Beating Chivas in five easy steps

October 22, 11:41 AMChicago Fire ExaminerRoman Kashuba

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Can the Fire pressure Chivas for 90 minutes?

AP Photo

The Fire head into their final game of the season needing a result to assure a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs.  Of course, the club can still back into the playoffs with a loss -- if either D.C., Colorado, or Dallas fail to win -- but with the Fire's recent slump in form, a win may be needed just to boast morale and save Denis Hamlett's job.  

Here's what the club needs to do to enter the playoffs with a bang:

1. Cherish possession -- The Fire is most at ease, from the back to the front, when they play with the ball, building possession through the midfield.  Patience in attack will draw Chivas' back line up the field, opening up space between the defenders and the goalkeeper, giving Blanco the best chance to create.  Patience means playing the simple pass, not the long ball and finding the easy interchanges, not dribbling excessively because of a lack of support.  Which brings us too . . .   
2. Play a high line defensively -- This will compact the midfield and facilitate the simple exchanges between midfielders and defenders, while putting the back line in position to scoop up clearances to retain possession.  In order for this "offense-as-defense" approach to work, the forwards must pressure the ball quickly after losing possession, something that excludes Blanco from playing up top.  So . . .
3. Play Blanco behind the forwards and give him options -- Blanco's will not beat many players -- even defenders -- down the field.  That is no secret.  Moreover, he is at his most dangerous with players making runs in front of him.  So even if Blanco is able to run down long balls, he is forced to dribble in circles until help arrives.  If instead he is dropped deeper in the formation, he is capable of unlocking the defense with a single pass, if everyone on the field is ready to make a run into open space . . .
4. Include the wing backs in attack -- The outstanding play of Gonzalo Segares and Tim Ward has been sorely missed on the defensive wings, but Mike Banner and Brandon Prideaux don't have to duplicate their results to impact the game.  Simply mimicking their positioning should do the trick and draw defenders out of the box, opening up space in the final third.  
5. Don't let up -- In the last couple of games at Toyota Park the Fire did not continue to pressure after gaining the lead, thereby letting their opponents back in the game.  The best defense is a strong offense.  And that couldn't be more true for this team that just isn't built to absorb pressure for 45 minutes.  So keep fighting for goals until the final whistle, as if the entire season comes down to this game, because it very well could.  

Afterthoughts from two weeks ago:

In case you missed it, here is U.S. Soccer's explanation of what should have taken place during that odd indirect free kick, at the end of the Galaxy game two weeks ago.  The verdict is the kick should have been reset a third time and the wall pushed back to their original positions, which were too close to begin with.