Following Tuesday night’s 2-1 U.S. Open Cup semifinal
victory over Richmond someone tweeted me (@JefeCrandall) when the last time the
Fire won three games in a row was.
This is all my
way of saying I’m not always the robot of Fire statistics that I aspire to be…I
had to look it up.
The last time the Fire were victorious over three games came
May 2009 in away matches at Toronto (2-0), New York (1-0) and Chivas USA (3-2).
The last time the first team won three straight competitive matches at home had
been even longer, using the final two regular season home matches of 2007 (2-1
vs. New England, 1-0 vs. LA) to qualify for the postseason before winning
their first match of the MLS Cup
playoffs (1-0 vs. DC).
Hopefully that’s some sort of an omen as the Fire head into
the last stretch of the year sitting five points behind New York for the final
spot in the 2011 MLS Cup playoffs. If playoff qualification is the case there’s
little doubt the team’s performance at the end of last month will be pointed to
as the moment in which the season turned.
Take that last sentence in the spirit with which it’s
intended. Playoff qualification is still an uphill battle. A team would always
rather see themselves in the picture than outside of it but three straight
victories should give everyone reason for optimism.
Here are a few thoughts on what got the team to this point…
Trades Within MLS
Over the previous two seasons the Fire had not done much in
the way of acquiring players from within the league. That has changed in 2011
as the club has made three acquisitions all of which have made solid
contributions.
[inlinenode:15861]The most obvious is Dominic Oduro. Run out of Houston after
missing a sitter in that team’s first match of 2011, the Ghanaian striker has
revived his career in Chicago, scoring 11 goals across all competitions and all
three game winners during the team’s current three match win streak. Scoring
four league goals in August, Oduro made a serious claim for Major League
Soccer’s Player of the Month award.
The acquisition of Dan Gargan from Toronto on July 28 has
proved valuable as the right back has appeared in five straight matches for the
Fire. Told to clean out his locker at BMO Field four days before the trade
occurred, Gargan memorably scored just his second career goal in the first
match against TFC, a 2-0 win on August 21.
Both moves look even better when you consider who they were
traded for: Calen Carr (Oduro) and Dasan Robinson (Gargan). Both departing
players were good in the locker room and popular among the club’s fan base but
were oft-injured and neither considered starters at the time of their
swaps. If he continues his August form,
the trade for Oduro in particular could prove one of the best ever in Major
League Soccer. At 11 goals and two assists across all competitions (29 matches
played), the Ghanaian has nearly equaled Carr’s production of 13 goals and six
assists in 93 matches since 2006.
Though he’s found himself outside of the 18 of late, Yamith
Cuesta’s early acquisition from Chivas USA in exchange for a Supplemental Draft
Pick has helped as well, with the Colombian defender putting in some strong
defensive performances earlier this year. Though he’s been replaced in the
starting 11 by Jalil Anibaba, the 22-year-old provided one of the biggest
moments of the season as his 76th minute equalizer in the May 24
Open Cup play-in game at San Jose sent the match to extra time, where the Fire
eventually won on penalties.
Signings
[inlinenode:15862]The side was also bolstered in August through the previous month's signings of Argentine attacking midfielder Sebastian Grazzini and former Mexican international Pavel Pardo. Both moves were panned by some
as people pointed to Grazzini’s movement from club-to-club throughout his
career and Pardo’s age as concerns.
The two foreign acquisitions have performed well, combining
to produce four goals and five assists across all competitions since August 3.
The duo has tallied a goal or an assist in every match since joining the club
in July.
More than just their individual statistics, their inclusion
has benefitted Logan Pause, with the two helping to take some of the heavy
midfield responsibilities off the Fire captain.
With their acquisitions, not only are the results coming but
the play on the field has progressed with two players that have ability to do
work in tight quarters and distribute the ball well.
Credit where credit’s due to Technical Director and interim
Head Coach Frank Klopas and Director of Player Personnel Mike Jeffries on all
five acquisitions since the start of the season.
Open Cup Success
With only two league wins before this current streak, the
Fire were still able to get up for intermittent U.S. Open Cup matches. Having
to qualify for the competition for just the second time, the team downed Colorado
2-1 back in March before defeating San Jose on penalties to make it to the
tournament for 14th straight year.
A 1-0 win at Rochester in June followed by a 4-0 defeat of a
weakened Red Bull New York squad in July put the team in Tuesday’s dream semifinal
situation against third division Richmond. Though only coming out 2-1 winners,
the side finds itself in its MLS record sixth Open Cup final, one win away from
tying the tournament record of five titles and qualification to the CONCACAF
Champions League.
The Open Cup run has kept this team with hope and motivation
through so many league draws and it could pay off huge if the team continues
its playoff push, not to mention if they come away from Seattle with a fifth
tournament title on October 4.
Playoff Push
Save a forgettable visit to Vancouver early on, August
certainly has given renewed life to the Fire’s quest for a 12th
playoff spot in 14 seasons. The next three league matches though will be
telling as to where their push for the post season will go.
An away game at San Jose on September 10 followed by two
home matches vs. Chivas USA (September 17) and New England (September 25) are
all must-win games against opponents the Fire are all near in the current
standings. Nine points from those three matches would go a long way in what
will be a difficult end of season stretch against the likes of Real Salt Lake,
Houston, Dallas, DC and Columbus.
Jeff Crandall is the
Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall
