Fire fall to Real Salt Lake on penalties

Chicago's MLS Cup quest ends after thrilling Eastern Conference Championship

It was the second defeat for the Fire this year in a penalty shootout. The Fire also lost the SuperLiga title this year on penalty kicks, 4-3, against Tigres UANL of the Mexican Primera Division.

The Fire scored on penalties by Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Brian McBride, Wilman Conde and C.J. Brown, but John Thorrington's shot was blocked. Real Salt Lake got goals from Clint Mathis, Robbie Findley, Kyle Beckerman and Will Johnson but Javier Morales's shot went high.

The competition went into extra penalty kicks and Logan Pause was blocked by Rimando while Fabian Espindola went high for Real Salt Lake. Brandon Prideaux's shot for the Fire was blocked, but late overtime substitute Ned Grabavoy of Real Salt Lake put his shot past Fire 'keeper Jon Busch, who got a hand on the ball but could not stop the shot.

Fire coach Denis Hamlett stayed with the group that got him to the Eastern Conference final Saturday, even though regular starting defender Wilman Conde was well enough to be listed as an available substitute for the game.

So the Fire back line, which has been been unsettled since July due to injuries and transfers, included Brandon Prideaux on the right, Brown and Dasan Robinson in the middle and Daniel Woolard on the left. Former starters Gonzalo Segares and Tim Ward remained out due to injury.

It took 15 minutes Saturday for the teams to feel each other out, but the last 30 minutes of the scoreless first half were active, with scoring threats by both teams.

Real Salt Lake had a scoring chance in the 17th minute when they put together three good touches to get the ball to Robbie Findley on a dead run at Busch, but Findley's final touch went right at Busch and out.

In the 27th minute, Blanco had a corner from left of goal that McBride put a head on from the near post. His header hit the crossbar and bounced out just as Brown was sliding in to put a touch on the ball.

Jamison Olave had a shot at Busch in the 35th minute off a corner kick but Busch made the save. In the 43rd minute, RSL's Morales dribbled the ball past Brown right of goal into the box and Busch punched the shot out of the way.

RSL had two more shots late in the first half. Morales had a shot from the top of the box go wide right, and Yura Movsisyan battled Brown for the ball bouncing in the box and was about 3 yards away from Busch when he fired the ball right at the Fire 'keeper.

Through the first 15 minutes of the second half, there were several shots on goal but none effective. In the 64th minute, the Fire got a good chance when Marco Pappa fired from on top of the box but Rimando deflected it out to his left.

Real Salt Lake played far more effective combinations in the game, but the Fire put a decent one together in the 82nd minute, with Prideaux sending the ball from right to left to McBride in the box 15 yards out. McBride laid the ball off to Chris Rolfe at the center of the box but his bullet shot went wide left.

The final 10 minutes of the half were played as if Real Salt Lake was playing for overtime and the Fire were trying to avoid it. The Fire made several offensive charges but could not complete the final necessary pass on most runs.

Real Salt Lake had a scoring chance in the final minute of stoppage time. With smoke from a smoke bomb in the stands engulfing the Fire goal, Findley put a header off a corner kick to the right corner but Busch pushed it out for the final save of the regulation game.

In the 16th minute of overtime, Real Salt Lake defender Robbie Russell took a chance with a long ball from 35 yards out way right of the goal. Busch caught the ball above his head.

Late in overtime, a flurry of very physical play put Chris Wingert of Real Salt Lake and substitute Patrick Nyarko of the Fire on the ground, but Nyarko left the game with a severe facial injury. Nyarko returned in a blank jersey minutes later.

Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com.

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