Sometimes, all you can do is draw the foul.
The Chicago Fire took their satisfaction in that on a few occasions Wednesday night, using their blistering pace up top and on the wings to give the visiting New York Red Bulls fits. Connor Lade took a yellow in the first half after shouldering David Accam to the ground while chasing a ball played over the top and preventing a Fire counterattack. It happened again in the 88th minute, when Accam looked to be off to the races, only to be leveled by Matt Miazga.
“Tonight was a game that I felt, watching New York, they’re very narrow defensively, which is a good thing at times; but other times, when we have pace out wide, you can expose that," said head coach Frank Yallop. "I felt that I just wanted to play Patrick (Nyarko) and David out in wide positions because, if you could switch it out to them, I think they could get out one-on-one and create stuff."
Even after absorbing the late-game blow from Miazga, Accam just got up, spit out some confetti that was lying on the field and kept going. The Fire have prided themselves on that mentality. Through tough losses and hard luck, they continue to fight.
“We just have to keep going,” Kennedy Igboananike said after the 3-2 win. “We’re never going to quit playing. We’re just going to keep going. Even if we are down a goal, we’re just going to keep going. We did it tonight.”
They’ve done it in many games this season. The difference against New York was clinical finishing that has been lacking for much of the season. The Fire lead MLS with over 14 shots per game but have not converted their chances at the rate they'd like. But on Wednesday, nine of their 17 shots hit the target, and three of those hit the net.
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Credit Igboananike, who has scored four goals in his last three league matches after netting two in his first 21. Coming from the Allsvenskan in Sweden, it took him a little while to get acclimated. Now, he feels he’s hitting his stride.
“As a new player, you’ve got to get used to your surroundings around you, everything around you – getting used to your players, getting used to the league,” Igboananike said. “Now I think I’m getting used to the league and [I have] more confidence.”
He and the rest of the team also seem to have benefited from the arrival of Gilberto. In 62 minutes, the Brazilian striker set up several chances. His perfectly weighted ball set up Igboananike in the 22nd minute, and his cross into the middle was played on by Michael Stephens and led to Patrick Nyarko’s 41st-minute strike.
Gilberto may not be able to talk to all of his teammates because of the language barrier, but he's seemed to fit in like he’s spent a lot of time in a Fire shirt. He hasn’t been in Chicago for long, but he wants to be.
“I’m transitioning really well,” he said via translator. “I have some long-term goals. I want to stay here for many years. I’ll do my best to make sure that the team wants me here for a long time.”
You can look at tactics, how Accam and Nyarko exploited the wings or how Michael Stephens controlled the midfield. But Gilberto said the key to the Men in Red’s success was simpler than that.
“Soccer is all about having fun. There’s a professionalism, but if the team is not having fun, then it’s not worth it. The team was having fun out there and I was having fun, so the performance was great.”
