With great anticipation did I watch my first Fire game of the season two weekends ago. They lost 3-1 to Toronto who, at that point, had yet to score a goal. Fine, whatever. So then last week I watched the Thursday match against Dallas, one of the teams I love to hate. And watched the Fire limp to a 2-1 defeat.
Tonight, it was all going to change. I had no particular reason for believing this, but still had faith that the team could pull it around. News sources said the Fire hadn’t had a four-game losing streak in five years. I forgot the TV listing showed eastern time and tuned in about a minute after kick-off…and missed the first goal. The goal had hardly been replayed before the Fire went two goals down. Two goals down. In three minutes. Brilliant.
They looked quite good for about ten minutes after halftime but my expert analysis revealed two crucial weaknesses: offense and defense. Carr and Barrett are a terrible strike partnership and the defense has been absolutely awful on the goals they’ve conceded. Offense is a case of taking your chances; defense is a case of allowing as few chances as possible, and limiting them to half-chances when you can. Altidore and Angel scored for NY tonight and there wasn’t a Fire defender within an arm’s reach on any of the goals. Unacceptable.
Their attack has no spark with Rolfe out. Justin Mapp needs Rolfe to draw him into the game, otherwise he tends to run like the proverbial chicken or he just runs the sidelines, expecting magnetic attraction to bring the ball to him. The rest of the midfield is solid but lack any creativity. Hmmm, sloppy defense, impotent offense, boring midfield. Sounds like the perfect team to be playing against.
I’m slated to see the Fire play in a few weeks but on recent performances, I’m not sure I want to. Of course, I will go, and I will shout myself hoarse, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.
Current Mood: Pooped | 
6 Comments
Until about two weeks ago, the same (that is, “they suck”) could have been said about DC United–or DC Untied as a friend refers to them. We’ll see how long it lasts. Hopefully they’ll keep winning so DC TV stations will have to stop showing Jaime Moreno’s chip-shot penalty against Chivas over and over and over and over…
Hmmm, sloppy defense, impotent offense, boring midfield. Sounds like the perfect team to be playing against.
Did someone say Newcastle?
Newcastle indeed.
The league works hard for parity but there are certain teams, like Real Salt Lake, that I just think don’t gel. Chicago had some mojo early on but lost it. They’ll get it back, probably when some of their better players get healthy. I think Blanco’s addition is a marketing move, not one for the field though.
Also, league parity doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. NY had big investors come in and suck at the gate. Hmmm, I wonder if there’s any reason they got Dutch keeper Ronald Waterreus, Claudio Reyna, and now Juan Pablo Angel…
Come on, Trent, your footie posts are always these bland vague things which hardly have the value of criticism — tell us what you REALLY think. (grin)
Shame, really — the team has a great name (Chicago Fire) and I had several relatives/friends who attended games last year and had a great time.
Dr. Phil
I just got an invite to a Fire staff alumn game, not sure I really am feeling it, though I still have yet to see the new stadium in person . . .
I can’t take a Chicago team seriously if it’s not named after a commodity trading strategy. The Fire should have been named the Crack Spread, or something. They’d do better.
I’ve been meaning to check out a Fire game for a couple years now. I never seem to get around to it.