughout the game was a real attempt to try to get back in it, and I saw some positives," Sarachan said. "I look at the statistics - if you can believe those - 21 shots, 10 on goal, so we had chances tonight. And I honestly believed, even though we were down 2-0, we could get back in the game. It never happened, and then them getting the third goal put it away."
• The four-game losing streak is the longest for the Fire in league play since the 2002 season (Aug. 24-Sept. 14), and just one game short of the club record losing skein. As well, in the midst of that '02 run, the Fire lost to Monarcas Morelia in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
• "It's been a tough stretch for us, it's been a matter of not enough production up top and not enough plays being made to stop teams from scoring, and until we fix both ends it's going to be a struggle," Sarachan said. "I believe this team can do it, I still believe we have the quality. It just takes one good result to get you back on track."
• In addition, after conceding just two goals in their opening four games, the Fire have allowed 11 goals over their last four - three in three separate contests.
• "Tonight, we dug ourselves a huge hole, and we couldn't get out of it," said defender C.J. Brown. "They came out buzzing. It was hard because we were pressing the whole time. As much as you want to say we had some good possession and some good chances, we couldn't get the goal to get us back into it. Then they got the third, which is pretty much the killer."
• Said Sarachan: "Our last game against Dallas we hit three crossbars, we had shots get blocked. You look at New York, things went their way tonight. The pendulum will swing, but we've got to make it swing."
• Striker Chris Rolfe missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. Rolfe had scored four goals in six outings before suffering the injury on May 12 at Toronto. "He's been part of almost all our goals up until this stretch where we've dropped some games. Clearly when you lose a national team-pool player like Chris Rolfe, it hurts," said Sarachan. Said usual strike partner Chad Barrett: "Chris is a guy who just finds a way to put the ball in the back of the net."
• After a stretch of four out of the last five games on the road, the Fire's next three games will be at home. "I think the best thing after a tough loss is to get right back out there and forget about this game. Let's put it behind us and let's go out with a good attitude on Sunday and get a win at home," said Calen Carr.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake remained winless on the season in league play, a two-game streak of draws under Jason Kreis coming to an end in a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park. RSL has four points from seven matches, in sixth place in the Western Conference, a point behind the Los Angeles Galaxy and now fully 12 points in arrears of division-leading FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas had answered back-to-back 1-0 shutouts at home with a pair of 2-1 victories on the road, but were facing their third game in eight days. Real Salt Lake were looking to claim their first win on the season in Jason Kreis' coaching debut at the place he called home for a large part of his playing career.
• The home side had the early run of play and took the lead in the 26th minute through a wonderful goal. Arturo Alvarez, put into the starting lineup along with Carlos Ruiz and Dominic Oduro in a new-look strike trio, took the ball on the left and set off on a mazy dribbling run past a couple of RSL defenders and into the penalty area before lashing a left-footed blast inside the far post.
• But Real regained the advantage and pulled level at the three-quarter mark of the match. Referee Jozef Batko ruled FCD defender Alex Yi pulled back Salt Lake striker Atiba Harris in the area, and Freddy Adu converted from the spot for his first goal with RSL.
• Yet eight minutes from the end, an equally stunning goal gave the Hoops the victory. Chris Gbandi was picked out in space on the left and set forward to the upper corner of the area before launching a wicked drive that bounced off the inside of the angle of crossbar and far post before settling into the net. It was his first goal for nearly two years -- since July 2, 2005, the final FC Dallas goal scored at the Cotton Bowl.
• Kreis made no changes to the team for the third successive match since taking over. Here's his team (4-1-3-2): Nick Rimando - Jack Stewart, Eddie Pope, Daniel Torres, Willis Forko (Jean-Martial Kipre 46) - Carey Talley (Chris Lancos 10) - Chris Klein, Mehdi Ballouchy, Freddy Adu - Jeff Cunningham (Andy Williams 62), Atiba Harris. Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Duke Hashimoto, Chris Seitz, Jamie Watson
• "For the whole first half, for some reason we struggled to get moving, to get anything going. I don't think we strung together more than two passes at any time in the first half," said Kreis. "Going forward, we will try to figure out why that was. It looked to me that the guys were either tired or just weren't up for it. Both are unacceptable for different reasons. If they were tired, then we need to figure out a way to train them so that they're not tired for the match. If they just weren't up for it, then we have to figure out ways or to find people or who are up for it."
TEAM NEWS
• In Kreis's coaching debut against the team where he spent nine seasons of his playing career, RSL nearly came away with a point from a trip to Texas for the first time. But they remained winless in the Lone Star State, now 0-6-0 in road games against Dallas and Houston.
• "At that time, in the second half, I figured that for sure that we were going to get out of here with a point and maybe there will be something happen for us that we'll get to snatch three points. The fact is that they had two very special individual goals," Kreis said. "On the first goal, Arturo (Alvarez) had a fantastic dribble to beat Jack Stewart and struck an unbelievable ball to the far post. That was an unbelievable goal, so hats off to him. Maybe we can look at this game apart from those two goals and see that we weren't that bad defensively. But offensively, we have to get better."
• Klein admitted that frustration is starting to mount for RSL, who at 0-3-4 is the only winless side in MLS nearly two months into the season.
• "We're really frustrated now," he said. "We feel that we have the necessary tools to do very well. We've been in every game. We haven't gotten the results or gotten over that hump yet, but I truly feel that we're going to get over that hump. Hopefully, we can do that on Wednesday in the Open Cup and follow that up against Chicago."
• But there was stunning news in advance of the Open Cup match, as Jeff Cunningham was sent to Toronto FC in exchange for striker Alecko Eskandarian and the expansion club's first-round pick in next year's SuperDraft. "I consider Jeff to be an extremely talented player, but I just do not see Jeff fitting in with my long-term plans for this team," Kreis said. Cunningham is currently fourth on the MLS all-time goalscoring list with 93 goals.
• In four years in the league, Eskandarian has won an MLS Cup with D.C. United (in 2004), was named the MLS Cup MVP, and twice was an MLS All-Star. He played with current RSL players Freddy Adu and Nick Rimando at D.C. United, then was acquired by expansion Toronto in a trade during the offseason. "He's a fiery competitor, a player that really wants to link up between the high forward and the midfield," Kreis said. "He has a very good and a very strong left-footed shot."
• Likely, Eskandarian will be an immediate starter. Kreis does not anticipate any problems with the transition up top. "It's a pretty seamless one," Kreis said. "I've traded a forward and I've picked up a forward."
• On Wednesday, the Colorado Rapids advanced to the U.S. Open Cup tournament proper with a 2-1 victory against Real in their second-round play-in game in Commerce City. Jacob Peterson continued to be Real's nemesis in Open Cup games, scoring two goals, including the game-winner in stoppage time.
• Peterson drove home a half-clearance three minutes after the halftime restart, but Chris Klein finished off a Mehdi Ballouchy pass in the 64th minute to pull RSL level. Peterson banged a shot off the far post from a tight angle to send the Rapids into the round-of-16 draw. A year ago, Peterson scored the lone goal in Colorado's fourth-round Open Cup win against Real.
• Here's Kreis's team: Chris Seitz, Daniel Torres, Nikolas Besagno, Eddie Pope (Jack Stewart 54), Jean-Martial Kipre, Freddy Adu (Andy Williams 46), Mehdi Ballouchy, Chris Klein (Jamie Watson 71), Chris Lancos, Chris Brown (Duke Hashimoto 69), Atiba Harris. Substitutes Not Used: Willis Forko, Nick Rimando
• "It would have been nice to have given some of the guys the night off," said Kreis. "But we just don't have that luxury right now. ... All of the guys who are right now considered quote-unquote reserves all need to step their game up. They need to realize that they are all going to get their chances and opportunities and it's going to be important what they do when they get them."
