In case anyone needed to be reminded, the last two weeks serve as hard-and-fast evidence that not all draws are created equal.
Head coach Frank Yallop and his Chicago Fire team went into Columbus, Ohio, on Friday facing a three-game winless streak and a mountain of frustration. And while they weren’t able to get their first win on the road in 2015, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 draw against fourth-place Crew SC has done wonders to turn the Men in Red’s spirits around.
“I think we’re feeling pretty good,” Yallop said via teleconference Monday. “I still felt in the Columbus game, we looked like we were going to tie it and deserved to tie it. We’re in a decent place right now, we’ve just got to get more points than the actual record shows.”
The Fire are eighth in the Eastern Conference with 11 points, but they have played just 10 games. Three games in eight days starting Saturday present a nice opportunity to climb up the standings. The performance at MAPFRE Stadium has given them a nice confidence boost leading into that vital stretch.
Though the result was the exact same, draws against New York City FC and Columbus left completely opposite tastes. Against NYCFC, Yallop was disappointed to see his team let its guard down after building an early lead. On Friday, though, the Fire rebounded from a slow start and controlled much of the game against a very good side.
MORE: Fire Hail Impact of Substitutes in Road Draw
“If we could put the first half in New York and the second half in Columbus together, we’ll be great,” Yallop said. “Obviously goals change things. We go 2-0 down and we really stepped our game up and played.
“You’ve got to hand it to Columbus. They’re a good side and never easy to play against. I just think we didn’t really play our game first half in Columbus. The subs made a difference, but just in general, we started to play better as the game wore on, which was great. It’s always nice to get something out of the match, which was fantastic.”
It always helps when the forwards find their form. Kennedy Igboananike provided the cross that led to David Accam’s goal. Quincy Amarikwa came off the bench and hit the post with a stinging strike. And of course, Jason Johnson scored his first goal for Chicago and his first in MLS since 2013.
Yallop had been waiting for some of the numerous opportunities to find the target, and they did against Columbus. What most stuck out to him were the 18 shots by his team, as opposed to nine for the Crew.
"That’s a good stat,” Yallop said. “That’s not sitting back and getting hammered and being lucky to tie 2-2. That’s a team that’s taking it to the other team and trying to win. A big change from last season, and if we keep in this form away from home, we’re going to get the wins. It’s just getting the full 90 minutes together.”
MORE MONDAY NOTES:
– Yallop went through the multiple reasons why Jon Busch got the start in goal over Sean Johnson on Friday. First and foremost, it has always been in the plans to get Busch games, and it worked out that he would be making his 300th MLS appearance at the place where his career began.
Johnson is still the No. 1 goalkeeper, according to Yallop, and could’ve played even with a jammed finger. Over the course of preseason and into the opening months of the MLS campaign, Johnson has missed a lot of days with international call-ups, an arm infection, and eye abrasion and a long list of inconveniences. With all this in mind, Yallop opted to go with Busch last week, and he was happy with the result.
“[He’s a] very comfortable, very confident person, and it shows in his play,” Yallop said. “You never drop a beat when Jon plays.”
When asked who will start Saturday against Montreal, Yallop said with a laugh, “None of your business. You know when you’ll find out? Saturday.”
– Yallop addressed the many injuries among the team. Midfielder Michael Stephens is “doing good” in his progression from an ankle injury. Midfielder Matt Watson is back to full fitness following a concussion, and Yallop said Watson is “available if we need him.”
As for the more lengthy absences, forward Mike Magee is “looking good,” and winger Patrick Nyarko joined in practice Monday. Yallop said he thinks the game against D.C. United on June 24 could be a possible return date.
“He’s a ways off still,” Yallop said, “but at least he joined in and did OK.”
– Asked about Andrew Shaw’s negated header goal in Game 2 of the NHL Western Conference Final, Yallop gave his approval: “That was great technique. I’ll give him that. Very good.”
