The rain and inclement weather that has rolled through Chicago threatened the pitch at Toyota Park Wednesday night as Chicago faced Real Salt Lake on a cool evening. Fortunately, the rain held off; unfortunately, so did the goals, as Chicago’s result was a league-high 10th draw, with no goals coming from Chicago or RSL.
The first half was fairly uneventful, with few chances coming from either side. For Chicago, Sean Johnson made two saves in the half, although that would be the extent of his work on the night, as Real Salt Lake would fail to register a shot on goal in the second half. For Real Salt Lake, one of their best first half chances, as well as for the game, would come off a corner kick, as Collen Warner floated a perfect ball to the penalty spot, where Jamison Olave drove a header on goal that just missed over the crossbar by inches. Salt Lake’s second chance, also in the first half, came 15 minutes later when Robbie Russell charged down the wing to find an unmarked Collen Warner, who chipped the ball just over Sean Johnson and the goal. The attempt was definitely a break for Chicago, who could have easily gone down 1-nil to a defensive lapse via another unmarked player in the box.
The second half would find more chances for Chicago, as play was a bit more intense, although still producing nothing at the end of the night. Marco Pappa, who came on in a substitute roll in the 70th minute for Orr Barouch, would immediately make his presence known with an open strike from the middle of the pitch that drove straight into the hands of GK Nick Rimando from 30 yards out. Pappa would be presented another chance minutes later, when he would collect a ball and send it on goal from 12 yards out, but Rimando kicked it aside before punching it out of danger. Gonzalo Segares would fire on goal with Chicago’s best chance of the game, as he blasted a deflected shot that in the 82nd minute that many of the Fire faithful thought found the back of the net. Unfortunately, the shot sailed just high, collecting itself on the wrong side of the crossbar on top of the net.
Prior to the game, many in Fire circles said that to get the advantage on Real Salt Lake, it would be necessary to run the flanks. Given Chicago’s effectiveness over the weekend against New England in that regard, that seemed a strategy that would fit well into their game plan, both for fitting their style, as well as exploiting a RSL midfield that likes to clog the middle of the field. Salt Lake knew of the effectiveness of Oduro and Nyarko on the wings, however, as they defended well against the pair of Ghanaians throughout much of the match. Little did we see of the runs up the side that have created scoring chances in previous matches. It did not seem quite as much that Real Salt Lake controlled the run of play, but more that Chicago didn’t play their game. Nothing can be taken away from Salt Lake’s defensive skill, however. RSL players were swarming Chicago at every opportunity, giving very little time in Chicago’s offensive third for any type of build up. It’s no surprise that RSL has a league-leading 8 goals against during the 2011 season.
Essentially, this match became a defensive battle early, and stayed that way throughout. Chicago’s improved defense stood strong most of the night, save another single mistake that this time fell in their favor. No one from Chicago expected a goal to come easy against Nick Rimando and his backline defense. They proved to be as solid as the hype surrounding them in that regard. Real Salt Lake was a beatable team tonight, given their lack of scoring power up top, compounded by the early substitution of Fabian Espindola, who came out just 8 minutes into the match with a left groin strain. In the end, Real Salt Lake, registering their third straight tie, seemed content with the draw.
For Chicago, draws are becoming a broken record, as they now lead the league with ten level results. Looking in the standings, it’s harrowing to realize that if Chicago could have converted go-ahead scoring opportunities in just 5 of those games, they would sit in the standings with a record of 7-4-5 and 26 points. That tally would be good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference by 3 points over current Conference leaders NYRB. When thinking back to games against Kansas City, Vancouver, Toronto FC, San Jose, and New England, all games Chicago could and should have won, it certainly can cause some unease for Chicago fans, as it should.
Chicago must now turn around and face the first place New York Red Bulls, who come into Toyota Park on Sunday afternoon. While no one expected an easy match against Real Salt Lake, three points would have been nice. Eight points in six matches, while certainly better than none, is little consolation at this point in the season. Chicago needs to continue to build on the early positives gained under Frank Klopas, and finally turn the corner on a season that has been glimpses of hope surrounded in frustration.
It’s hard to remember for Fire fans, however, that this season is one that they knew would be a rebuilding season. With so many faces gone, for various reasons, and a young core coming in that finds just a handful of faces that are considered a veteran presence, Chicago is building on something that has potential to be extremely positive in the coming years. It’s a matter of having the patience to wait for that shift to take place, and watch in the meantime for Klopas and the front office to make the necessary changes in the coming weeks that will bring Chicago one step closer to more consistent winning ways.
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