BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.—After watching the Chicago Fire finish on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller at Toyota Park on Sunday, new head coach Veljko Paunovic called for greater efficiency in front of goal.
The Men in Red saw six starting debutants (nine total) drop a 4-3 defeat to fellow rookie coach Patrick Vieira’s New York City FC. Chicago trailed 3-1 at halftime; their revamped back line struggled with the pace and movement of their opponents.
Things improved after the break with Jonathan Campbell replacing the injured Gilberto, but a series of missed chances, most notably from Fire Man of the Match David Accam and fellow attacker Kennedy Igboananike, left the fire without a season-opening victory for the seventh consecutive year.
"I think that’s something we have to improve," Paunovic said. "The good news is that we are creating so much chances, so much opportunities. But we have to score those because it’s very important, especially in games like today when we defensively didn’t have the right performance.
"I would say we have to be more efficient, but we will work on that. I can say we scored three goals and if I say we have to be more efficient it means that we have had a lot of opportunities."
A gripping, end-to-end encounter kept the announced crowd of 17,768 on the edge of their seats. But the hosts came up defensively short despite encouraging signs on the attack.
Paunovic insisted that is something he and his staff will work on ahead of next week’s trip to Orlando City SC.
"I’m talking about the whole team, defensively we have to work all together, and teamwork is what it takes to defend well," he said. "I think in the first half the guys at the back had issues with (David) Villa and other guys, but I think they adapted, they adjusted in the second half much better, we conceded one goal, but it’s the first game and we will improve."
