Coach Bob Bradley says his team’s troubles are correctable
Such has been the heat generated in Chicago that a three-game losing streak set off Fire alarms in the Windy City. False alarm, or not?
False, for the most part. The Fire has flickered a bit, yet is far from being doused.
Four of the 12 MLS teams have logged at least 20 points, and the Fire is one of them. Chicago’s goal difference is a plus-8, third best in the league.
Yet the taciturn chief is concerned. Bob Bradley isn’t the bubbly type when things are going well, nor is he mired in gloom if, as now, his brigade is not first to the scene.
All of Chicago’s seven wins have come in regulation, but with losses in its only two shootouts, that 7-6 record pales in comparison to the sizzling 20-12 mark of 1998.
Long ago forgotten is the team’s 2-5 start last year. Any other expansion team over .500 near the midpoint of its second season is a success. Not this one.
A championship hangover can last a lot longer than those induced by champagne, and too many of the 1998 stalwarts have played too many games as if the 1999 vintage is on ice in the locker room.
“There have been a number of games this season where we thought being able to hold the ball and control the play was enough to win the game,” said Bradley. “And I’ve been telling our players that it takes more than that.
“You have to be able to create good scoring opportunities and finish them, but at the same time, stay organized at the back. And there have been too many times that we simply haven’t done that.”
Four of Chicago’s 13 games this season have resulted in regulation defeats, and it is locked in a three-team dogfight for the Western Conference lead with Dallas and Colorado.
The former under-achieved last season because of injuries and a widespread malaise; the first-place Rapids are the league’s most improved team ù and the only one this season to win at Chicago in regulation ù heading into a June 26 visit by the Fire to Mile High Stadium.
Los Angeles and Kansas City are recovering from brutal starts, and San Jose’s foreign fleet has been upgraded.
“This conference is a lot tougher than last year, when we finished second,” said Bradley. “Every game, you know you’re in a fight.”
Common themes in several defeats
Besieged by questioners demanding to know what’s amiss in the house of last year’s league and cup winners, Bradley cites those four regulation losses: to D.C. United (3-1), Los Angeles (2-1) and New England (2-0) on the road, and to Colorado (1-0) at home.
“In a couple of those games ù Colorado and New England ù we went down a goal early,” he says, “and although I felt we got back on even terms and created the chances to win the game, we simply didn’t do that.”
Colo-rado’s Joey DiGiamarino stunned Chicago with a spectacular blast in the third minute, and some stout defending and heroic goalkeeping by Marcus Hahnemann beat back the Fire. The Rapids also pierced Chicago’s backline several times and were only denied more goals by keeper Zach Thornton.
New England took its lead on a scenario rarely seen last year: Peter Nowak losing the ball in his own half. Ivan McKinley picked Nowak’s pocket to set up Joe-Max Moore.
“To be honest, we were fortunate,” said Moore. “The team played well that game, but Chicago had some chances they wish they had back. … That game helped us gain confidence since they are one of the best teams in the league.”
Said Bradley, “What Joey doesn’t say is that he scored a great goal. All credit to him for scoring the goal and giving them the lead.”
Nowak’s sluggish play is a byproduct of two transatlantic trips he took to sort out business matters early in the season as owner of the Polish Second Division club Aluminum Konin.
He didn’t miss any games but did miss training sessions, and his lack of sharpness and fitness has noticeably burdened the Fire. The engine certainly isn’t hitting on all cylinders, and a deep thigh bruise suffered in a June 16 friendly against Legia-Daewoo Warsaw has forced further repairs.
“Peter and I have talked about it,” said Bradley. “I trust him to take care of what he feels he needs to take care of, and if that means him leaving, so be it.
“But we also had another conversation where I told him, ‘You can’t do this and be the leader of the team. We need you here.’ “
Misery in Los Angeles
Four weeks after downing D.C., 3-2, in a wide-open thriller at Soldier Field, the Fire traveled to RFK for the return game and was clearly second-best on the scoreboard.
“For D.C., I thought we played well, but Roy Lassiter got away from us three times. Zach stopped him once, another time Zach stopped him but [Ben] Olsen scored on the rebound, and the third time he scored himself.
“In a lot of our games, we’ve had players in those same situations as Lassiter, but we haven’t been able to score.”
The first D.C. goal came on a rare error by Thornton, who has been one of the few Fire players to approximate his 1998 form. A tame shot from Agoos got past him to cancel a goal by Jerzy Podbrozny, one of the culprits responsible for the embers of 1999.
Of the foreign contingent, Lubos Kubik has come closest to the magic of ’98. Yet his haste to join the attack when the Fire attack sputters has exposed defenders Francis Okaroh and C.J. Brown to counters and man-down situations.
Only Thornton and midfielder Chris Armas have been consistently competent. Wild form swings have plagued most of their teammates, most notably Ante Razov, scorer of six goals in his first three games and utterly useless since despite receiving numerous chances.
“We just have a lot of our players that have not hit their best form,” Bradley said. “Last year, we established that to win most games, we had to have at least seven or eight players play well. In most of our games this year, that hasn’t been the case.”
The bottom fell out June 12 in Los Angeles.
“In the first half, we were absolutely miserable, just awful,” said Bradley. “It was the probably the worst 45 minutes this team has ever played. We just didn’t come to play.”
As to the curse of complacency, Bradley said, “There could be some of that. But it better not go on much longer.”
Bradley finally saw glimpses of the teamwork and determination that propelled the team to a pair of titles last year in a 2-0 win over San Jose June 19.
Nowak did not play, and Thornton received a red card in the 23rd minute for handling the ball outside the box.
Chicago’s 10 men rallied with a spirited effort and goals by Kubik and Podbrozny for a satisfying victory.
“It was nice to see,” said Bradley of players tracking back, supporting each other, and finishing scoring chances. “I’m not happy that it took us going down to 10 men to do the things we’re supposed to be doing, but I was glad to get the three points in a very difficult situation.
“It’s just one game, and we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We need that kind of effort every game if we’re going to stay among the top teams in the league.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney