In his time with the Columbus Crew and the U.S. national team, Brian McBride was known for scoring the big goals when it mattered most. Sunday afternoon, he continued the tradition. Only this time, he was wearing a Chicago Fire uniform.
McBride had eight shots on goal in the Fire's match against the Columbus Crew, scoring two goals. He doubled his total goals scored to four in his nine matches with the Fire since his return to Major League Soccer. The two goals were enough to give the Fire a 2-2 draw and a ticket to the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons.
"Brian is a true professional," Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said. "He knows what it's all about. He played his game today. He was able to get himself in good position and score two goals."
McBride spent his first eight years in MLS, from 1996-2003, in Columbus with the Crew, before heading to England and Fulham FC. For McBride, scoring isn't as important as helping his club.
"I loved my time in Columbus," McBride said. "This game was special. But the most important thing is to win the game. We didn't do that. It just so happened that I got two goals."
On McBride's first goal, the ball literally fell to his feet. A corner kick swung into the box, without touching anyone and landed at McBride's feet. He easily finished it for a 1-0 Fire lead.
In the second half, down 2-1, McBride again found himself in the right place at the right time. Cuauhtemoc Blanco sent a freekick into the box. Wilman Conde headed it down. McBride flicked it in, tying the game at 2-2 in the 79th minute after the Crew had scored two goals in three minutes in the second half to take the lead.
"This past week Denis told me to stop trying to do so many things," McBride said. "He told me to be a target player."
Fire midfielder Justin Mapp said McBride went out and played the game the way he does best.
"He always plays with the same enthusiasm," Mapp said. "Today we all kept fighting for 90 minutes. That's what we've tried to do all season."
In his MLS career, McBride has tallied 66 goals in 169 games. He has also added 47 assists. Sunday afternoon, he proved that he still has what it takes to succeed in the league. McBride's time with the Fire has been short, but as with his teammates he knows what the next important step is.
"We're playing for second place," McBride said. "That's our goal now. Getting home field advantage in one of the rounds would be beneficial to us."
The draw left the Fire tied with the New England Revolution with 43 points in the Eastern Conference. If the teams remain tied at the end of the season, the Fire hold the tiebreaker and would have home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series they are guaranteed to have.
The Fire travel to Toronto FC and play host to the New York Red Bulls, while the Revolution travel to D.C. United and then face the Kansas City Wizards at home to conclude the season.
"Our guys showed commitment and will to get us in the playoffs," Hamlett said. "We control our own destiny. Our goal is to finish these last two games off on a good note. Everybody knows what's on the line now."
Kathryn L. Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
