Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco tallied the game-winning goal and an assist as Chicago defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1, on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., to advance to the SuperLiga championship.The Fire host Tigres UANL at 7 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Toyota Park.
Blanco’s game-winning free kick came in the 63rd minute. Marco Pappa ran over the ball and Blanco struck the ball with his right. He found the left side of the net, with Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis not even moving to try to stop the shot.
Blanco also assisted the game’s first goal by Brian McBride (pictured) in the 34th minute. He sent a cross from the left side directly to McBride, who had plenty of space in the center and struck the ball for a 1-0 lead.
The Revolution responded just before halftime in the 44th minute. Chris Tierney fed the ball to Edgaras Jankauskas, who chest-trapped the ball to his left foot. Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch appeared to have a good read on the projection of the ball, but John Thorrington tried to flick the ball away. Busch already committed to his left, and the ball flew past his feet as the Revs tied the score at 1-all.
New England was heavy on the attack all game, with a 23-11 shots edge over the Fire and a 9-4 shots on goal edge. Busch made eight saves and Reis had two.
Next up: The Fire return to Major League Soccer play when they host the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Toyota Park. The game is televised on My50.
SlideTackles.net thoughts: The Fire were outplayed by the Revs in just about every way. Yet it is these types of games where it helps to have a star-studded and healthy lineup that lives up to its billing, coming through with clutch goals and defensive stops.
Though the goal the Fire gave up was a hiccup, Busch was superb in the net. And Blanco’s free kick and assist were first-rate efforts.
The Revs’ 30th-minute shortfall was key in the Fire’s eyes so they would not fall behind. Sainey Nyassi beat Fire defender Daniel Woolard to his right and had a tough angle at the goal. Though not for certain, the replays appeared that Busch ever-so-slightly got a glove on Nyassi’s strike, which ricocheted off the left post.
The Fire defense was one mishap away from earning a third clean sheet in SuperLiga. As long as they can avoid the embarrassing defensive effort they had against Tigres in a 2-1 loss to end group play, Chicago has a good shot at the SuperLiga title.
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