Fire ready for return to MLS play
After SuperLiga and Open Cup, Chicago focused on league success
That's the question being asked about the Chicago Fire heading into Saturday's date at Colorado: "Who are these guys?"
Are they the team that went unbeaten through their first 11 MLS games this season, or the team that lost three consecutive league games, with two of them at home? Are they the team that won their first two SuperLiga games with shutouts, or the team that lost in embarrassing fashion to Tigres UANL when all they needed was a tie to advance in the tournament?
Fire coach Denis Hamlett understood the question, and gave thought to the answer.
"You hit on it," Hamlett said. "We had a good talk this week. We have 16 games left and we need to make sure when we step on the field the team that shows up is the team that plays as a team, the team that competes, the team that plays hard as we did the first 2-1/2 months of the season. If we do that we are going to put ourselves in a good position at the end of the season to be either in first place or close to it."
The Fire are no longer in first place, although that news comes with an asterisk. Due to play in SuperLiga and the U.S. Open Cup, the Fire have played only 14 league games, with a record of 5-3-6 (21 points) while first-place D.C. United, Columbus and Toronto stand in front of them in the Eastern Conference standings but have played 16, 15 and 16 games, respectively.
Going into weekend games, United have 23 points, Columbus and Toronto have 22, and the Fire are one point behind them with more games to play.
"We are right in the mix of things," Hamlett said. "It is up to us. Do we want to be the front leader or do we want to be in the pack. We are looking up to D.C. but everybody is right there. We feel we are in a decent position now. We have to take care of our own destiny."
The Fire will play without two starters who are with their respective Gold Cup teams: defender Gonzalo Segares with Costa Rica and midfielder Logan Pause with the U.S. Daniel Woolard is expected to take Segares' place on the left side of the back line and John Thorrington returns from his chronic back problem to play in the midfield.
Thorrington's back problem cropped up again at a good time, relatively speaking. The team spent almost two weeks SuperLiga competition, and followed that with Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup game. The team gave playing time to some reserves, including first-round draft pick Baggio Husidic, but Thorrington trained with the first team Friday and is ready to play again.
"I benefited from the rest and am feeling pretty sharp," Thorrington said. "I'm ready to go. The back thing has been off an on for a while, but we are on top of it. I haven't missed a league game this year because of it and as long as that continues I will be happy."
Like Hamlett, the players have discussed the team's fortunes this season, which haven't been so much up and down as they have been consistently up, then consistently down.
"Let's hope it's the former [Saturday]," Thorrington said. "We have had a lot of games recently and it has been a little bit more up and down than we would like, but we have showed the majority of the time that we are a team to be reckoned with this year."
Hamlett said he is looking for the team's veteran leadership to take over.
"We know we have a group of guys with experience," Hamlett said. "They have been down this road before. Now it is a matter of concentration, that this is what we are about. The first half of the season is over and now we start the second part.
"We are excited to be back playing in league play," he said. "The team that shows up from now on knows there is a sense of urgency, that every game matters, every point matters."
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
