The Chicago Fire weren't able to clinch second place in the Eastern Conference as Toronto FC kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.
Rohan Ricketts scored twice in the first half, including the eventual game-winner in stoppage time, while Amado Guevara opened the scoring for TFC. Justin Mapp, in the opening 45 minutes, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, after the break, each pulled their side to within a goal, but Chicago could never get to level terms.
The loss for the Fire meant they missed out on a chance to clinch second place in the Eastern Conference, which they would have secured with the three points. Next week's season finale at home against New York will determine if Chicago or the New England Revolution will get home-field advantage for their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series matchup.
The win kept TFC's playoff bid alive, though the Reds can be mathematically eliminated should both Kansas City and New York win their respective games on Saturday night. Toronto finished the 2008 campaign with a 6-2-7 record at BMO Field; only Houston and Real Salt Lake had fewer home defeats (one) than TFC.
Both teams started their first-choice lineups. Chicago had midfielder John Thorrington back from suspension as Denis Hamlett was again able to put out his best group. TFC fielded the same starting XI that won in New York on Oct. 4, and had all five of their internationals back after the quintet missed last Saturday's game in Dallas due to World Cup qualifiers.
The two sides jockeyed for position in the opening minutes, with no real scoring chances coming until Guevara gave the Reds the lead in the 12th minute. Toronto pushed the ball into Chicago's end, and Guevara was the recipient of a centering pass from Chad Barrett just outside of the box. Guevara made no mistake on a well-aimed shot that found its way past a diving Jon Busch and into the right side of the net. It was Guevara's first goal since July 28, and his fourth overall of the season.
It took just a few minutes for the Reds to strike again, this time due to some over-aggressive defending from Chicago's Wilman Conde. With Marvell Wynne carrying the ball into the penalty area from the right corner, Conde was called for a foul for bringing down the TFC fullback when it looked as if Wynne had found some space.
TFC was awarded a penalty kick by referee Jair Marrufo, and it looked as if the Fire had dodged a bullet when Ricketts' kick was stopped by Busch at the left side of the net. The ball was deflected right in front of goal, however, and almost laid still on the turf. Ricketts out-raced the Fire defenders and put the ball in for his third goal of the season.
It was an uncharacteristically slow start for Chicago, who entered the game having only allowed eight goals in the opening 30 minutes all season -- the fourth-lowest such total in the league. But Chicago wasn't about to roll over against their Eastern Conference rivals. The Fire came back with a renewed burst on attack, with a close chance coming in the 24th minute. Thorrington delivered a quick, hard shot from outside the box that required a diving stop from Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton.
The Fire's persistence paid off a minute later. A three-touch, crossfield passing play between Brandon Prideaux, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Justin Mapp ended with Mapp being wide open on the left side. The veteran midfielder drilled a shot into the left side of the net past a leaping Sutton to cut Toronto's lead in half.
The wildness in the first half wasn't only restricted to the scoreboard, as both teams engaged in some increasingly physical play. A shoving match between Gonzalo Segares and Hunter Freeman led to cautions for both men. Segares was involved again in an accidental strike to the face of Barrett that left the Toronto striker (dealt from Chicago in late July) down on the field for a few minutes.
Toronto regained their two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time. Following a throw-in, the ball deflected off the head of Conde and went to Carl Robinson in the middle of the field. The TFC midfielder made a canny pass in to Ricketts, who created just enough space for himself to turn the ball into the back of the net. It was the second time this season that Ricketts recorded a brace, as his first two MLS goals were both scored on June 14.
The three-goal outburst was Toronto's highest ever single-half total, and just the sixth time in Toronto's short history that the Reds had ever scored at least three times in an entire game.
There was a change for the Reds at halftime, however, when Wynne was replaced by Canadian youngster Nana Attakora-Gyan. The surprising substitution was apparently caused by an injury to Wynne suffered in the first half when a direct free kick from Blanco caught the fullback directly in the face.
It might have been the shift in momentum that Chicago needed, as TFC were much more tentative on attack to start the second period. In the 59th minute, a long pass into the box from Thorrington was headed down by Brian McBride directly to Blanco, who was situated just outside the penalty area and in prime position for a strong, first-time shot. The Mexican star ripped home his team-leading seventh goal of the season and again put the Fire down by just one goal.
Blanco's goal again changed the tempo of the match. Toronto's play became more defense-oriented as the Reds desperately looked to hold their lead in the must-win game. TFC began to play with eight men back and only took limited attacking chances. Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz came into the game for Barrett to provide a different look up front, and Ruiz came close to converting a cross from Freeman in the 80th minute.
In the end, however, the conservative tactics ended up working as TFC avoided allowing the last-minute goal that has plagued the team all season long. It was a nerve-racking final few minutes, as Blanco had a direct free kick attempt in stoppage time, but Blanco's attempt for a bit of passing trickery didn't work.
The victory was Toronto's first at BMO Field since June 14, and extends the Reds' unbeaten streak to four games (2-0-2).
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
