The Chicago Fire overwhelmed defending MLS Cup champion D.C. United from the start Sunday, and on the strength of two goals and an assist from midfielder Ivan Guerrero, left RFK Stadium with a 4-0 victory in the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series and a spot in the conference championship.
The only team to eliminate D.C. United from the postseason -- in fact, the only team never to lose a game in the MLS Cup Playoffs to the four-time champion -- the Fire got a goal from rookie Jack Stewart just 10 minutes into the game, then Guerrero struck twice before the half was out, including a long-range dagger just before the break. Jesse Marsch finished off the scoreline with a second-half blast.
There were tense moments for United right from the outset as dangerous Fire striker Nate Jaqua wreaked some havoc in the box and forced 'keeper Nick Rimando to make a close-range save barely a minute in.
But there was a bigger effect for United -- starting center back Facundo Erpen came up lame and was rushed to the sidelines for medical treatment. An MCL sprain to his right knee forced him off after just five minutes and coach Peter Nowak had to insert rookie Bobby Boswell, with the defending champs scrambling to stave off the Fire attack.
Chicago didn't wait long to capitalize on the favorable turn of events, drawing first blood from the most unlikely of sources in the 10th minute when Stewart converted on a corner kick from midfield mate Thiago, only his second-ever goal in Major League Soccer. A possibly screened Rimando dove in the opposite direction from the incoming ball, which somehow sailed through to the back post where Stewart awaited to head it home.
United were able to muster a few chances of their own as the half wore on. In the 23rd minute, a cross from United's Dema Kovalenko found a wide-open Jamil Walker, but his touch failed him and Fire 'keeper Zach Thornton came out to pounce on it. Thornton was again in position two minutes later on a Christian Gomez free kick from 25 yards out, which he curled right into the hands of the longtime Fire goalie.
Walker had another solid chance in the 35th minute, when he received a ball to his feet inside the box, made a quick turn, and hit a low shot that lacked pace right to a crouching Thornton.
But the home crowd was all but silenced in the 37th minute, when Guerrero netted his first goal of the playoffs after some nifty work on the flank from Chris Rolfe. Rolfe carried the ball forward on the left side all the way to the end line before crossing. D.C. defender Brandon Prideaux's attempt to clear the ball bounced right to an opportunistic Guerrero, and the Honduran international settled the ball before hitting a perfectly placed shot into the right corner of the goal past Rimando.
In first half extra time, Rolfe again put United on their heels, settling a ball on his chest and flicking it over an on-rushing Rimando. As the ball bounced ominously toward goal, it was cleared off the line by Bryan Namoff.
But Rolfe and Guerrero weren't done yet. Literally seconds before the halftime whistle, Guerrero took a ball that Rolfe laid off and struck a one-time screamer from 25 yards out that sailed just inside the left post past an outstretched and desperate Rimando.
Down three goals, Nowak looked to jumpstart his stagnant offense for the second half by substituting in a pair of attack-minded youngsters at halftime, Freddy Adu and Lucio Filomeno. With nothing to lose, United aggressively pushed forward and physically challenged the Fire on most every ball, but Chicago was up to the task.
And as frustrations, playoff pressure and hard fouls mounted for the home team, the Black-and-Red began to lose their composure.
Fire defender C.J. Brown made a tackle on United's Gomez on the left side of the penalty box in the 56th minute, but when Gomez's flop failed to elicit a whistle from referee Kevin Stott, the Argentinean playmaker spit in the direction of Brown. Without hesitation, Stott issued a red card to Gomez, forcing United to play a man down -- in a three-goal hole -- for the remaining half-hour.
In the 65th minute, Filomeno attempted what would have been a spectacular bicycle kick, getting on the end of a Ben Olsen cross inside the box, but his shot rolled wide of the goal.
Only two minutes later, though, former United player Marsch put the nail in the coffin with a confident one-time strike on a cross from Guerrero. Marsch rocketed an impressive full volley into the top of the net and just under the crossbar, over a stunned Rimando and giving the Fire an insurmountable 4-0 lead.
United maintained possession for much of the game's remaining minutes, but failed to greatly trouble the Fire, who are now just 90 minutes away from a fourth MLS Cup Final in club history, with a trip to New England to face the Revolution in the Eastern Conference Championship in the way.
MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Ivan Guerrero (Chicago Fire)
Omar Garriott is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
