June 3, 2012
WOODWORK WOES
Missed chances cost Fire

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.---The Chicago Fire got unlucky twice on Saturday night with not one but two shots hitting the woodwork as they fell to the New England Revolution 2-0 before 12,523 soggy fans on a wet night at Gillette Stadium.

“Obviously we're disappointed. I felt that the first half, it was okay, but I thought we came out good the second half and we pushed,” said Fire coach Frank Klopas. “Clearly we had four or five good opportunities, hit the post twice and we didn't capitalize. And then we fall asleep on one play. Not one, on both plays. Just silly goals on our part - just lack of focus and concentration on the road. When you're on the road and you don't score, you miss opportunities. The mentality is don't give anything away, but then we fall asleep and give up two silly goals. So it's disappointing.”

In the eighteenth minute, a glancing header by Costa Rican Gonzalo Segares off a Pavel Pardo free kick had diving goalkeeper Matt Reis beat, but the far post kept Chicago off the board.

A Fernando Cardenas turnover near the midfield line in the 29th minute led to a solo charge by Fire speedster Dominic Oduro, but the Ghanaian’s effort from distance sailed over the bar.

In the 41st minute, Saer Sene collected Lee Nguyen’s through pass as the tall Frenchman crossed the eighteen, but Sene skied the left-footed blast.

Soon after the intermission, the woodwork again came to New England’s aid, as an Oduro header glanced off the post.

“I think we had a decent amount of chances created and we just couldn’t finish them,” said Fire forward Patrick Nyarko.” I think the balance of play was 50-50. In the balance of play, they created chances, we created chances and we couldn’t finish them just as they had finished theirs.”

Kelyn Rowe entered the game for Fernando Cardenas in the 64th-minute, and had an almost immediate impact. Moments after misfiring on a breakaway effort, Rowe collected a 65th minute pass from Feilhaber as he crossed into the box on the right. While sandwiched between two Chicago defenders, the rookie sent a right-footed toe poke back across his body into the corner of the net for his second goal of the season.

In the 70th minute, the midfielders reversed roles. This time, Rowe found Benny Feilhaber open on the right, and the U.S. international fired decisively into the far corner of the Chicago net for his first goal of 2012.

“I think (the Revs’ two goals) was just a lack of concentration from all of us,” said Fire defender Jalil Anibaba.” The first one came off a throw-in, and we were a bit slow to react, so ‘boom’ they put both goals in the back of the net. We just need to be a little sharper on that end.