As feared, the Chicago Fire’s season officially came to an end yesterday. Going into their 3:00 pm start time, they knew they needed a win to advance to the playoffs as Houston and New England had both defeated their opponents by the time the Fire hit the pitch. Nevertheless, the Fire couldn’t muster up enough firepower to defeat the New York Red Bulls and unfortunately, the loss dropped them to 6th place in the Eastern Conference and the last team out of the playoff race.
There was even a glimmer of hope at the beginning of this match as the Fire jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 6th minute when Mike Magee buried the ball in the bottom right corner of the net. The Fire were able to hold that lead for a while but the Red Bulls scored their equalizer in the 24th minute and from that point, it was all New York Red Bulls. At halftime, the match was still knotted up at 1-1. But in the 2nd half, New York goals in the 49th minute, the 56th minute, the 77th minute, and the 84th minute quickly ended any hopes of a Fire victory. An extra time goal by the Fire’s Quincy Amarikwa was much too little, too late, and with the win, the Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield for finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Adding insult to injury for the Fire was a Montreal loss later yesterday evening. If the Fire had been able to win, they would have jumped to 3rd place, guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. It wasn’t to be, however, and the Fire return home after another disappointing season.
Your daily Chicago sports schedule (game to watch)
Blackhawks @ Wild – 7:00 pm
ChiTownSteve 