Fire advance to Open Cup quarters

The Chicago Fire endured a slow start and defeated the USL Pro's Rochester Rhinos, 1-0, on Tuesday in a third-round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

Fire forward Diego Chaves netted the game's lone goal as Chicago advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

"When you go into a game like this, you've got to be ready," Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson said. "We started a little slow and had a tough time getting used to the field conditions. But we picked things up as the game went on, especially once we got that goal."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire face Rochester in Open Cup

Diego Chaves -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire take a short detour from their MLS slate when they take on the USL Pro's Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday in third-round action of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

The Fire are providing a live stream of the match on their official site, Chicago-Fire.com, with the opening kick at 6:35 p.m. CT.

The four-time Open Cup champion Fire managed to qualify for the tournament for a 14th straight time, defeating MLS sides Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes in a pair of play-in matches.

This third-round match marks another short turnaround for the Fire, who played to a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, preceded by a scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake last Wednesday.

"The Open Cup is a tournament that we want to win," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "We talked about the goals we set in the beginning [of the season], but there are a lot of games and a lot of traveling. We have a very good group of players, and we're going to assess them all."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire come back to draw Red Bulls

Fire's Corben Bone (right) -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire have had moments this year where the bounces have not gone their way. But on Sunday, a beneficial bounce on a Marco Pappa goal paved the way for a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls in front of 16,961 at Toyota Park.

Pappa's team-leading fifth goal in the 58th minute helped Chicago overcome a halftime deficit. Pappa wound up with the ball about 30 yards away from the goal and he decided to take a deep strike toward the left side of the net. Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul dove to his right, but the ball actually bounced over Coundoul and into the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.

"Sometimes he tries things and they don't come through, but there are times where he can make some magic," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said of Pappa. "You know what you're going to get from him. He's always going to be in situations where he can create and he can score. He always finds himself around the goal. It's amazing that he's got that ability. Some players have it, some don't."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire meet Red Bulls' offensive force

Frank Klopas -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire's short homestand has featured the league's top defense in Real Salt Lake. Now the Fire take on MLS's top offense as the goal-heavy New York Red Bulls and Thierry Henry head to Toyota Park this Sunday (1 p.m. ESPN).

Henry is coming off a suspension after receiving a red card against the Portland Timbers. He has been the driving force of the Red Bulls' offense with eight goals. New York is averaging a league-best 1.6 goals per game (26 goals in 16 matches).

"For sure, we're looking forward to it," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said of the challenge. "It's just another opportunity for us to gain some momentum. The guys will be ready."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire's defense salvaging regular points

Fire GK Sean Johnson -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire offense has not regularly produced over the past month, but the team's defense has turned into a saving grace for points.

Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas has been at the helm for five matches. Chicago has allowed only one goal and has garnered at least a point per game and a 1-0-4 record since the firing of Carlos de los Cobos.

One of the most apparent adjustments that Klopas made was moving to man marking versus zonal marking on set pieces. The Fire have yet to allow a set piece goal under Klopas.

"Set pieces have been a key," Fire defender Gonzalo Segares said. "Since we changed to man marking, that is one of the big reasons why we're doing better."

"That's just one area where we had given up goals, and we needed a change," Klopas said. "Obviously it was something that wasn't working. We changed it. We put guys on the post and stuff like that to make it comfortable for our goalkeeper when he comes out. Man marking suits us better."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Weissenhofer, Red Stars top Madison

Michele Weissenhofer -- Chicago Red Stars

Chicago Red Stars Communications

Chicago Red Stars midfielder Michele Weissenhofer scored two goals and assisted a Julie Ewing goal as Chicago defeated the Madison 56ers, 3-1, in Women's Premier Soccer League action on Wednesday at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wis.

In other Red Stars news, the team added midfielder Katie Nasenbenny (LaGrange, Ill.) and defender Megan Oyster (Naperville, Ill.) to their roster for Wednesday's match.

Read more at the Red Stars' WSPL site at WPSL.info.

Fire post league-high 10th draw

Cory Gibbs -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake played Wednesday's match as though each side was waiting for one mistake to pounce on. But that never came to fruition for either side as the Fire and Salt Lake wound up in a scoreless draw in front of 14,972 at Toyota Park.

Chicago and RSL grinded out the match, which had some moments of back-and-forth play, but featured very little on either offensive third. Chicago had a 4-2 shots on goal advantage, and Salt Lake did not post a shot on goal in the second half.

"It was tough at first for us," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. They're a team where their strength is in the middle of the field. I think we had a little bit of a hard time in the beginning. And I think when things settled a bit, we found the game a little bit better."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Nazarit suspended as Fire host RSL

Fire's Marco Pappa -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

Chicago Fire forward Cristian Nazarit will be suspended for two matches, according to a source. The MLS Disciplinary Committee is expected to suspend the Colombian forward for Chicago's matches against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and the New York Red Bulls on Sunday.

The Fire (2-4-9) and Salt Lake (6-3-4) kick off at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Toyota Park. Midfielder Marco Pappa returns to the Fire after playing for Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.