After beating the New York Red Bulls 1-0 on Chris Rolfe's first-half goal Sunday, the Chicago Fire remain undefeated one-third of the way through the 2009 MLS season.
Just don't ask them to discuss it.
"We don't even concern ourselves with the streak, we concern ourselves with picking up points every game," said Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch, who made 10 saves, six of them in the second half, to help preserve the victory. "We picked up three valuable points today."
It was a common refrain in the Fire locker room afterward.
"We don't talk about being undefeated," said coach Denis Hamlett. "We just talk about just going out and doing things and improving from our last game to become better."
"Nobody's brought (the streak) up," insisted Rolfe, "and I think that's the best way to do it."
Still, the Fire (4-0-6) are clearly on a roll. Not only have they not lost in 10 league matches in 2009, the win was Chicago's second in a row on the road and its second consecutive clean sheet away from home after a 2-0 triumph in Toronto last weekend.
Getting the winner on Sunday was especially sweet for Rolfe, who has been used off the bench at times this season after being an automatic starter for most of his first four years in the league.
"He's been in great form," said Hamlett of Rolfe. "He's been a good pro and he's dealt with the situation -- because it's not easy -- and he's come in and helped us as a reserve. I just felt that the time was right (to start him). When he gets around the goal, he's probably one of the better finishers in our league."
Rolfe was quick to praise midfielder Logan Pause for helping contribute to the tally, which came in the final minute of the first half. Pause used his head, literally, to make a quick pass and release Rolfe behind the Red Bulls back line.
"I don't know how he saw me, but his header was perfect," said Rolfe, who also credited his teammates' competitiveness in practice for keeping him sharp during his spell outside the first XI. "I think that's helped me be prepared for the times I've come off the bench," Rolfe said.
Even with 45 minutes still to play, Hamlett was confident that Rolfe's strike would be enough to seal the victory.
"At halftime I thought our guys had a good mentality that we could win the game 1-0," he said.
"It's important that you win these types of games. I think it goes back to having a group of guys that have been together for a while and there's a sense of trust and understanding and belief that you can get things done."
It was the type hard-nosed defense Chicago displayed last season on the way to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Championship, a style that has been missing at times this year despite the goose egg in the loss column.
But the win might not have happened at all if not for Busch, who saved his best stop for last when he barely managed to fingertip Danleigh Borman's 90th-minute header over the crossbar.
Said Busch: "We proved that even in an ugly game, when we're not playing our best soccer, we can find ways to win."
Doug McIntyre is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
