BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- There is no code that says a soccer team has to utilize its three substitutions. But in a grueling road match, more times than not the head coach will go to his bench if he can.

Following the Chicago Fire's 2-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC over the weekend, you have to wonder why Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos elected to make only one change to his lineup.

If Chicago pulled off a draw, this probably would be a moot point. But the bottom line is the Fire fell twice on the road when they had opportunities to garner points, and De los Cobos' personnel management is a legitimate topic of scrutiny.

"We were good in the midfield, and sometimes when you move the team you create some disorder, some instability maybe," De los Cobos said of Saturday's loss to Seattle. "During the match I was talking with the guys and asking them how they feel, and they felt good. That was the reason. The team was defending good in the last minutes."

That was until an unmarked Fredy Montero netted a stoppage-time goal to give Seattle the victory.

Fatigue had to play a part in Seattle, and it especially was an issue in the Aug. 21 loss to the Houston Dynamo. The Fire played only three days after their 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Aug. 18, and De los Cobos elected to go with the exact same starting lineup against Houston.

Against Seattle, at least Chicago could have controlled some elements of the match with fresh legs down the stretch to preserve the draw, but they elected not to.

"It was a tough game. We fought, we fought, we fought, and I think everybody was fatigued," Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson said. "That's a coach's decision, but at the end of the day, the players that are on the field need to find the result. I'll take part of the responsibility. You win as a team and you lose as a team. We've got to get it right -- the communication, the marking and stuff like that. I'll take responsibility for the communication and getting those marks right."

A wasted personnel decision in the Houston match was relying on a lackluster first-half performance from designated player Nery Castillo, who clearly has shown that he is not in tip-top game-ready form. The Fire were forced to use two substitutions before the start of the second half against Houston -- Calen Carr because Castillo was not fit to perform, and Steven Kinney for Dasan Robinson because of a first-half injury.

The Fire players and coaches regularly talk about this team's depth. So if they are confident in this group, then bring them aboard, especially in late-game situations.

Chicago had six field players available on its bench against Seattle. The only substitution was Carr for Patrick Nyarko in the 86th minute. The likes of Marco Pappa, Brian McBride and Mike Banner rode the pine.

The Fire need to be proactive rather than reactive. And the Castillo situation was such a slow reaction that it took two dismal first halves, preceded by a 35-minute second half substitution against New York, for this team to realize that Castillo is not up to speed just yet.

De los Cobos chatted with his players Saturday, but almost any true professional athlete will voice his willingness to keep fighting on the pitch until he physically has to be dragged away. An assertive voice from the sidelines is necessary to make that proactive choice.

Over the weekend, the Fire had no time to react to Montero's second goal. The damage already was set in stone.