MLS Match #19, 7/9/2005: New England Revolution @ Chicago Fire [R]

Discussion in 'Chicago Fire' started by NotAbbott, Jul 5, 2005.

  1. NotAbbott

    NotAbbott Member

    Oct 11, 1999
    My Own Little World
    I'll let one of the mods add all the fun little graphics and sh!t.

    Damn, the Revs keep finding ways to get results. I was ready to post how, not only did they stay behind us this weekend, but Shalrie Joseph will miss the Fire match with yellow card accumulation. Then Andy Dorman claws out a point in the last seconds and we're level.

    Anyway, maybe Kasey Keller will sprain an ankle this week and they'll have to call Matt Reis in for the Gold Cup for real. As it is, the Revs will be without Dempsey, Noonan, Ralston, Avery John and now Shalrie Joseph. Marsch versus Cancela may very well be where this match is decided, as Twellman can do a lot with a little, but can't make something out of nothing at all.

    Because of this whole "three games in hand" thing, this one's going to be important, as NE goes on to face FC Dallas and LA again (and Chivas, but never mind that) this month while we've got Columbus and Colorado. Adding some distance head-to-head could help lots.

    Later,
    COZ
     
  2. Unstoppable Fire 13

    Unstoppable Fire 13 New Member

    Nov 3, 2003
    Chicago
    Damn that was so unlucky for us as well as LA as Dorman knocked that goal in. But hey, one point is always better than three for NE. I think we can get a win at home against a depleted NE team. If Xbox plays solid like he has been and Nate is healthy enough to go 60-70 min we should get a good result.
     
  3. alf

    alf Member+

    Jun 29, 1999
    Illinois
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Every more reason to hate L.A.
     
  4. 352gialloblu

    352gialloblu New Member

    Jun 16, 2003
    England
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Shalrie Joseph's absence will be the biggest of all. That's great news.


    Just to review, ABSENT PLAYERS (call-ups and known injuries):

    FIRE: Armas, Sanneh (USA), Caballero, Guerrero (Honduras), Johnson (Canada), Thiago (injured), [Capano].

    REVS: Dempsey, Noonan, Ralston (USA), John (Trinadad), Joseph (suspension), but Matt Reis should be available despite being called up.


    If we can start Jaqua and Rolfe, we should have a very good chance.
    This is the big one, guys, let's not blow it now!


    See y'all there.
     
  5. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    The good news is that New England looked extremely beatable tonight.

    Twellman looked dangerous in his first match back from injury but just like I suspected he didn't get many touches with the cast behind him (though Twellman did get the assist on the game winning goal). Khano Smith was a non-factor and may not get the start against the Fire (with Nicol choosing to start Edozien who he subbed on for Smith tonight).

    And with Joseph out their offense is going to probably sputter again against the Fire - even worse than against the Galaxy because Joseph had to play an even bigger role tonight than he usually does.

    Los Angeles was also able to exploit Parkhurst down the middle who is really starting to look like a rookie.
     
  6. the Next Level

    Mar 18, 2003
    Chicago, IL
    They all start to wilt somewhere around that 15th full match don't they?
     
  7. scaryice

    scaryice Member

    Jan 25, 2001
    No excuse for losing this one with all the Revs missing. This is simply a must-win game.
     
  8. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    Yeah. College soccer is a killer when it comes to making it your rookie season in the MLS.
     
  9. ghsdpu

    ghsdpu New Member

    Dec 21, 2004
    Dorchester, MA
    Huh?

    Los Angeles had very few decent chances through the middle and their goal was more the fault of Riley than Parkhurst.
     
  10. dabes2

    dabes2 Member

    Jun 1, 2003
    Chicago
    They may be saying the same thing with Tiago, Guerrero, Caballero, Sanneh and Armas out.

    This should be a free reserve match.
     
  11. NotAbbott

    NotAbbott Member

    Oct 11, 1999
    My Own Little World
    Two other non-NE comments from that match. When did Tyrone Marshall get so good? And holy ****, Hartman was amazing.

    Later,
    COZ
     
  12. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    In some ways, he played a great game and made some really good plays, but in general Los Angeles was able to penetrate pretty far in all three areas of the field against the entire defense. Whoever was marking him of the three was making Cobi Jones look 20 years younger. Same with Pando and Nagamura (though not with in regards to age or playing weight, just general run of form).
     
  13. NotAbbott

    NotAbbott Member

    Oct 11, 1999
    My Own Little World
    Important, yes. Must-win, not really. There's still a lot of season left, and we're clear of most of the teams under us even if they win all their games in hand. And if we take care of business the rest of the month, we'll continue to be in good shape no matter what happens on Saturday.

    Which isn't to say I don't think we need to win, or should win. I just don't think it's a "must-win."

    One thing we've got to realize is that a one-goal lead is not going to be enough at any point of this match. I won't rest easy unless we're up three, 'cause the Revs just find ways to stay in games.

    Later,
    COZ
     
  14. jjayg

    jjayg New Member

    May 9, 2002
    Rolling Ghettos, IL
    Except that Marshall was 100 percent at fault for them losing 2 points (pretty sure it was Marshall). He is the only one that didn't step up when the free kick went in. He held 3 revs on side and it resulted in a goal in the last second of the game. Very, very poor. A couple steps forward (like everybody else) and LA gets 3 points.
     
  15. Unstoppable Fire 13

    Unstoppable Fire 13 New Member

    Nov 3, 2003
    Chicago
    I think it's a must win in terms of catching up to New England. If we can get this win and have them lose or tie against LA and Dallas we can make up serious points seeing as we're playing the crap
    teams. I think first place is important because of the home-field advantage in the eastern finals, I would feel A LOT more confident playing NE in Chicago rather than at the razor.
     
  16. 352gialloblu

    352gialloblu New Member

    Jun 16, 2003
    England
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Looking way ahead to the playoffs, if we come up against the Revs without having beaten them during the regular season, I think that will weigh on the team's minds. This is our best chance to show we can hang with the elite--like the Dallas game (where they were also missing some of their big guns). If we can't beat them now, we just have to hope we get even better and they get worse by the end of the year...
     
  17. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    Very good logic. This is definitely the Fire's best chance to beat the Revolution but the question is how much psychological boost a win against a depleted Revolution team will give the somewhat equally depleted Fire team. For your reasoning, though, a more important game is the season ender at the Revolution.

    And, on the same hand, if the Fire should lose this match, I'm not sure how much of a letdown it would be since I'm sure the team realizes how much they're missing that will (hopefully) be there for the playoff run.

    While it's tough to think the Revolution can keep up at the pace they're going, they do finish notoriously strong. I do also think the Fire haven't come close to peaking yet.

    A good question you raise is if the Fire have proven they can hang with the elite yet? From yesterday's FSC broadcast constantly stating Los Angeles is among the best three teams in the league (which is just blatantly false at this point after their recent slide), I would think the answer is no at this point. And proving they can hang would definitely help in getting fans back in the seats (since the match is televised).

    But, a loss shouldn't be the end of the world morale-wise. That is, if we lose. I'm also a Revs fan (can't help it, they were the first team I followed when the league first started) and from their boards, I can tell you, they seem to be more afraid to lose the match than we are over here. That should say something about the general morale of the fans at least.
     
  18. 352gialloblu

    352gialloblu New Member

    Jun 16, 2003
    England
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Ah, but can they finish strong after actually playing for the first half of the season? That's the question this year... ;)
     
  19. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    That is the ultimate question isn't it? Is the Revolution's first half the new second half and will the second half be the new first half?
     
  20. dabes2

    dabes2 Member

    Jun 1, 2003
    Chicago
    I actually think this is a borderline meaningless match with regards to setting the tone for a playoff matchup regardless of the outcome. Both teams are depleted. A playoff match would be played by very different teams.
     
  21. The Magpie

    The Magpie Member

    Nov 19, 1998
    Cambridge, MA
    Well, things just keep getting better for the Fire it seems. Sounds like Revolution right-wing James Riley reaggravated an old hamstring injury in the match against the Galaxy, and now may be questionable for Saturday. That leaves the Revolution without their two starting defensive midfielders (Joseph & Dempsey), their starting and back-up right wing (Ralston and Riley), a left-back (Avery John), a starting forward (Noonan)... I just hope neither Keller not Hahnemann gets injured this week, or you can add Reis to that list too.
     
  22. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    I generally lean in the same direction. But there are really no meaningless matches in the Eastern Conference without playoff implications. It's just too close.
     
  23. ratdog

    ratdog Member+

    Mar 22, 2004
    In the doghouse
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Say what you like about LA, they're not exactly bums this year. They're certainly not as awful as Chivas. And overall, after watching how both teams moved the ball around, my opinion is that the LA-Revs game was played at a higher skill and tactical level than was Chivas USA-Fire.

    If we had all our guys, I'd say we'd be favorites at Foxboro this weekend. But if you can judge anything by each team's most recent game, then objectively their B team is probably better than our B team so while they play the game on grass and not on paper, a betting man would still take the Revs. A Fire fan, on the other hand...

    Anyway, the Revs may have some trouble feeding their fowards, especially without Joseph running their midfield, but then we're hardly stacked at midfield either and we'll still have offensive troubles in the final third of our attack as so painfully demonstrated against lowly Chivas, especially if we start the Dissapointing Duo (Reiter and Herron) again up front. If Cancela brings any kind of game to Foxboro in Joseph's absence, we could be in trouble.

    On the plus side, I think everyone knows this game will have zero predictive power concerning the rest of the season. Both teams are missing too many guys for either side to take much away any carved-in-stone lessons. This might actually be a good thing as the game will be an excellent learning opportunity for our youngsters Rolfe (assuming he starts in Thiago's usual place), Buete (assuming he starts) and Segares. And it will help CJ and Curtin shake off the rust some more so they'll be more ready if we need them later in the season. During this Gold Cup time, Chivas was a perfect first opponent for our B team to help build confidence. Now our B team has a pretty good second opponent to bring them back to Earth and help them learn. I'd love a win, of course, and with so many starters gone anything can happen, but I'll be happy if we play well and score more than one goal, preferably goals by Reiter and/or Herron.
     
  24. Fires Of Fulham

    Fires Of Fulham New Member

    Mar 30, 2005
    Chicago, USA
    Well of course the LA-Revs match was played at a higher level than the Fire-Chivas match (I'm assuming you mean the 1-0 and not the 5-2). That was one of the worst matches of the season (though the result turned out right, thank goodness). Now, the two most recent Fire/D.C. United matches, that was played at a much higher level than yesterday's match at the HDC.

    Of course D.C. United aren't bums either (as much as I love to see them floundering record-wise, their record is not indicative of their quality this year).

    Comparing the Galaxy to Chivas and then calling them a top of the league team isn't really a fair comparison. Colorado is a great team - compared to Chivas!

    The Galaxy have yet to win a road match. Well, that's not entirely true since they beat Chivas in their home field as the away team. But, you know what I mean. And some of their road defeats are embarassing. 0-3 to the Crew on opening day, 1-2 to Real Salt Lake, and (though a little less pitiful) 0-3 to San Jose.

    Can the third best team in MLS really be incapable of any results on the road?

    A couple of weeks ago, I would say Los Angeles was the 3rd best team in MLS but they've been passed by the Fire, San Jose, and probably MetroStars. Not to mention D.C. United who are finally, and unfortunately, getting it together to make another run.
     
  25. dabes2

    dabes2 Member

    Jun 1, 2003
    Chicago
    Yes. The result will count in the standings. And I'll admit that the chance to steal 3 points from the Revs is a nice opportunity, although probably less meaningful that taking points from NY/DC/KC. I'm just saying that Dempsey, Noonan, Ralston and even the guys who actually play, aren't going to give a second thought about this match if we meet in the playoffs.

    But, I will not be there. I'm not going to regular MLS matches played during Qualys and Gold Cup. MLS management feels it's acceptable to play matches during these windows because fans will still show up in bigger numbers than for a midweek game. But, I think it makes a mockery of the MLS season. I would like to see these games leaguewide be absolute attendance disasters and think we should all boycott. But that's another story altogether.
     

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