ESPN

Eric Brunner's goal in the 19th minute broke a three-match scoring drought and the Portland Timbers went on to defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1 on Sunday.

An own goal in the 52nd minute proved to be the winner for the Timbers (3-5-3), who had played to scoreless draws in their last two matches.

"Maybe it wasn't pretty at times, but it was the three points that we needed," Timbers striker Kris Boyd said.

Jalil Anibaba scored the lone goal for the Fire (4-3-3), stopping a three-game unbeaten streak. The loss also snapped a two-game winning streak on the road for Chicago.

The Timbers were coming off a 0-0 draw at Houston on Tuesday. That followed a scoreless result at home against the Columbus Crew on May 5 and a 2-0 shutout by Montreal the week before.

The victory pulled Portland ahead of the struggling Los Angeles Galaxy for last place in the Western Conference.

Brunner picked up the loose ball after Boyd's flailing bicycle kick off a header from Hanyer Mosquera, firing it past Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the early going. It was the first goal by a Timbers player in the team's last 446 minutes of play.

Going into the match, the Timbers were scoreless in 321 minutes -- the longest drought in the MLS this season. Portland's last score was an own goal against Sporting KC on April 21. The last Timbers player to score was Boyd on April 14 in a 3-1 loss at the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"You set the tone when you score the first goal, and that's what we wanted to do," Brunner said.

Chicago's Pavel Pardo was unguarded when he fired a shot at Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins, who leaped and grabbed it out of the air for a spectacular save in the 37th minute.

But Perkins couldn't get to Anibaba's rip into the corner two minutes later to tie it at 1. That ended Perkins' streak of 377 minutes without allowing a goal.

The match got chippy as the first half wound down, with Chicago's Patrick Nyarko and Portland's Mike Chabala getting into a shoving match that resulted in yellow cards for both players.

The Timbers went ahead on the own goal that came off the knee of Fire midfielder Logan Pause after Sal Zizzo's corner kick deflected off Boyd.

"It's a huge win," Perkins said. "It puts us real close to being in the middle of the pack. A couple of more results go our way and we're right in there."

The Fire continued to deal with injuries on their back line, with Arne Friedrich down with a right hamstring injury and Cory Gibbs out for an extended period after a meniscus tear in his right knee.

Portland was without captain Jack Jewsbury because of a pelvic strain. Midfielder Diego Chara wore the captain's armband against the Fire.

Timbers defenseman Futty Danso was serving a one-game suspension imposed by Major League Soccer for striking Dynamo forward Calen Carr across the head Tuesday.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Sebastian Grazzini and Dominic Oduro scored in the second half to help the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Saturday night.

Chicago, fourth in the Eastern Conference, improved to 4-2-3 overall and 3-1-2 in its last six game. Eastern Conference-leading Kansas City has lost three straight to drop to 7-3-0.

Oduro broke a tie in the 81st minute with his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Kansas City forward Kei Kamara misplayed a loose ball 5 yards from his goal, and Chicago's Patrick Nyarko fed Oduro in the middle for an easy shot past goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen.

The Fire tied it on Grazzini's penalty kick into the upper right corner in the 61st minute. The kick was triggered by Kansas City defender Aurelien Collin taking down Oduro from behind in the penalty area. The goal ended Chicago's scoreless string of 151 minutes, plus stoppage time.

Less than a minute later, Grazzini was dropped to the grass by the hard left elbow of leaping Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza, who was ejected for the foul.

Kansas City opened the scoring on midfielder Bobby Convey's goal exactly 30 minutes into the match. He deflected Espinoza's pass past goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

Chicago lost defender Arne Fredrich to a pulled right hamstring only 2 minutes earlier. Dan Gargan replaced Fredrich just before Convey scored.

CARSON, Calif. -- Marco Pappa scored in the second minute of stoppage time to send the Chicago Fire to a 2-1 victory over Chivas USA on Friday.

In the 92nd minute, the Guatemalan received a pass from second half substitute Frederico Puppo and then made a shot from nearly 30 yards that beat a diving Dan Kennedy.

Chivas (3-6-0) opened the scoring when Juan Pablo Angel scored on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute.

Chicago (3-2-2) tied it two minutes later when Sebastian Grazzini played a looping pass to Austin Berry, who made a chance from close range for his first career MLS goal.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Michael Gspurning extended his shutout streak to 337 minutes before allowing a late goal, and David Estrada and Eddie Johnson scored in the Seattle Sounders' 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

Seattle improved to 4-1-1 with its sixth straight victory on the road going back to last season. The road winning streak is one off the MLS record held by Los Angeles and D.C. United. Chicago dropped to 2-2-2.

Estrada opened the scoring in the 39th minute. His low kick caromed off Fire defender Arne Friedrich and past goalkeeper Sean Johnson. Johnson made it 2-0 in the 67th minute. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado half-fanned from 8 yards out, and Johnson ran up and finished it off.

Chicago's Marco Pappa scored in the 89th minute, curling a corner kick in off the left post to end Gspurning's shutout streak.

Pappa appeared to have tied it at 1 in the 63rd minute, but two Chicago players were ruled offside, including Dominic Oduro, who collided with Gspurning as Pappa's shot flew by.

Gspurning's last big save came on Jalil Alibaba's point-blank stop in the sixth minute of extra time. A shoving match after the final whistle was broken up with no punches thrown.

ESPNChicago.com writer Scoop Jackson is spending this week trying to prove that when it comes to sports, there is no city like Chicago.

Saturday

The day I decide not to go to see the Cubs is the day they decide to ball.

But when one has choices as one has today...

Option 1: Cubs vs. Reds
Option 2: Fire vs. FC (Toronto)
Option 3: White Sox vs. Mariners
Option 4: Wolves vs. Rampage
Option 5: Rush vs. Mustangs
Option 6: Bulls vs. Mavericks
Option 7: Blackhawks vs. Coyotes. Game 5

I don’t know if any other city in America can claim days like this on the calendar when it comes to professional sports. Seven teams all in action on one day.

Options.

So try doing this: Wake up at 5 a.m. to take youngest son to school on a Saturday because he’s in the band and the band is in a competition that starts at 7 a.m. Go back home. Take other son to driver’s education at another school at 10 a.m. Turn on WGN at noon to see what Cubs team is going to show up. Leave in the middle of the first inning to pick up kids. Return home, Cubs are winning 5-1. Find the Fire/Toronto match on TV. Scream “Goal!!!!!” 25 seconds into the match when the Fire score. Turn to White Sox game. Phil Humber looks good early. Go to get oil changed in the car. Come back, Humber still looks good. Leave home, head to United Center. Word is Derrick Rose might play. Get to UC, hear two words: Perfect game! Find out Rose is playing. Watch Bulls starting lineup start a game together for only the 13th time all season. Leave at halftime. Get home just in time for Game 5 puck drop. My son screams downstairs, “The Bulls are up by 10!” Go online to see Humber highlights. Text Kenny Williams. Check CN100 for Wolves update. They won. Eat dinner. Immerse myself into overtime No. 5. Goal! Text Blackhawks media relations coordinator for possible credentials to Game 6. Begin to write blog you are currently reading. Get response from Blackhawks: “See You Monday!”

The ability to watch, pay attention to or get locked into six professional games all in the same day? Unheard of. The chances of being a part of a day where the city you live in goes 7-0? Incredible. And, in the middle of it all, the 21st perfect game pitched in Major League history? Priceless.

We live for days like this. We live in Chicago because of days like this.

Scoop's Day 5

Scoop's Day 4

Scoop's Day 3

Scoop's Day 2

Scoop's Day 1

TORONTO -- Patrick Nyarko scored in the 58th minute, and the Chicago Fire beat winless Toronto FC 3-2 on Saturday.

Toronto (0-6-0) is tied for the second-worst start in MLS history. Kansas City opened the 1999 season 0-7-0. Toronto has a combined 1-7-2 record in CONCACAF Champions League and MLS play this season, getting outscored 23-11.

Dominic Oduro and Gonzalo Segares also scored for Chicago (2-1-2). Reggie Lambe scored both Toronto goals.

Oduro's through ball to Nyarko split the Toronto defense to set up the winning score. Goalkeeper Milo Kocic rushed out, but Nyarko dribbled past him and sent the ball home.

CHICAGO -- Chris Rolfe is returning to Major League Soccer and the Chicago Fire.

The 29-year-old American forward rejoined the Fire on Monday when he left Denmark's Aalborg after three seasons.

Rolfe scored 40 goals in 149 games with the Fire in all competitions from 2005-09. He had six goals in 32 matches over three seasons with Aalborg.

Rolfe has made 10 appearances with the U.S. national team.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Logan Pause scored in the 27th minute to lifted the Chicago Fire to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on on Sunday night in a match shortened to 66 minutes due to lightning.

Will Bruin opened the scoring for Houston (2-1-1) in the 24th minute with a low shot from 14 yards out after taking a pass from Brian Ching. Bruin's shot whistled low and to the right of Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson, making his first start of the season following his stint with the U.S. Olympic team.

The advantage lasted only three minutes before Pause, diving out of the way of teammate Pavel Pardo's free kick, deflected the shot off the crossbar and into the net for Chicago (1-1-2).

The second lightning delay of the match resulted in the decision to end it 24 minutes early.

The first delay, in the 13th minute, was triggered by two lightning strikes near Toyota Park. Those prompted referee Geoff Gamble to rush the teams off the field. The delay lasted 1 hour, 8 minutes before the match was resumed, but another cell stopped play in the 66th minute. After a 40 minute wait, the match was called.

Chicago defender Arne Friedrich, a veteran of two World Cups for Germany, made his regular season debut for the Fire.

Houston was without three midfield regulars, including Brad Davis, runner-up for MLS MVP in 2011. Adam Moffet was serving a one-game suspension, while Colin Clark was out for the first of three games for verbal abuse of a ball boy in Houston's last match.

Fire coach Frank Klopas, Dominic Oduro and Pavel Pardo discuss their upcoming game against Houston and Arne Friedrich discusses making his MLS debut.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Fire defender Cory Gibbs will be sidelined for four to six months following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The 32-year-old was injured Wednesday during training and was operated on Tuesday by Dr. Jason Koh at Glenbrook Hospital.

Gibbs says "the first couple days after hearing about the injury was basically another low point in my life."

Selected for the 2006 U.S. World Cup roster, he missed the tournament after injuring his right knee during an exhibition against Morocco.

"I've dealt with injuries in the past and have come back to perform at a high level," Gibbs said.

Marco Pappa's goal in the 12th-minute gave the Chicago Fire a 1-0 victory in a friendly against the University of Louisville on Saturday morning at the Toyota Park Practice Field.

The Fire pressured early and Pappa took the ball off the foot of Federico Puppo at the top of the 18-yard box and unleashed a curling shot past Louisville goalkeeper Zach Torp into the upper left corner of the goal.

Fire goalies Sean Johnson and Paolo Tornaghi combined for the shutout.

Newly acquired Fire defender Arne Friedrich, playing for the first time in over six months, went 88 minutes in his debut.

The Fire return to league play against the Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park on Sunday, April 15.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Omar Cummings scored in the 58th minute to help lead the Colorado Rapids to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday night.

The teams exchanged scoring chances for much of the game until Cummings found himself alone in the slot. Brian Mullan set up Cummings' second goal of the year. Cummings has six goals in seven games in his career against Chicago.

Kamani Hill added a goal in added time at the end of the game

(Read full post)

The Chicago Fire will play host to seven-time English Premier League champion Aston Villa in an international friendly on July 21 at Toyota Park.

Aston Villa, which has won seven English Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, will make its first trip to Chicago. This is the second straight year the Fire will host an English Premier League team. They lost to Manchester United at Soldier Field last year.

Aston Villa features two former Fire Premier players, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, originally from Homer Glenn and defender Eric Lichaj, who is from Downers Grove.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Dominic Oduro scored for the second straight game and the Chicago Fire beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Saturday night.

Rookie goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi collected his first shutout of the season, stopping four shots in the Fire's home opener.

Oduro scored with a well-placed header in the 28th minute. Midfielder Marco Pappa beat Philadelphia defender Chris Albright with a fake before feeding Oduro, who was about eight yards away when he sent a curling header past goalkeeper Zac MacMath low to his left side.

Philadelphia has lost its first three matches and scored only two goals. Gabriel Gomez had a pair of promising free kicks in the second half Saturday night, but Tornaghi was there each time.

The Fire (1-0-1) forced MacMath to make five saves.

MONTREAL -- Davy Arnaud scored the first Major League Soccer goal in Impact history, and Montreal tied the Chicago Fire 1-1 Saturday before a crowd of 58,912 at its home opener in Olympic Stadium.

Arnaud's goal in the 56th minute helped give the Impact (0-1-1) their first point since joining MLS as an expansion team this season. Dominic Oduro tied it in the 71st for the Fire, who were opening the season.

The Impact, who opened with a 2-0 loss at Vancouver last weekend, broke the previous record for attendance at a professional soccer match in Montreal. The Manic drew 58,542 for a North American Soccer League playoff game in 1981.