Saturday night in New England proved to be another step in the right direction for the Fire, who had 3 points elude them once again, but showed the heart and desire they’ve shown all season to put late pressure on the opposing side, both at home and on the road. In the end, Chicago walked away with a point, sure to be a letdown, but certainly better than filing the game under the loss column as they head back to Chicago for a midweek matchup against Real Salt Lake.
The game can effectively be summed up in two categories: missed chances and a single defensive gaffe. Chicago applied offensive pressure early and often to New England, who commanded a stellar performance from GK Matt Reis to keep the Revolution from going down numerous goals. The match easily could have ended in a 3- or 4-goal onslaught from Chicago, who with the exception of a lackluster middle 30-40 minutes of play, commanded respect from New England, and kept them constantly on their heels.
Chicago’s earliest chance came from a 40-yard blast from defender Jalil Anibaba off a Revolution clearance that screamed towards goal and was just tipped over by Reis. Chicago would trade chances with New England, as Sainey Nyassi would give Gonzalo Segares fits all night on the wing, creating opportunities and shots on goal for New England. Rajko Lekic would also get a few solid looks at goal in the first half, as would Cristian Nazarit and Patrick Nyarko for the Fire.
Chicago broke free in the 32nd minute, when midfielder Patrick Nyarko would find a streaking Dominic Oduro on a perfectly placed switch. Oduro collected the ball and took off, charging towards goal before sending his low blast to the right of Reis and on goal to give Chicago the lead. Chicago up to that point seemed to have the possession advantage, and controlled the pace of the game well. Sometime after the Oduro strike, however, momentum shifted the way of New England, who would carry and advantage into the second half.
Just 3 minutes into the second half, Lekic would again give Chicago fits, this time capitalizing on a single defensive mistake on the part of the Fire backline. A Revolution throw in sailed into the box, cleared out easily by the Fire, but to the feet of Pat Phelan, who fed a waiting Lekic all alone in the box. Chicago, thinking they had caught Lekic in an offside trap, threw arms up in the air looking for an offside call. Instead, as the replay clearly showed, Lekic got in front of the defensive line, as Yamith Cuesta faded forward near Baggio Husidic, and Cory Gibbs marked up a Rev player to the left of Lekic. The result was an easy goal for Lekic, and level footing for New England just a few minutes into the second half.
The remainder of the game would find both teams exchanging chances, although Chicago had a palpable intensity with the insertion of Orr Barouch, Daniel Paladini, and Gabriel Ferrari, who saw his first minutes with the first team after some stellar play in reserve matches. All three Chicago subs brought some heat to the Revs, and all contributed offensively with the three best scoring chances of the second half for the Fire. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as Chicago left New England with one point off a 1-1 draw. Still, and for as much as this seems to become a broken record, Chicago has been steadily improving over the last four matches with Frank Klopas at the helm. It’s hard to say where the club might be right now had Carlos de los Cobos stayed on as manager, but it’s not likely that the Fire would have the same positive elements as a whole that they do after the last four games.
STATE OF THE SQUAD
In light of tonight’s match, it seems appropriate to take a closer look at the Fire ranks, given the strides that have been made, and the lineups and substitutions enacted by Frank Klopas in the last four games. No better way to do so than to look at the team on the pitch, front to back, and see both where they’re at, as well as where they’re going.
Goalkeeper
It’s safe to say that not only has Sean Johnson handily won his starting spot back, but that we’ve also seen a return to the same 2010 form that won him a starting spot then, as well as a spot on Bob Bradley’s US squad. In early May, I asserted amongst Fire fans that Jon Conway would continue to start under Carlos de los Cobos, but that CDLC would again give Johnson the nod between the sticks in the Fire’s May 28th USOC match against San Jose, and that the move would earn him back his starting position. Johnson won the starting job in 2010 in the same fashion, giving then-keeper Andrew Dykstra a rest, but proving his mettle to the coaching staff and showing himself worthy to stand in goal on a regular basis. Johnson indeed proved my prediction true, and since coming back, has been a solid in goal. It seems a safe assumption that we’ve seen the last of Jon Conway as a starter, although Conway still sits as the #2 keeper. Gone, however, are many of the early mistakes and hesitations we saw from Johnson. His field vision is improved, as are his ability to time crosses and punch volley’s out of harm’s way, something he struggled with early in the season, as well as in preseason.
Defense
Chicago has exhibited more stability defensively under the tutelage of Frank Klopas. One of the first things Klopas worked on with first team upon taking over was a change in strategy on set pieces, from a zonal marking to a man-to-man. Doing so made an immediate difference for the Fire, as they have defended set pieces far better than previously. Klopas, for two of his four games thusfar, opted for Bratislav Ristic at right back in lieu of rookie Jalil Anibaba. While there was no definitive reasoning behind this, it seems to have done Jalil some good, as he played solid matches since coming back, both against Columbus Crew, as well as against New England. Central defense has seen its share of shuffling, as Josip Mikulic, who started the season strong next to veteran Cory Gibbs, has been sidelined much of the season due to injury. Mikulic, when healthy, is probably a #2 defender for the Fire, behind Cory Gibbs or Gonzalo Segares. His problem, however, are the aforementioned injuries. Mikulic has been out most recently for a stretch of nearly two months, after sustaining a shoulder injury in a collision with Colorado Rapids keeper Matt Pickens. In all, Mikulic has seen action in six games, his injuries a definite disappointment for Fire fans. In his stead has been Yamith Cuesta, who has proven himself as a starter, and who will likely continue to start, even when Mikulic is back to match fitness. Gonzalo Segares is the only Chicago player to now have started every game this season. Segares, who began showing signs of the player Fire fans once new, has played well overall, but tonight namely was taken to task and was effectively schooled all night by Nyassi. Not many wingers can do that to Segares, so it’s safe to assume tonight’s performance was a black swan, but we’ve yet to see 100% of the brilliance that is Gonzalo Segares at left back.
The next two field positions are going to get me in some trouble in Fire nation. Hear me out.
Midfielder
There’s at least one thing the last three matches have shown the Chicago Fire: this club does not live and die at the feet of Marco Pappa. Pappa is a presence on the pitch. There’s no doubt about that. That being said, the Fire have actually had two of their strongest games of the season while Marco has been away on international duty for Guatemala. With the departure of Guatemala tonight at the hands of Mexico in the Gold Cup, Pappa will be back in action for Wednesday’s match against Real Salt Lake. What’s intriguing about this scenario as it stands is that two games have displayed the incredible speed and tenacity of Dominic Oduro and Patrick Nyarko. Both Ghanaians have given opposing defenders fits with their speed and agility. Marco Pappa, on the other hand, lacks the field vision necessary for a dangerous winger. He is infamous for one too many touches on the ball, when dropping the ball to a teammate would be the better play, and save for his occasional goal scoring, he’s simply another body on the field. Seldom does Pappa drop back on opposing wingers in a defensive set, if ever, and his set piece strikes have been consistently subpar this year. This is tough to say, because I like Marco Pappa. Furthermore, he’s my 10 yr. old son’s favorite player. Any soccer analyst worth his weight knows you don’t cross your kid when it comes to their favorite player. But there is swirling speculation that a number of clubs worldwide are looking intently at Pappa. It may be time to do the unthinkable; let Pappa go, give him an opportunity abroad, and maybe with a bigger team. Then let the midfield core we have in place go at it. Nyarko and Oduro have proven they can handle the starting spots on the wing. Corben Bone, who broke out a bit against Toronto FC and has shown some hustle, both at the central mid as well as wing roles, is a viable substitution if needed. Additionally, Bratislav Ristic, who has mainly taken up the defensive right back role, plays a true wing position when needed. He may not have the speed of an Oduro or Nyarko, but he knows the position, and can play it well.
Centrally, it seems the main responsibility has fallen to three players. Logan Pause, named captain by Carlos de los Cobos at the beginning of the season, is a mainstay at the central (defensive) mid position. This very well could have more to do with him wearing the captain’s armband than with his play on the pitch, but no one will deny that he is a calm, veteran presence amongst a group of younger guys. The attacking mid position seems, at least in the last few games, as a toss-up between Daniel Paladini and Baggio Husidic. Both Daniel and Baggio have solid work ethics and strong play on their side. They both know how to attack offensively and go after 50/50 balls in the middle of the pitch with more aggression than Logan Pause. With the dropping off of Mike Vidiera after suffering concussion symptoms, it seems the attacking central mid slot is theirs for the taking. What is good about Husidic and Paladini is that regardless of who starts, the other can (and has) come in as a sub and injected life into the central mid position. It’s hard to say moving forward who, if any, will land a permanent starting gig there, but either player can fill the role successfully, and either player can add positivity as a substitute.
Forwards
I’m going to say this up front: Klopas needs to bench Diego Chaves.
More on that later.
The complexion of the forward slot changed significantly this week when Chicago released 25-year old Uruguayan Gaston Puerari, allowing a transfer to Club Atlas to take place, and opening up an international spot in the process. Puerari, who quickly became a fan favorite for his charm off the pitch and relentless hustle on the pitch, failed to produce in a viable way for the Fire after the first few weeks of the season. Perhaps due, at least in part, to Carlos de los Cobos’ abysmal formation shuffling that found Puerari playing a withdrawn midfield role rather than striker, it seemed that Puerari never again found his stride. Nonetheless, the Fire parted ways with him. Part of the business, and to be sure, part of the proactive nature of one Frank Klopas in making necessary changes to shift the direction of a team he assembled in the offseason.
Cristian Nazarit, a recent signing from Colombia, has proven to be a decent signing, although it seems that he has struggled to find the net as much as perhaps was anticipated by all upon his arrival. Nazarit, to some, seemed to be the answer to all the questions about scoring that loomed large over the Fire. Nazarit has one goal in five appearances now, not exactly burning up the back of the net, however he has had many good opportunities that have missed their target by just inches. With the young Colombian striker, it’s not so much a question of if he’ll score, but when.
Orr Barouch has been another solid player up top for the Fire. Barouch, just 19 years old, shows a maturity in the game beyond his years. His hard play and effort resulted in smacking the crossbar in two consecutive games, as well as being instrumental in Cristian Nazarit’s game-winning goal against Columbus. Even in tonight’s game against New England, Barouch would have slammed home the go-ahead goal of a wide-open header on a corner kick, were it not for a fortunately placed Revolution defender. Those types of plays on target result in goals far more often than not. It’s safe to say that with the departure of Puerari, Barouch was at the top of the list of those who will benefit from his absence.
The other player who’s likely to benefit is Gabriel Ferrari, who played his first minutes in a Fire uniform tonight. As already mentioned Ferrari came into the match in the late-going and had an immediate impact, nearly converting a wonderful goal-scoring opportunity on Matt Reis, were it not for Reis’ lucky kick that deflected the shot on goal. Ferrari, who has made an impressive showing in reserve match play, illustrated why he is a standout striker who was a victim to the Fire having too many in front of him with more experience. Ferrari proved in a very short time why he deserves more of a showing on the game day squad, and is sure to get some increased playing time as the season wears on.
Which brings us to Diego Chaves. Chaves seems to have experienced a similar fate as his Uruguayan counterpart, now once removed from the Fire. Diego started the season strong, scoring 3 goals in his first three matches in MLS play with the Fire. Since that time, Chaves has scored just once more in the last 12 games. More recently, Chaves seems to have lost his touch on the ball. He is largely silent in games, contributes little in the run of play, and cannot seem to effectively dish the ball when he needs to. Sure, he’s hit a few crossbars this season, but his misses now outweigh his shots on target by a large margin, and when he doesn’t get the ball and bobble it at his feet, he does little with it of substance. Diego Chaves has proven he can be a good striker. That was evident in the first three matches this season. What happened to him from now to then is a mystery, though. At the very least, Chaves needs to sit for a few games. If CDLC could sit Sean Johnson for six games to get his head screwed on right, Frank Klopas could do the same with Diego Chaves for a few games to clear his head. It has been painfully obvious to anyone with half a soccer brain and anyone who’s watching that the frontline offensive threats have been coming from Nazarit and Barouch up top, with help from the wings. It might be unthinkable to some to have Chaves, who came in as the new marquee player for the Fire, to sit down for a few games, but not doing so could stifle any forward progress the team as a whole is making (and they are making progress). Chaves, on numerous occasions, looks frustrated and indecisive, and his lack of ability to go a full 90 minutes when he’s not making the speedy runs of Oduro, Nyarko, or Nazarit is troublesome. I think at the worst, you let Chaves play and he continues to struggle and handcuff the rest of the offense, unless they play around him. At best, you let him sit, collect himself for a few games, then integrate him back into the offense as a sub rather than a starter. Make him prove himself all over again if you have to. Perhaps coming into a rebuilding team as a seasoned player brought with it too much over-confidence. After a drought of one goal in twelve matches, it seems more the case that he’s on the pitch because he was the big signing, not because he has proven himself a starter.
Chicago is making strides under Frank Klopas. They have, by and large, tightened up defensively (tonight notwithstanding), have shored up the midfield to a degree (although that job is far from over), and have proven they have the tools to put the ball in the back of the net (if they put the right players on the pitch). If the Fire can continue to tweak and make the small changes they have been making in the last few weeks, they will be a dangerous team. It’s not likely that those results will come this year. When it’s all said and done, I believe we’re still looking at a squad that misses the playoffs this season. The Fire has many things going their way. With the win in Columbus, there was much talk about being just a ‘few wins’ away from being back in the playoff hunt. The problem there is the eight other teams in the conference who are playing as well, many of whom are not dealing with the same challenges the Fire are facing. That said, Chicago will continue to improve; Frank Klopas will rightly demand as much. If they make the right moves, what the Fire lack this season will come to fruition in the coming years, and the Fire will return to the form they held in years past, where, to repeat what Klopas said after last week’s win in Columbus, “we’ve always been a team no one wanted to play against.” They need to make some necessary adjustments to see it happen sooner rather than later.
(image courtesy of chicago-fire.com)
