A second-half corner kick by Cuauhtemoc Blanco turned into an own goal that pushed the Chicago Fire into the MLS Cup Playoffs Thursday.
Blanco's offering, in the 67th minute, just three minutes after the Mexican international entered the game, gave the Fire the 1-0 win over Chivas USA they needed in the final game of the regular season. The Fire raised their record to 11-7-12, 45 points, good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage in an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.
The win was the first for the Fire in their last seven MLS games, dating back to Aug. 23. By virtue of Chicago's victory, their rival, the Columbus Crew, also secured the Supporters' Shield for a second consecutive season.
Blanco's corner kick was the 14th by the Fire in the game, and was knocked into the net by Chivas forward Eduardo Lillingston, whose attempt at a clearing header went sharply past Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
Conditions were horrible, with a cold rain falling constantly through the contest, and windy blowing the rain in various directions. As a result, the players found footing difficult, and sharp cuts were especially difficult to execute.
Fire coach Denis Hamlett was once again required to be creative with his lineup. Absent from the available group were defender Wilman Conde (illness) and defender Gonzalo Segares (knee and hamstring strains), while Blanco started the game on the substitutes' bench, as he did last weekend against New England when he played 22 minutes in the second half.
Dasan Robinson and Mike Banner were placed in the starting lineup on defense, while Patrick Nyarko was moved back into the midfield along with rookie Baggio Husidic, with John Thorrington still out due to a sports hernia.
In the 15th minute, the Fire got three consecutive corner kicks. In the absence of Blanco, Husidic took the kick from the left side, and his second effort went to the far post where Brian McBride sent a sharp header toward Thornton. The ball bounced back out to Brandon Prideaux, who fired a rebound shot that Chivas midfielder Gerson Mayen leaned forward to head off the line.
Seven minutes later, the Fire fired a trio of shots at the end of their fourth corner kick. None reached the back of the net, but Chris Rolfe's effort from 35 yards out was deflected off the left post by a save from Thornton at full stretch.
In the 38th minute, Chris Rolfe was alone with the ball dribbling down the left side, and when he was closed down, he crossed it into the heart of the box. Husidic got on the end of it and fired a laser that bounced off a Chivas defender for yet another Fire corner kick.
The Fire continued their dominance after the break, but to no avail. At the hour mark, they attempted four consecutive corners without getting a shot on goal. The last one ended with a long and meaningless blast by Marco Pappa from 25 yards out.
Hamlett made his first substitution in the 64th minute, sending Blanco into the game for Pappa. Three minutes later, his corner kick led to the goal that guaranteed the Fire's place in the second season.
In a halftime ceremony, former Fire midfielder Chris Armas was inducted into the team's hall of fame, known as the Ring of Fire.
In attendance at the ceremony were four of the five previous inductees: players Peter Nowak and Frank Klopas, former general manager Peter Wilt and former coach Bob Bradley, the current coach of the U.S. national team.
Armas played 10 years for the Fire and was a seven-time MLS All-Star. Armas played with the Fire from their inception in 1998 to the 2007 season.
The Fire now wait for the remainder of the weekend's results to find out when and where and against whom they will open the MLS Cup Playoffs. Chivas USA return home for their regular season finale, Sunday afternoon against the Houston Dynamo.
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
