Red Stars vs. FC Gold Pride highlights

Highlights from Sunday's Red Stars match against FC Gold Pride. The Bay Area team topped Chicago, 3-2, and won the WPS regular-season title.

Ching, Dynamo sour Fire's comeback

Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching was a thorn in the Chicago Fire's side as he netted a hat trick and the game-winning goal in the 85th minute as the Dynamo topped Chicago, 4-3, on Saturday at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

The Fire overcame a 3-1 deficit, but Ching's header off of a corner kick sealed a Houston victory late as Chicago was outplayed in many facets of the match.

Chicago's set-piece defending had its flaws. The Dynamo dominated in possession early on. Certainly the Fire (6-6-6) had a difficult task coming off a mid-week match, while Houston (6-10-5) was well-rested and on its home pitch.

The Fire had an opportunity to jump into third place in the Eastern Conference standings when Toronto FC fell to the New York Red Bulls earlier in the day, but Toronto maintained its two-point lead over Chicago.

For more, visit ESPNChicago.com.

Red Stars host 1st-place Gold Pride

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars (5-10-6, 21 points) host four-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Marta and FC Gold Pride (12-3-4, 40 points) at 5 p.m. Sunday at Toyota Park. The game is televised on Fox Soccer Channel.

Gold Pride is in the midst of an eight-match unbeaten run that started on July 3. But the Bay Area team has posted three straight scoreless draws, most recently against the Washington Freedom on Aug. 14.

The Red Stars are coming off a 2-0 loss against Washington in Boyds, Md., a loss that included a pair of injuries to forward Jessica McDonald and midfielder Formiga, as well as a limited bench.

“It was tough,” Red Stars Head Coach Omid Namazi said of the situation. “Even still, we played well in the first half and should have been up a couple goals. All season we haven’t been able to score, and then the injuries just make it that much tougher. When you fall behind, you lose confidence.”

Chicago currently sits in sixth place in the standings and is in must-win mode to try and make a push for a playoff berth.

The Red Stars are in the midst of their roughest stretch of the season – a 1-5-1 record over their past seven matches. Chicago has been outscored 12-4 in this span.

For more, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Red Stars vs. Washington Freedom highlights

Highlights from the Red Stars' 2-0 loss to the Washington Freedom on Thursday.

Fire look to keep ball rolling in Houston

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire are in the midst of a 2-0-1 month of August and they hope to maintain their momentum when they travel to Houston to take on the Dynamo on Saturday at Robertson Stadium.

The Fire potentially could climb into third place in the East. The New York Red Bulls travel to BMO Field to take on Toronto FC earlier in the day on Saturday. If Toronto falls and Chicago wins, the Fire would take sole possession of third ahead of Toronto. A Toronto loss and Fire win would mean a third-place tie, with Chicago having played two less matches than Toronto.

The Dynamo typically is in the conversation when looking at the top teams in MLS. But that definitely is not the case this season.

Houston is 5-10-5 and carrying a 10-game winless streak on its shoulders. Its last victory was against D.C. United on May 22.

"We're going to play against a team that even though they're not having a great [season] as of right now, they are still a tough team to play," Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos said.

For more, visit ESPNChicago.com.

Injuries mount as Red Stars fall to Washington

BOYDS, Md. -- With injuries mounting and international absences to battle through, the Chicago Red Stars fell to the Washington Freedom, 2-0, on Thursday in Women's Professional Soccer action at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

Chicago capped off the road portion of its regular season and starts up a three-game homestand, starting with a 5 p.m. match on Sunday against FC Gold Pride at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. The match is televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.

The postseason race is in full swing as the Freedom (6-8-7, 25 points) currently holds the fourth playoff position if the season ended today. Sky Blue FC is in fifth (6-9-4, 22 points) and the Red Stars in sixth with a 5-10-6 record and 21 points.

The Red Stars' injury bug continued Thursday as they already were entering the match without Kate Markgraf (concussion).

Red Stars forward Jessica McDonald made her first WPS start, but her day ended early when she was taken off the field in a stretcher in the 12th minute. Red Stars Head Athletic Trainer Laura Behr said that McDonald tore her patellar tendon and is out for the remainder of the season. Chicago had to burn one of its substitutions early when Nikki Washington officially entered the match in the 16th minute.

In the second half, Red Stars midfielder Formiga sprained her ankle and was replaced by Lydia Vandenbergh in the 63rd minute.

For more, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Fire's Ljungberg quickly making impact

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It is relatively easy to jump on the Freddie Ljungberg bandwagon considering his immediate impact in only three matches with the Chicago Fire.

Ljungberg rapidly is becoming a welcome addition to the organization, and his most recent efforts helped Chicago top the New England Revolution, 2-1, on Wednesday. The 33-year-old designated player had a falling out with Seattle Sounders FC. But whatever went wrong on the west coast, Ljungberg appears to have found his stride already in Chicago.

Ljungberg's work rate, vision, offensive push and overall soccer experience were sorely needed. And the sense of admiration for the former Arsenal midfielder is evident in the locker room and on the pitch.

"He's got kind of a fiery personality, and it's good. It's what we need," Fire midfielder Peter Lowry said shortly after Ljungberg's arrival. "We kind of need a kick in the [butt]. I used to watch the old Arsenal teams on TV, and it was fun to watch him play. You try to learn from what he does and soak in as much as possible."

For more, visit ESPNChicago.com.

Fire's Carr returns, nets winner over Revs

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire forward Calen Carr made his return a memorable one.

Carr netted a game-winning goal in the 85th minute as the Fire defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1, on Thursday in front of 14,056 at Toyota Park. The match was Carr's first since a scoreless draw between the host Revs and the Fire on Oct. 17, 2009.

Carr injured his quad at the end of this year's preseason when the team was in Mexico. But he slowly but surely has battled his way back, and Carr's goal gave the Fire (6-5-6) three well-deserved points against Eastern Conference foe New England (6-10-3).

"It's been a tough road where my quad would feel better, then it would feel worse, and then better, then worse," Carr said. "I finally broke through the barrier and I've been training for some weeks now. I feel great."

The front line made an aggressive run upfield during Carr's goal. Freddie Ljungberg fueled the attack and fed to Carr who surged ahead and cut to his right toward the middle of the pitch. He hit a low shot from just outside of the box and drove the ball past Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis, finding the left side of the goal for the game-winner.

"[Ljungberg] got the ball and I just drifted out wide to the left," Carr said. "I cut inside, and was originally going to go to the far post and saw the defender coming. So I decided to come back across the face of the goal. The rest ... thankfully it went in."

For more, visit ESPNChicago.com.