The Chicago Fire (6-8-15, 33 points) were able to keep their slim playoff hopes alive as they defeated the New England Revolution (5-13-12, 27 points) 3-2 at Toyota Park on Sunday.
The Fire got off to a quick start as they led the Revolution 3-0 at halftime after three quick goals in the first 30 minutes of play. With just under five minutes played in the match, the Fire were able to get on the board with a penalty kick goal.
Fire forward Patrick Nyarko was upended by New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis just as the native Ghanaian was in the penalty box which resulted in a penalty shot. Sebastian Grazzini was able to connect on the free kick and gave the Fire the 1-0 lead.
This was the second match in which the Fire led after five minutes of play. Similar to their contest against Chivas USA on Sept. 17, the Fire displayed an aggressive demeanor on offense that had been lacking for much of this season.
The Fire tacked on two goals before halftime and their defense remained strong as goalkeeper Sean Johnson got through the first half with three saves. The Revolution were unable to get any easy goals through the back of the net even though they had five corner kicks.
Adding to the Fire’s lead in the first half were goals by Nyarko and Dominic Oduro who scored his club-high 11th goal. The Fire were able to begin the second half with a lot of confidence and it showed as Johnson continued to make brilliant saves and the Revs looked like a club ready to end its season.
The Fire held on to its lead but Johnson was unable to get a shutout as the Revolution scored two goals in stoppage time. With the 3-2 victory, the Fire were able to keep their playoff hopes alive but will need a lot of help over the next few weeks.
Currently the Fire sit six points behind the New York Red Bulls for the final Wild Card spot. The Fire will face Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and the Houston Dynamo this Saturday away from home. Anything less than a victory against both clubs will likely knock the Fire out of postseason contention for the second consecutive season.
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