The Fire XI

Plenty of excuses have been made for the Fire's poor performance in the opener, which left the team elated to escape with a point from Salt Lake City after Blanco's late equalizer. It was the altitude, or the cold, or the artificial turf, or the offseason rust, or the missing players, or the referee, or -- you get the picture.

Some of those are valid points, but that doesn't excuse the Fire's failure to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper until 90 minutes had elapsed, nor the insipid performances by Justin Mapp and Chad Barrett.

Tomasz Frankowski's disappearing act can be excused on his MLS debut, but the temptation to move Chris Rolfe to his best position upfront must have grown given the lack of activity from the forward line.

In midfield, meanwhile, Logan Pause plugged many holes and worked gamely, but was often left with too much to do as the sole defensive-minded midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.

At the back, Chicago looked impressively solid despite missing key players. Soumare did score an unfortunate own goal, and once or twice looked like he might play his way into trouble, but was also an imposing physical presence and stepped up to sniff out trouble on numerous occasions.

In goal, Busch's positioning was exemplary, though a slight injury scare in the first half could have left the Fire scrambling, given the lack of depth at that position.

The Fire's official game guide seems to suggest change is coming for the home opener (though it's 'probable lineup' guide is not always accurate). Thorrington is listed on the left in the place of Mapp, who though he was substituted early in the opener, doesn't appear on the injury report -- does that mean his poor performance has earned him a dropping?

Calen Carr is also listed in place of Barrett upfront. Carr came on and did well on Saturday; though many suggest he should be kept as a "super-sub", his effort level relative to other players might have earned him a start.

Let's consider the opposition and the injury report too as we wrap up this preview.

The Opponent

What is there left to say about New England? Chicago could hardly know the Revolution better, though there will be a couple of familiar faces missing from their lineup (see injury report below), and a couple of new ones in it. The Revolution opened the season with an impressive 3-0 thumping of MLS Cup holders Houston, though a regular season win isn't exactly revenge for their second consecutive loss in the final of the playoffs to the Texan team.

Injury Report

CJ Brown, the Fire's new captain, is not expected to play due to hip pain (come on -- he's not that old, is he?). All the other regular starters are expected to be available for selection, including Dasan Robinson (who missed the first game) and -- yes -- even Wilman Conde, who has returned to full training this week. Will Hamlett pick Conde? I wouldn't be shocked to see him in the lineup, but a return against San Jose on April 12th is more likely. That is, presuming Chicago hasn't traded him by then.

For New England, Taylor Twellman and his record of a goal every other game against Chicago is out with a medial meniscus tear (he'll miss the next six weeks) and Steve Ralston is also missing due to a dislocated shoulder.

Watching the Game

If you can, you should of course head to Toyota Park for the match. Tickets in Section 8 are still available for $15 from the store, and getting to the game from downtown Chicago is easy thanks to the buses three pubs are running. If you can't catch it in person, the game is the season opener on ESPN2, to be followed by a match involving some English bloke called David something.

Prediction

Fire 1-0 Revolution
Frankowski '49

Yours?

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4 Comments

Ben April 02, 2008	With Rolfe and Carr out there in those positions, they'll be able to swap space on the field during the run of play. I imagine that could confuse the hell out of the NE Defense.
Jay-Z April 02, 2008	A shiny object would confuse the hell out of the NE defense...
cpizzle April 02, 2008	Everyone sees Calen as our "Super-sub" already but why not start with the scoring in the first half rather than our usual 'come-from-behind mentality. He deserves it and this will only cause our "starting" forwards to actually hustle, earn their spots and be playmakers like Calen.
cpizzle April 02, 2008	Fire 1-0 Revs Carr (frankowski) 14'