Rookies Baggio Husidic and Stefan Dimitrov got starts, and if second-year defender Austin Washington had not played, the result might have been different.
As it was, the Chicago Fire used a mixture of veterans and young reserves in their second SuperLiga game Tuesday and still defeated a similar mixture of players for Chivas USA. Justin Mapp scored a goal in the 35th minute and the Fire made that goal hold up for a 1-0 win at Toyota Park.
With a quick turnaround from Saturday's tournament opener and stifling Chicago summer heat, Fire coach Denis Hamlett gave a lot of youngsters starts Tuesday. He did not use either of his designated players, Brian McBride or Cuauhtemoc Blanco, and used veterans Marco Pappa, Tim Ward and Chris Rolfe as very late substitutions.
Instead, Husidic, Dimitrov, Washington and Mike Banner got playing time.
"You have to get the balance right," Hamlett said. "There are a lot of games in a short period of time. These guys haven't really played much, but they played to their strength and didn't try to do too much."
"I think we played well," said Dimitrov, a native of Bulgaria. "It's important for us to help the team."
The Fire took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute when forward Patrick Nyarko stole a back pass and dribbled toward the right side of the box. He sent a cross to Mapp, but it bounced off the feet of two Chivas defenders before laying at Mapp's left foot for a 16-yard shot over Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
"Pat tried to play it to me, bounced off a couple of guys and came to me," Mapp said. "I tried to put it back post."
For much of the rest of the game, the Fire tried to protect the lead and keep players alive in the oppressive 80-plus degree evening heat and high humidity. Chivas USA players said 13 of their guys cramped up during the game.
In the 52nd minute, Washington broke up a great scoring chance for Chivas. A through ball found Maykel Galindo alone on the right side well behind the defense. With Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch running out toward him, Galindo sent a cross to Chukwudi Chijindu, who momentarily mishandled the ball, allowing Washington to get back and disrupt his shot.
The Fire played their second consecutive SuperLiga game without center back Bakary Soumare, who returned this week from Africa after participating in World Cup qualifying for his home country, Mali. Hamlett put C.J. Brown in his spot, and moved Washington on the right side in place of starter Tim Ward, who was on the alternate list for the game.
The Fire midfield was severely altered, with Blanco, Pappa and Rolfe out and Mapp, Husidic and Banner in. The forwards were also changed, with rookie Dimitrov and second-year occasional starter Nyarko in the lineup, and McBride out.
Washington, Husidic, Banner and Dimitrov have not started an MLS game yet for the Fire this season.
Chivas started the second half with three substitutions, trying to find some fresh legs, and there was a renewed energy to the game. But the Fire defense held up.
"We weathered that stretch," Hamlett said.
Brown left the game in the 15th minute when his right hamstring tightened up, but both he and Hamlett said there was no pop and that he left the game at the right time.
Kent McDill is a contributor to MLSnet.com
