It was almost if the Chicago Fire planned it this way.
Led by a strong defensive effort, the Fire went into one of the toughest stadiums to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) and stole a point with a 0-0 tie on Saturday afternoon at Qwest Field.
It was the third-largest MLS home crowd in Seattle. The match featured two ejections to Seattle's Freddie Ljungberg and Chicago's John Thorrington, seven yellow card cautions and many scoring chances.
Seattle (7-3-8, 29 points), now 6-1-4 at home, closest chance very well could've come in the 85th minute on a corner kick started by Sebastien Le Toux. Le Toux, a 75th-minute substitute, found Patrick Ianni for a header at the right post and Ianni sent the ball back at the left post, forcing midfielder Chris Rolfe to head the ball off the back line.
Chicago (7-3-8, 29 points), the Eastern Conference leader and 5-1-4 in MLS road games, extended its unbeaten streak to five matches. Seattle hiked its streak to six with the second tie of the season with the Fire.
The Fire were without one of its top players in forward Brian McBride, who is out after having shoulder surgery, and defender Bakary Soumare, who was suspended for an accumulation of yellow-card points. Soumare was just named to replacing Houston's Brian Ching in the MLS All-Star Game on July 29 in Sandy, Utah, at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Also out of the lineup was defender/midfielder Logan Pause, who was away with the U.S. national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Defender Gonzalo Segares returned in time to start for Chicago after being on call for the Costa Rican national team for the Gold Cup.
The Fire regained solo possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on July 18 at Toyota Park.
Seattle nearly produced a goal in the second minute but Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch kicked the ball away from danger after Nate Jaqua's shot bounced off the right post on a corner kick from Freddie Ljungberg. Busch dove to make a stop on Jaqua's left-footed shot, couldn't get the ball until it bounced off the post and cleared it over the end line while tumbling out of bounds.
Ljungberg then fired at the right post from 12 yards out and Busch turned it away after passes from rookie Steve Zakuani and Jaqua in the eighth minute.
The Fire avoided a goal in the 16th minute when Patrick Ianni cleared a long ball, giving Fredy Montero a 1-on-1 chance. Montero got free chasing the long pass and shot from the left side just over the crossbar wide right.
Montero got behind the Chicago defense and fired wide right on a left-footed shot on the fly after a precision pass from Osvaldo Alonso in the 27th minute.
Busch then came up with two brilliant saves in the 37th minute on a pair of Jaqua shots to keep the match scoreless. Busch first batted back a header from Jaqua, who received a chip pass from Montero, and then somehow managed to stop Jaqua's rebound shot a point-blank range.
In the 51st minute, Chicago's Rolfe took a crack from 26 yards out straightaway and forced Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller to make a diving tip-away save at the right post.
The Fire played a man down starting in the 54th minute when John Thorrington was hit with his second yellow card -- and red-card ejection -- for a hard tackle on Ljungberg. Thorrington picked up his first yellow card in the 40th minute for delaying the match by kicking the ball away after a foul was called on Chicago.
Seattle's one-man advantage lasted no more than five minutes. The two sides played with 10 players each after the 59th minute when Ljungberg was issued a pair of yellow cards and an automatic ejection. Ljungberg first was given a yellow for diving when he collided with Chicago defender C.J. Brown and then he earned a second yellow -- and automatic red -- for arguing the first call.
Chicago defender Segares saved the day in the 71st minute with a sliding tackle at the left post to dispossess a solo Jaqua of the ball while 1-on-1 with Busch. Segares flew in from behind right in front of the left post and knocked the ball over the end line to keep the match at 0-0.
Montero banged a curving 23-yard shot off the crossbar -- just above the right post -- on a shot from the left side in the 80th minute.
The Fire and Sounders FC played to a 1-1 tie in Chicago in the first meeting of the two clubs on May 2. Despite playing a man down when Fredy Montero was issued a red card for serious foul play in the 48th minute, Seattle rallied for the tie on defender Tyrone Marshall's goal off a corner kick in the 74th minute. Marshall didn't start for the first time this season when available for action this season.
The Fire were the first team to score on Keller in MLS play and ended a scoreless streak by the goalkeeper at 456 minutes in the first meeting.
Seattle improved to 6-1-3 record in its last 10 matches, including 4-0-2 mark in league play.
The Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who leads MLS with seven assists, was allowed limited touches by Seattle's defense.
Matt Massey is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
