Seventy-two minutes into Wednesday night’s battle between D.C. United and Portland, the Chicago Fire were outside the playoffs looking in as the visiting Timbers clung to a 1-0 lead by virtue of a 24th minute header from Kenny Cooper.
The 73rd minute brought magic as United’s Dwayne De Rosario, figuratively playing on one good leg, kept the Fire’s hopes alive with a blistering effort from an acute angle to equalize.
The goal set up a frenetic finish that a myriad of great stops from keepers Bill Hamid and Troy Perkins coupled with finishes that a few players would like to have back. The end result, a 1-1 draw, did enough to keep the Fire in the playoff hunt while killing off United’s postseason hopes.
“Watching the last 15 minutes of the game it was wide open,” said Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas. “Both teams pushed it. I don’t know how fun it was for either of the coaches but obviously from a fan perspective it was exciting to watch. D.C. tried for it and I was interested to see how they would rebound mentally from the game against us, they pushed it but just came up a bit short.”
With the result, the first segment of a four-part scenario that would see the Fire into the 2011 postseason went the Fire’s way.
Part two will play out Thursday night as New York hosts Philadelphia at Red Bull Arena. The home-side will be without their leading scorer Thierry Henry, suspended following an altercation last week vs. Sporting KC. Despite the Frenchman’s absence, his running mate up top Luke Rodgers told MLSsoccer.com Wednesday he was “quite positive” his side would win the midweek encounter.
If that’s the case, Red Bull would clinch the league’s 10th and final playoff spot, eliminating both the Fire and Timbers in the process. A draw wouldn’t do the Fire any good either but would still keep Portland alive going into the weekend.
There’s only one result that keeps the Fire breathing tonight and that’s a Union victory, though the team will feel much more alive if Philly finds a way to win by say three, four or even five goals over Red Bull. If Philadelphia wins, no matter the score, the Fire will know exactly what’s required of them on Saturday vs. Columbus.
And while New York has a Rodger’s guarantee, the Fire should draw comfort in having Peter Nowak, the club’s first captain, manning the sidelines for Philly tonight.
Klopas’ response when asked if he had called his former teammate from the 1998 MLS Cup double-winning side to ask for some help tonight?
“{Laughs] I know there’s a lot on the line in tonight’s game. I didn’t call Peter but from playing with him I know that he always wants to win more than anything. He’ll make sure his guys are ready and go out there looking for a win.”
Though qualified for the postseason, Thursday’s game is still meaningful for Philadelphia as a win would give them a chance to finish top of the Eastern Conference. They would then have to rely on the Fire and D.C. United to beat or tie Columbus and Sporting KC respectively on Saturday.
What are the chances?
Needing a Union win but preferring one that comes by multiple goals, Fire fans can find some solace in knowing that they’ve done it twice this year (and both on the road), a 6-2 win at Toronto on May 28 and 3-0 victory at New England.
With 297 MLS games played this year, 37 (or 12 percent) have seen a margin of three goals or more, ironically enough with D.C. United tying the LA Galaxy for most with four matches.
Fire fans should take some more solace in the fact that the Union have pretty much been in every game they’ve played since May 14, when they last lost by more than a goal. Lastly, Philly is unbeaten in the league since a 2-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake on August 20, going 3-0-5 in that time.
A tie will do the Fire no good, but either way Philly’s results suggest tonight’s match will be one to watch.
Jeff Crandall is the Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.
