On a brisk fall night in suburban Boston, the Chicago Fire knew exactly what to expect when it took the field against the New England Revolution in search of the win that would seal their spot in the playoffs.
No matter how the game unfolded, it would be a battle. With the stakes clear from the outset, the Fire rose to the challenge and secured a 0-0 draw at Gillette Stadium.
"(Battling) is what we've prided ourselves, at least since I've been in Chicago, and from what I was told, that's how we've been since 1998," Chicago forward Chris Rolfe said. "We competed and played well tonight, and as a whole, we came together and played real hard tonight."
It took some considerable strength from the Fire's battered back line to ensure the point. Only a win would particularly suit the Revs, so Chicago knew they would press extra bodies into the attack to test a makeshift defense that didn't have Wilman Conde (right hip contusion), Gonzalo Segares (left MCL sprain) and Tim Ward (left metatarsal fracture).
"We knew they were going to be sending people forward," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. "The key was not to drop deep and sort of continue to keep the line high without playing the offside trap. We needed to compete for the second balls and really put pressure on their outside backs when they had the ball because they were looking to play it in. When we did that, it helped us."
Hamlett watched his side fall under pressure at the start of both halves and emerge unscathed. While the Fire didn't handle the Revs' early second-half chances as well as Hamlett would have liked, he did appreciate how his side managed to work its way through the Revolution pressure.
"In the first half, we did well," Hamlett said. "At the start of the second half, I wasn't happy with it. I thought we weren't sharp enough and our concentration was a little bit down. As a result, they started getting some half-chances and some quarter-chances in front of our goal. We sort of weathered that storm and then we started to get our legs back again. I felt we had some good chances after that."
Once New England pressed forward, Chicago exploited the gaps at the back on the counterattack. Although the Revs enjoyed the majority of the possession, the Fire generated the better chances as Rolfe nearly scored with a chip late in the first half and Baggio Husidic nearly met Brian McBride's square ball at the far post in the dying stages.
Combine those opportunities with a unheeded penalty kick shout on Rolfe after he rounded Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis and fell under Reis' subsequent challenge and Hamlett felt the Fire had more than enough opportunities to snatch all three points.
"I thought we created some good chances," Hamlett said. "We just couldn't quite get the one."
One goal probably would have made Thursday's clash with Chivas USA at Toyota Park all but academic. Instead, the Fire will entertain the Red-and-White knowing they will need a positive result to seal a playoff spot and gain home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch believes the work submitted against the Revs bodes well as the Fire continues its playoff quest on Thursday night.
"I'm proud of the boys for digging in and scrapping," Busch said. "With that mentality going into the playoffs, we'll be in good shape defensively."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com
