Fire put perfection on line against FCD
Undefeated Chicago hosts Dallas in Sunday's Brimstone Cup
TOYOTA PARK, Bridgeview, Ill.
May 31, 2009 (WEEK 11) / MLS Game #84
2 p.m. CT (TeleFutura; My50 Chi.; KFWD-52)
The Chicago Fire will be looking to match history when they entertain FC Dallas with the Brimstone Cup on the line Sunday at Toyota Park. After a thrilling come-from-behind win at Chivas USA on Thursday, the Fire haven't lost in 11 games to open the season, one shy of the league record to start a campaign. FC Dallas have followed up three consecutive losses with three consecutive draws and have moved out of the bottom of the Western Conference for the first time this season to start the weekend.
REFEREE: Shane Moody. SAR (bench): Anthony Vasoli; JAR (opposite): Peter Balciunas; 4th: Landis Wiley MLS Career: 9 games; FC/gm: 29.2; Y/gm: 4.7; R: 3; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: DF Daniel Woolard (R ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Wilman Conde (L shoulder strain); MF Logan Pause (L foot contusion) ... FC DALLAS - OUT: GK Dario Sala (L knee); DF Steve Purdy (R knee); DF George John (R hamstring); MF Bruno Guarda (R ankle); DOUBTFUL: MF Andre Rocha (illness)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHI: Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico; World Cup qualifying)
SUSPENDED: DAL: Marcelo Saragosa (through May 31)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: Bakary Soumare, John Thorrington ... DAL: Andre Rocha
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (30 meetings): Fire 11 wins (1 shootout), 50 goals ... FC Dallas 17 wins (2 shootout), 57 goals ... Ties 2
AT CHICAGO (15 meetings): Fire 8 wins (1 shootout), 29 goals ... FC Dallas 6 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals ... Ties 1
• The teams met in the season opener this year, the Fire snapping a six-game league winless streak against FC Dallas with a 3-1 win at Pizza Hut Park. Chicago's last victory in the series had come June 12, 2005, a 2-0 win at Soldier Field.
• It was also Chicago first win at Dallas since July 4, 1999, when the Fire claimed a 2-1 victory at the Cotton Bowl. FCD then won eight league meetings in a row before playing to a draw in 2007, and has gone unbeaten at home in three matches in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• The clubs play for the Brimstone Cup - awarded by the two supporters' clubs of the two teams so named when it matched the Fire and the Burn (the name of the Dallas club until 2004).
• Dallas has won the cup for each of the last seven seasons. The Fire won the first series in 2001, the Burn then claiming it in 2002, retaining it in 2003 when the teams leveled the series, then winning both league meetings in 2004. In 2005, the teams split their league meetings, but the FCD won the cup when they won the U.S. Open Cup semifinal matchup. Dallas took both league meetings in 2006, took one (with a tie) in 2007, then won both again last year.
• Coaches record: Denis Hamlett vs. DAL: P3 W1 L0 D0 ... Schellas Hyndman v CHI: P2 W1 L1 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS):
3/21: DAL 1, CHI 3 (Cooper 9 - Mapp 38; McBride 51; Blanco 90)
•The Fire conceded a stunning early goal, but turned the game around and strolled from there, winning for the first time in Dallas in a decade in a 3-1 win in the first Brimstone Cup meeting of the season.
• It was the home side that took the lead after nine minutes in fashion. Receiving the ball in the center circle on his side of halfway, Kenny Cooper launched a long drive that sailed over the head of Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch and into the upper corner.
• But the Fire took the lead with goals on either side of halftime. Justin Mapp took a pass in the left side of the area and powered it home inside the far post to pull Chicago level (38), then Brian McBride converted a penalty kick six minutes after the break after Drew Moor was adjudged to have handled the ball.
• In stoppage time, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who came on as a 79th-minute substitute, whipped home a free kick around the wall and inside Dario Sala's left-hand post to round out the Fire's first win at Dallas since the 1999 season, and their first victory in the series in four seasons.
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-3-1-2): Dario Sala - Drew Moor, Steve Purdy, Daniel Torres, Blake Wagner (Andre Rocha 81) - Dax McCarty, Bruno Guarda (Eric Avila 69), Dave van den Bergh - David Ferreira - Kenny Cooper, Jeff Cunningham
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Tim Ward, Wilman Conde, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares - Logan Pause - Marco Pappa (Cuauhtemoc Blanco 79), John Thorrington, Justin Mapp (Daniel Woolard 79) - Brian McBride, Patrick Nyarko (Chris Rolfe 73)
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago Fire remained unbeaten on the season in dramatic fashion, getting the equalizer in the final two minutes of normal time and the winner in stoppage time, defeating Chivas USA 3-2 in a top-of-the-table clash Thursday at The Home Depot Center. The Fire have 21 points from 11 matches, now leading the Eastern Conference by five points ahead of D.C. United and Toronto FC and are just three points behind MLS overall leader Chivas. LAST MATCH
• The Fire were coming into the game off back-to-back victories following five consecutive draws, while Chivas USA were unbeaten in five, with back-to-back draws following three wins in a row.
• The match was played at a playoff pitch, and Chivas pulled ahead just 16 minutes into the game. Paulo Nagamura took the ball well out from goal and decided to have a go from all of 30 yards, hitting a dipping, knuckling shot that skipped past Jon Busch and inside the right post for his fourth goal on the year.
• But nine minutes later, the Fire drew level. On a ball played into the area, Wilman Conde was pulled down by Chivas defender Shavar Thomas, and after conferring with his linesman, referee Terry Vaughn pointed to the spot. Cuauhtémoc Blanco converted the penalty, sending it to Zach Thornton's right.
• Yet 12 minutes later Chivas were back in front with a penalty of their own. Maykel Galindo tried to round Bakary Soumare at the byeline, and after the Mali international tripped him up, Vaughn again pointed to the spot. Galindo finished off his own spot kick for his second goal of the season.
• In the 63rd minute, Chivas went a man down when Jesse Marsch was sent off for a second bookable offense. In all, Vaughn showed 10 yellow cards plus the red for the second booking.
• The Fire began to take control and finally hit for the leveler in the 89th minute. A through ball was deflected into the right of the area and substitute Patrick Nyarko was first to it, lifting over a sliding Thornton coming off his line, his first goal since March 28.
• Then Fire hit for the dramatic winner. A cross came in from the right, and when Chivas defender Mariano Trujillo and Brian McBride tangled with the Fire striker going to ground, Vaughn again pointed to the spot. Six minutes into stoppage time, Blanco again converted, to the great delight of a number of fans who had come to cheer on the Mexican international icon.
• Fire head coach Denis Hamlett made no changes to the team to the team that defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 on the road just five days earlier.
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Tim Ward (Patrick Nyarko 72), Wilman Conde, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares (Baggio Husidic 83) - Chris Rolfe, Logan Pause, John Thorrington, Marco Pappa (Justin Mapp 59) - Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Brian McBride. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Banner, C.J. Brown, Andrew Dykstra, Brandon Prideaux
TEAM NEWS
• Nyarko was one of three attacking changes Hamlett made over the final half-hour, capitalizing on the Chivas man disadvantage. Justin Mapp made his first appearance since May 9, coming on in the 59th minute, and Baggio Husidic made his MLS debut, coming on in the 83rd minute.
• "Patrick's got an abundance of talent," said McBride of Nyarko. "He can cause problems for the other team in many different ways. When he's free to roam the right side, he's very difficult to defend. He put himself in good spots and took his goal well."
• Chris Rolfe was in the lineup in back-to-back games for the first time this season, playing wide on the right of midfield with Brian McBride as the main striker and Cuauhtémoc Blanco in a free role underneath. Rolfe has started three of the last four games after serving as a substitute in the first seven with Nyarko partnering McBride in attack.
• "That's a luxury this team has," said Nyarko. "Any team we put out there, we feel like we can win the match. All the guys on the bench have the potential to step on the field and change the game."
• Since coming into the starting lineup on April 18, after spending the first four games coming off the substitutes' bench, Blanco has three goals and four assists.
• "The guy is such a competitor and such a winner, and that helps our team in terms of having the belief that we can overcome anything," said Hamlett of Blanco. "He was very active and had a lot of energy and as a result, he was involved in the plays that lead to our goals."
• Blanco joins Bakary Soumare (Mali) and Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rica) as Fire players who will leave the team next week to participate in World Cup qualifiers for their national teams. "I love this team. Every time I go away, I miss these guys," said Soumare. "But it's another challenge for me and my national team and my country. I'm excited, but before I go, I have another game against Dallas and that's where my head is right now."
• The Fire's 11-game undefeated streak to start the season is now one game shy of the league record of 12, set by the LA Galaxy in 1996 (12-0 during the shootout era, with two draws at the end of 90 minutes) and the Kansas City Wizards in 2000 (10-0-2). The league record unbeaten streak is 19 games by the Columbus Crew.
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas played to a draw for the second consecutive match, this time coming back after going a goal and a man down before finishing 1-1 with the Los Angeles Galaxy. FC Dallas have six points from 10 matches ...
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy hadn't lost in seven games, though six of those were draws, while FC Dallas put an end to a three-game losing streak with a home draw against Seattle the week before.
• The Galaxy jumped ahead after just three minutes. Mike Magee freed Eddie Lewis on the right, and his curling cross into the six was swept home by Landon Donovan with his back to goal just in front of 'keeper Ray Burse.
• The home side then went a man down in the 26th minute when Marcelo Saragosa was sent off with a straight red card.
• But five minutes later, it was FCD that pulled even. Dave van den Bergh drove in a corner from the right and Drew Moor flashed across goal to head home from the heart of the area for his second of the season.
• FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman made three changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC the week before. With George John, Steve Purdy and Jeff Cunningham all injured, he changed his formation as Daniel Torres came in as a marking back, Bruno Guarda into the midfield and Brek Shea as a striker.
• Here's Hyndman's team (3-4-1-2): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Daniel Torres - Andre Rocha (Anthony Wallace 46), Bruno Guarda, Marcelo Saragosa, Dave van den Bergh (Eric Avila 61) - David Ferreira - Kenny Cooper, Brek Shea (Alvaro Sanchez 46). Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Cunningham, Kyle Davies, Josh Lambo, Dax McCarty
TEAM NEWS
• From the time he took over the club, Hyndman has wanted his team to play in a 4-4-2 system. But after injuries forced him to go to a 3-5-2 for the second half of the Seattle match - to good effect - he started in that scheme against the Galaxy. However, the visitors scored after just three minutes and had his team under some pressure.
• "There was a lot of pressure early in the 3-5-2. I keep referring to the poor man's blanket, every time you're thinking you're getting somewhere, you're giving something else, and I thought we gave up a lot in the flanks early. We switched into a 4-4-2 and probably 30 seconds later Marcelo gets his red card," Hyndman said.
• After the red card, Hyndman stayed with four in the back, bringing on Anthony Wallace at halftime to play left back. "The goal came from overplaying (Eddie) Lewis on the flank, and with a three-back system, you're always exposed wide and in that area around the penalty box and it seemed like we slowed down when we went to the back four. I think they feel good about themselves and as a team we feel good about ourselves to be able to withstand that pressure."
• Alvaro Sanchez made his MLS debut, coming on at halftime and slotting in on the right of midfield.
• "I thought he (Sanchez) settled things down and he worked hard on both sides of the ball. He was sending some good balls in and he brought some energy," said Hyndman. "With us being down a man, it was really hard for both Andre (Rocha) and Dave (van den Bergh) to do the work we needed them to do because LA was sending a lot of players forward. I think we got a lot out of Tom (Sanchez)."
• It was the second time this season FCD had seen a red card in the first half. Dario Sala was sent off after 25 minutes against Chivas USA on April 25 and FCD held out for more than 40 minutes before Chivas finally broke through on their way to a 2-0 win.
• "It makes it tough, we can't get red cards that early and we lost our composure. But we kept fighting in the second half and I think we would like to start like that as opposed to playing on our heels and if we need to make changes three minutes into the game then we need to make those changes," said Drew Moor. They did a good job of coming at us for the first 20-30 minutes but in the second half we were a different team again this week."
• For Moor, it was his 100th start as a member of the Dallas club, and he celebrated with his seventh career goal. "It's always nice to start games and it shows some of my versatility in being able to play in the middle back and outside back. In my first year I played midfield. It's always nice to score a goal but I would like to have 200-300 starts to finish my career, so I'll just keep going," Moor said.
