They were two matches against the same opponent, but for the Chicago Fire, the style of play and attitude on display were worlds apart.
Motivated by Wednesday's disappointing Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup exit, the Chicago Fire approached a second straight game at Philadelphia Union with a completely new look. Patrick Nyarko, Michael Stephens, Jason Johnson and Kennedy Igboananike all saw entry into Sunday’s starting lineup as the Men In Red looked for new ways to be dynamic and efficient going forward. The resulting 3-3 draw may not have been a defensive masterpiece -- Sean Johnson, aside -- but there were no doubt elements to the attack that had been missing in the previous outing.
Within Sunday's back-and-forth battle were two points in which the Fire went down a goal. Both times, they responded with gritty goal-scoring plays to pull level. As head coach Frank Yallop looked back on the away result, the resolve shown by his team was a clear-cut highlight.
“We’ve had a few games where we’ve not looked like we were that interested in playing,” Yallop said matter-of-factly Tuesday via teleconference. “Sometimes lack of confidence looks like lack of effort, but what I will say about Sunday, I think that that was a fantastic fight-back display against a team that’s home that’s beaten us on Wednesday. We had to come back and show that we weren’t going to give up, and we didn’t.”
Yallop said he hopes that performance can serve as a springboard toward positive results in two upcoming home matches. If nothing else, Sunday's display certainly makes choosing a lineup more difficult. The Fire are hopeful Gilberto (thigh contusion) and David Accam (hamstring) will be available Saturday against Colorado, while Sunday’s additions to the starting lineup will look to stay where they are.
Johnson was the clear star of the night with a series of astonishing saves, but Yallop also pointed out the performances of Stephens (team-high 70 passes, per WhoScored.com), Nyarko (one goal, one assist) and Igboananike (two goals, one assist) as critical in the result against Philadelphia. Igboananike was a threat all night with smart, timely runs through the middle of the pitch, particularly on the game's opening goal. Because of that, one spot up top is likely taken for Saturday.
“I think Kennedy will probably start in the next game,” Yallop said. “He had a terrific night for him: two goals, one assist and actually was very good. Probably his best game in a Fire jersey, so I’m very happy for him.”
And although Harry Shipp was left out of the starting lineup for the first time all MLS season, his participation in Igboananike’s stoppage-time equalizer was critical. Yallop lauded his work in 22 minutes off the bench.
Yallop has said his team needs to get on a run, and he hopes these performances are the start. In what could be called a trying season, the Fire remain just five points out of playoff contention. The season is far from over.
“They’ve kept going; they’ve kept fighting,” Yallop said of his players. “We’re a couple of bad mistakes away from being around the playoffs. We’ve just got to put that right. We’ve got to get a couple of good results early now in the next three games. If we can do that, we’re right in the picture.”
