Chicago Fire at D.C. United: Running Commentary

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FINAL- That’s all for tonight. Thanks for following along.

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FINAL- Fire 2, D.C. United 0. D.C. got off to a good start but couldn’t turn that into goals. Chicago weathered that early storm and eventually took control, outworking D.C. all over the field. Bakary Soumare with another stellar performance and Cuauhtemoc Blanco delivers the killer blow.

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90th minute- Dyachenko with a pretty nasty foul on Logan Pause and Thorrington comes in to call Dyachenko out about it. This Fire team definitely plays for each other and the results are showing on the scoreboard.

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86th minute- Moreno with a header off the crossbar. It’s been that kind of night for D.C.

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83rd minute- Emilio leaves the match and it is yet another weak effort from the reigning MLS MVP.

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80th minute- So why is Chicago controlling this game? The Fire is defending as a team and moving for each other. D.C. is something altogether different. I know Fred and Gallardo are out, but D.C. looked just as bad against Colorado with Gallardo. I think D.C. misses Fred, but the team is sorely lacking a player with the energy and passion that Ben Olsen provides. With his future in doubt, D.C. needs to make some moves. This current squad is incomplete.

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78th- Attendance for tonight: 18,605. Most of them are pretty disgusted right now.

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69th minute- Chicago is rolling right now and D.C. looks deflated. Can Moreno or Emilio conjure some magic? It’s not looking good.

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66th minute- Francis Doe is in for Quaranta as D.C. prepares to run a straight 4-3-3 with Moreno in the playmaking role. This game will either wind up 2-2 or 4-0 Chicago with this group.

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62nd minute- GOAL CHICAGO and Blanco blasts a 28-yard bomb into the top right corner. Clyde Simms was late getting back and Blanco had all day to measure up the shot. I’m afraid to say I saw that coming but you could see D.C. looking fatigued and Blanco pounced. Fire 2, D.C. 0.

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60th minute- Gonzalo Segares misses a second Fire goal by inches as he toasts Quaranta and runs onto a great Mapp pass. D.C. looks tired and this is when Chicago will find a second goal.

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58th minute- Franco Niell needs to come out of this game. He’s just not doing anything and service isn’t coming. Tom Soehn might want to think about putting in Francis Doe for Niell.

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57th minute- Wells stones Barrett again and Moreno finally has a teammate playing on his level. Here comes Chicago.

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54th minute- Wells with a great save on a Barrett shot after a great sequence from Chicago.

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51st minute- D.C. with a nice sequence, which included a pair of nice Emilio passes, but the sequence dies with a shot right to Busch. There just isn’t any creativity in the final third from D.C.

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50th minute- D.C. with a corner and at some point they need to make use of all these set pieces. Nope, nothing again.

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48th minute- The second half is under way and D.C. will need a strong start to the half to avoid falling behind any further.

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HALFTIME- FIRE 1, D.C. United 0. And D.C. leaves the field having failed to test Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch even once in the first half. Moreno is doing his best but there just isn’t enough from the wings and Luciano Emilio looks as off as he has looked the past month.

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42nd minute- This has been the Chicago Fire this year. Disciplined defending and patient and opportunistic offense. How will D.C. respond?

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39th minute- GOAL CHICAGO. And it’s Justin Mapp finishing a great drop-off pass from Barrett. Great work by Barrett to head the pass to a wide-open Mapp. Where was Mapp’s mark? Chicago 1, D.C. United 0.

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34th minute- The slippery field has made for some ugly soccer but credit to both defenses for avoiding any early mistakes.

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30th minute- Chicago started out flat but the teams have settled down and these next 15 will tell us who’s ready to take this game.

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25th minute- Is it me or is Franco Niell like a Wal-Mart version of Kun Aguero?

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23rd minute- Loving Moreno in the playmaking role. He has proven very difficult for Chicago to handle.

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20th minute- Emilio comes close with a look from 18. First decent player after a series of terrible attempted passes.

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18th minute- For those of you wondering, Lider Marmol is not in D.C. He is still awaiting his VISA, which he is expected to receive by next week. No truth to the rumor that he’s spending tonight burning all the Red Bulls gear he collected during his time in New York.

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17th minute- Chad Barrett stands 12 yards from goal with nobody on him and dishes off to the wing. Hmmm. Drinking game anybody?

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16th minute- Blanco and Peralta exchanging words. The league’s longest neck and shortest neck doing battle. Not bad.

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13th minute- Gallardo is out with a tweaked hamstring. There is no truth to the rumor that he hurt himself carrying home his paycheck (I think).

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10th minute- It looks like Niell and Moreno are alternating positions. Moreno can certainly handle playmaking duties. It will be interesting to see if Niell can use his speed to get by Diego Gutierrez, who has lost a step.

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7th minute- D.C. looks lively early on and you can tell that some of these players who aren’t regulars are playing with some purpose.

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6th minute- Blanco is down and D.C. fans aren’t buying it.

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2nd minute- We’re under way and D.C. fans have pulled out all the stops with the signage and an ode to Cuauhtemoc Blanco. "Donde Esta Tu Cuello (Where is your neck?)" Well played D.C.

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PRE-GAME- D.C. is missing Marcelo Gallardo, Fred and Devon McTavish tonight. Can Franco Niell be a creator? We know he can’t score so maybe he can pass.

PRE-GAME– D.C. is wearing the new VW-logo jerseys. It’s Best Buy vs. Volkswagen, can’t you just feel the excitement?

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