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

The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday it had re-signed midfielder Pavel Pardo.

Pardo played in 14 matches after joining the Fire in July. He had one goal and five assists while helping the Fire to the second best regular season finish in club history at 7-2-1.

“Pavel helped kick-start our turnaround at the end of last season,” said Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas. “He provides tremendous experience for us in the middle of the park, serves as a great example for our younger players and plays for the badge every time he steps on the field.”

Pardo began his career with hometown Mexican Primera side Club Atlas, where he appeared in 156 matches and recorded seven goals from 1993-98. Following a brief stint with UAG Tecos, Pardo joined Mexican giants Club America for the first of two career stints in 1999. It was with las Aguilas that Pardo made his mark, appearing in 224 matches, scoring 24 goals from 1999-2006 while helping the club to the 2002 Verano and 2005 Clausura championships as well as the 2006 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

His play for America propelled him to Europe, signing with German side Vfb Stuttgart in 2006. While with Die Roten, Pardo appeared in 71 matches, scoring four times while helping the Reds to the 2006-07 Bundesliga title, the club’s first since 1992. He returned to Club America following the 2009 Bundesliga season, going on to play in another 86 matches for las Aguilas through the 2011 Mexican Clausura.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire capped off their final training session on Thursday, and now the focus squarely shifts toward head coach Frank Klopas' club making the necessary moves to improve their fate for 2012.

The Fire, who posted a 9-9-16 record and put together a winning record in the final third of the season, anticipate that a bulk of this year's team will be retained for next season. That would be a big change of pace considering how hectic the player movement was after the 2010 campaign.

"We did a lot of that last year," Klopas said of the previous personnel changes. "Obviously we have to look to get better. With the expansion draft (Nov. 23, Montreal Impact) there's a possibility that you might lose a player there. Like any team you're looking to get better. I think we feel very good with the base that we have. Now we've got to continue to build on that, and that's the important thing."

Klopas spent much of Thursday's post-training fielding questions regarding whether key players within the 2011 roster will definitely be back next season.

As of now, midfielder Marco Pappa is under contract through the 2012 season, and midfielder Sebastian Grazzini's one-year contract goes through July of next year. The same tone remains with midfielder Pavel Pardo, who wants to return and the organization wants to see return. But an extension is not set at the moment.

Klopas said that Ghanaian forwards Patrick Nyarko and Dominic Oduro were set with the team for the 2012 season, though the players have not echoed that sentiment.

"It will be up to management to see if I'm coming back or not," Oduro said on Thursday.

"I have another team option for next year that hasn't been picked up," Nyarko said last week. "They have to let me know by Dec. 1, so I'll wait on that."

So there clearly is plenty of work needed in solidifying the pieces for next year, but the overall feeling among the organization is that it wants the core group intact.

"I would love it if management keeps the team because as you saw in the last 10 games we had a great record," Oduro said. "We lost only two games out of those 10, which is pretty impressive. We had it together. So it would be nice to have everybody back. At the same time, you always need one or two players to fill in some gaps, and I think we should be fine."

Reports have recently surfaced regarding the possibility of goalkeeper Sean Johnson going on a trial with Manchester United and forward Orr Barouch heading to Maccabi Haifa (Israeli Premier League). While Klopas did not confirm the validity of those potential moves happening, he does anticipate Fire players in the future training elsewhere to maintain an active offseason.

"In the future, we're going to be doing more things like this because we do have relationships now with other clubs," Klopas said. "With some of the players I think it's important for their growth to be in an environment where they continue to train. We'll be looking to do more things like that with some of our players who want to, because it is a long break."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire wanted to end their season on a high note, and they did so by reaching the .500 mark for the first time since April 9.

Fire forward Diego Chaves scored his second game-winning goal in as many games and Fire defender Jalil Anibaba had two goals as Chicago topped the Columbus Crew, 3-2, on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 20,237 at Toyota Park.

The Fire completed the season with 9-9-16 mark (43 points), but Chicago missed the postseason for a second straight year and the third time in the team's 14-season history.

"Obviously we're disappointed not to be in the playoffs because that was our goal from the beginning," Klopas said. "But I feel very good at this point of the season where we are as a team. There's a lot to build from this."

As the Fire move into next season, the first major question is whether they will remove Klopas' interim tag and have him continue as the team's head coach.

"In the next couple weeks we're going to sit down as an organization and make the best decision going forward for the Fire," Klopas said. "But I've enjoyed every single second of my professional job, especially what I did now as the interim coach. I really enjoyed it with this group, because I've always believed in this group."

On Saturday, Chaves provided another game-winner following his dramatic stoppage-time goal against D.C. United the previous week. In the 81st minute against the Crew, Chaves provided a tally one minute after Columbus' Dilly Duka netted an equalizer on a botched defensive clearance.

Following the Crew goal, the Fire's Dominic Oduro was on the attack and ripped a shot from the right side, forcing Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer to dive to the right for the save. Chaves ran on in and tallied the unassisted score for the 3-2 win.

Anibaba had a solid day on the offensive side with the first two goals of his young MLS career. Anibaba gave the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute off of a Pavel Pardo assist, cutting in front of Crew defender Julius James and heading the ball past Hesmer.

Anibaba then netted his second goal in the 30th minute, coming up with a difficult header that was redirected toward the far right corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead. Fellow defender Cory Gibbs assisted from the left side.

"It was a good service out wide from Cory," Anibaba said. "I pointed to the spot and he literally put it right there. It was just a matter of me getting on the end of a good service."

Columbus fell to 13-13-8 (47 points), but the Crew prepares for the postseason.

The Fire put together a strong second-half run. Still, there were quite a few of those league-high 16 draws that could have turned into additional points.

"We made as hard of a push as we could have," Fire captain Logan Pause said. "Obviously it's a little bittersweet because we want to continue to play. You want to put yourself with a chance to make the playoffs and compete, and try to win a trophy. That was one of our goals that we didn't succeed with. But I think it is a silver lining and it feels as good as it can."

Analysis: The Fire's playoff fate already was sealed heading into Saturday, but Chicago made a strong enough statement in improving to .500. The Fire also improved to 6-3-8 at Toyota Park this season, a home mark that is an improvement from recent years.

Going forward, there is the sentiment that Chicago has the bulk of its plan in place, which was a complete reversal from the previous offseason. The next few weeks should be interesting to see what decisions the Fire make about keeping Klopas, retaining the likes of midfielders Pardo and Sebastian Grazzini (who was out Saturday with his hamstring injury) and going elsewhere to find some other pieces -- perhaps another striker and more midfield depth.

The Fire progressed well during the second half of the season, but they need to establish the postseason standard that was a given year in and year out. Missing this year's playoffs certainly is a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering this year's playoffs expanded to 10 teams.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Now that the playoffs are more or less out of the picture, the Chicago Fire are simply looking to finish out their final two matches on a positive note.

But the Fire (7-9-16, 37 points) will be dramatically shorthanded when they face Eastern Conference foe D.C. United on Saturday at RFK Stadium.

Defenders Dan Gargan and Cory Gibbs are suspended because of yellow card accumulation, and midfielder Pavel Pardo is out because of a straight red card from Wednesday's 2-1 home loss to FC Dallas.

"We have to finish strong," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "Every time we have an opportunity to step on the field and train or play, it's all about improving as a team. We don't believe in excuses."

"We need to regroup and go over there in D.C. and look for the win," Fire defender Gonzalo Segares said. "[The Dallas loss is] definitely a big blow for us. We've been pushing really hard these past couple of months during the late run and it got us pretty close to being in the position in which we could have been fighting for the playoffs. But with the result [Wednesday], it's just really tough to swallow. We've got two more games to play and like every other game we've got to go out there and get a win."

Segares felt that the heavy dose of cards from that match was the result of last-second frustration in trying to disrupt a superior Dallas side.

"A lot of them were when [Dallas] was on the counter and somehow we had to stop the play," Segares said. "At the beginning of the game, that's how they got many chances. Sometimes you've got to stop those breakaways. Because so many guys got cards, it's definitely going to hurt us -- Gargan, Cory and Pavel with the red card. But we have guys who can step into the starting lineup and help us in the last couple of games."

The Fire have had their share of defensive suspensions already this season, but they have some options to make due in D.C. Segares will remain at left back, Jalil Anibaba could shift to right back, and Klopas might turn to a center back pairing of Josip Mikulic and Yamith Cuesta.

Pardo's absence in the midfield will be a crucial setback as he arguably has been the team's most valuable player during his short tenure. Fire midfielder Marco Pappa will return from international duty with Guatemala.

Several weeks ago it appeared that D.C. (9-11-11, 38 points) would work itself into the playoff picture, thanks mostly because of Dwayne De Rosario's heavy scoring dose. But United is now in the midst of a three-game losing streak, most recently posting a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday.

United does have three home matches left on the docket. But with a five-point deficit from the bottom of the wild card field, D.C.'s quest for a postseason has quickly faded.

The Fire played D.C. to a 1-1 draw on Aug. 18 at Toyota Park. Sebastian Grazzini had a 59th-minute goal for a 1-0 lead, but D.C.'s Josh Wolff found the equalizer in the 73rd minute.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Two games remain for the Chicago Fire, but midfielder Pavel Pardo will be limited to Chicago's home finale on Oct. 22 against the Columbus Crew. Pardo picked up a red card during the Fire's 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday and is suspended for Saturday's match at D.C. United.

Naturally, the Fire talk has started to shift toward Chicago's 2012 season. While not mathematically eliminated from this year's postseason, the Fire's bid for the playoffs is unrealistic with 37 points (7-9-16), two games remaining and a six-point gap between Chicago and the final wild-card spot.

For a second straight season and for the third time in the Fire's 14-year history, Chicago will miss the playoffs.

Pardo signed a six-month contract for the Fire, and on Wednesday he expressed his desire to stick with the organization for the long-term.

"Of course I'd like to come back," Pardo said. "I was talking about this situation with the people from the Fire, and they want me to be here for the next year. And I want to be here, but not for one year. I'd like to be here for more years. I've integrated with this team, the club and the fans. I'm very happy playing for the Chicago Fire."

Pardo netted a goal during his Fire debut to salvage a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 3. Since Pardo's arrival, the Fire have posted a 5-3-4 record and 19 points.

If Chicago maintained that points ratio for an entire 34-game season, the Fire would have wound up with 54 points in 2011. That would have been good enough to win the Eastern Conference, even if the Union wins its final two games.

The Fire have shown through their late run that there are some elements of a nucleus to build around with Pardo and midfielder Sebastian Grazzini if he stays healthy.

"We had 16 to 18 players from last year, and I think it takes some time for players to gel," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said Wednesday. "I think the late additions have helped. I think there's a good core there that you can build on."

As for Klopas removing the interim tag and taking on the coaching role full-time, he did not want to talk about his future following Wednesday's loss. Klopas has posted a 6-5-10 record (28 points) since replacing Carlos de los Cobos.

"For me, we're going to wait to the end and see," Klopas said. "There's going to be a time and place for everything. Right now the time is for us to think about the game in D.C. and nothing else. My focus is going to be on that, preparing the team, getting the team ready to get a win there."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire missed out on the Brimstone Cup yet again. But even worse, their postseason hopes virtually have been eliminated.

Sebastian Grazzini's late goal for the Fire was all Chicago could muster as FC Dallas gained a two-goal lead and held on for a 2-1 victory on Wednesday in front of 10,362 at Toyota Park. Dallas' Jackson and Daniel Cruz netted goals as the team retained the Brimstone Cup, which has been in its possession since 2002.

The Fire (7-9-16, 37 points) still are mathematically in the playoff picture, but they would need to win out, a couple of teams would need to lose out and Chicago would have to make a jump in goal differential.

Dallas (14-11-7, 49 points) was in control for the entire match, creating its share of scoring chances, while minimizing the Fire's attack. Chicago did not register a shot on goal during the first half, while Dallas lingered around the goal for many stretches, especially in the first 45 minutes.

"We were flat from the beginning," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "We weren't sharp. We were just a step behind everything. Give credit to Dallas. They came out and made it difficult for us."

The Fire eventually registered three shots on goal, but their offensive impact was minimal. Dallas contained forward Dominic Oduro and the rest of the Fire by dropping back so they would not get burned by Oduro's quickness.

"It was really hard for me to get behind the defense," Oduro said. "I think they just dropped back the whole time, so we had to change tactics and play on the right. I was able to get a few balls on that side. But technically they did well by just sitting back."

"I think we were just too naive," Fire defender Gonzalo Segares said. "We've got to be smarter. I think they definitely knew what our strength was and that's our speed and getting behind defenses, and from the beginning they went back and dropped and made us play. That's when we tried to force balls and lost them in tough places. That's how they got so many chances in the beginning. We'd lose the ball easily and they'd counter with really fast guys, and it gave us a lot of trouble."

The Fire's lone offensive contribution came from Grazzini, who netted a goal in the 86th minute off of an Orr Barouch assist.

It took Dallas some time to get on the board, and Jackson finally provided the offense in the 41st minute with a shot aimed toward the right side of the frame past Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson for a 1-0 lead.

While Johnson should have done better on defending against Jackson's goal, he did come up with three saves in the first half, including a clutch stop in the 24th minute against Jackson. During that play, Jackson had a step on Fire defender Jalil Anibaba and looked like he had a sure goal, aiming to the left of the frame. But Johnson reached to his right and was able to corral the shot.

Dallas padded its lead in the 53rd minute with Cruz's volley for a 2-0 advantage. Ricardo Villar took the corner kick from the right side, and Dallas' Zach Loyd headed the ball to Cruz, who shot with his back turned to the goal.

The Fire will try to move forward in their final two matches, beginning at D.C. United on Saturday. But they will be without three of their starters. Defenders Dan Gargan and Cory Gibbs will be out because of yellow card accumulation. And midfielder Pavel Pardo was shown a straight red card on Wednesday in the 79th minute for harshly fouling Villar.

"It was a play where I was a little bit late," Pardo said. "I know it was a foul. But this is the referee's decision. There's no excuse. I got a red card and I apologize because of course when you are with 10 players it's difficult to play to try to win."

Analysis: After posting a four-game home winning streak and working their way back into the postseason picture a bit, the Fire played their worst match since falling to the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps.

Whether or not they just did not fully recover from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup loss to Seattle Sounders FC, Chicago was completely out-played by Dallas in every area on the pitch.

Klopas did not use the absence of Marco Pappa as an excuse. The Fire did not use their schedule as an excuse. Dallas was the team with far more energy and movement and better decision making than Chicago.

Two games remain, and while the Fire claim they will try to field the best team available, it really is time to start taking a look at the rest of their roster in gearing up for next year. Having three starters out for D.C. will assist that process to some degree.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire more or less are approaching Wednesday's international friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara as a high-profile training session. Midweek typically marks Chicago's hardest training to prepare for a weekend match, and Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas plans to use his lineup significantly when it hosts Chivas at Toyota Park.

"You get better by playing," Klopas said. "You can do certain things out here [in training]. The stuff we want to do out here, it's better to be doing against a very good opponent."

There will be plenty of caution thrown into this match. Fire forward Dominic Oduro hurt his ankle during the Fire's 2-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, and Sebastian Grazzini's hamstring still is tight, Klopas said.

"I don't see them playing," Klopas said.

Pretty much everyone else will get some time on the pitch. Klopas said following Tuesday's training that he wants to get everyone about 45 minutes of playing time. One unknown is forward and Chicago Fire Juniors-Mississippi product Kellen Gulley. Gulley will not play in a league match for the first team until 2012, but he has been training, playing for the reserve squad and is an eligible option if Klopas decides to put Gulley on his 10-player bench for Wednesday.

Chivas certainly is a team that Fire midfielder and Guadalajara native Pavel Pardo is familiar with. Pardo played for Guadalajara-based Atlas and Club America -- the latter being the bigger competitive rival.

"When I went to America, it was huge because the whole country and everybody knows about America-Chivas," Pardo said.

Pardo also will face one of his former coaches, Jose Luis Real Casillas, who briefly headed Atlas during Pardo's tenure.

"Their coach was in Atlas when I was there, and he built the youth system in Atlas that is working -- U-17, U-16, U-15, and all the young players," Pardo said. "Chivas has developed its youth [players]."

Fire defender Gonzalo Segares returns to the pitch after serving his one-game suspension (yellow card accumulation) against San Jose. Chicago had to play without its left back against the Quakes, moving Dan Gargan into Segares' position.

"I definitely wanted to be there to help my team, especially because it was such an important game," Segares said. "The motivation was high and it was a good opportunity to keep climbing up. Unfortunately we couldn't get the points, but now for me [Wednesday] on the field, I can get some minutes to try to be in a rhythm for Saturday, which is going to be a key for us."

Saturday's Chivas USA match is the ultimate focus as Chicago needs to make up some further ground as it sits in a three-way tie for last place in the Eastern Conference with 27 points and a 4-8-15 record.

"It's always exciting to play in situations like this for sure," Klopas said of Wednesday's match. "For us, we have a big game against Chivas USA -- not Chivas Mexico -- coming up on Saturday, and this is going to be an opportunity where we're still continuing to build and make sure everyone gets a good run so they're staying sharp."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire have found a rare winning stretch, so the team would prefer few to no changes toward its lineup now that it has a good thing going. Chicago posted back-to-back league wins, followed by a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal victory over the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers on Aug. 30.

But the Fire (4-7-15, 27 points) have no getting around a lineup adjustment this Saturday when they head out west to face the San Jose Earthquakes (5-10-11, 26 points). Left back Gonzalo Segares is not available because of yellow card accumulation.

That puts Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas on the spot as Chicago shoots for a third straight victory to continue its climb into the playoff picture. Will Klopas simply insert a bench player at Segares' left back position, or will he shift multiple players around within the defense and midfield?

"The whole thing is, who do you put there so you don't disrupt too many things?" Klopas said after Wednesday's training. "Because there's a good line of communication now with the group in the middle and stuff like that. It's just making a decision. Sometimes, that's why you sit around all night and you don't go to sleep, and you try to figure out -- is it this guy, is it this guy, is it this guy? But I have the confidence in any of the guys we put out there."

Purely based on the options that Klopas rattled off on Wednesday, it seems like he will not bring up a bench player and move him directly into Segares' spot. The team's left back options are limited, even more so now that midfielder Mike Banner -- who has some experience at left back -- suffered a right ankle sprain during the Fire's reserve game on Tuesday.

In terms of doing the least amount of lineup juggling, shifting center back Cory Gibbs to that slot would appear to be a logical move because of the team's depth at center back with rookie starter Jalil Anibaba, Josip Mikulic and Yamith Cuesta. Right back Dan Gargan also appears to be a frontrunner for Segares' spot.

"We have some different options," Klopas said. "You can put Gargan on the left side, you can put Cory, who's played with the national team on the left side when he grew up, as a left back for one game. There's no issue. I think he's more than ready. But you can put Logan [Pause] at right back and put Gargan on that side, you can put Jalil [Anibaba] at right back. So we do have options. We've been working with different scenarios throughout the week, and we've just got to see what's the best for us for that game."

The Fire have not had a match in more than a week, most recently coming off a 2-1 win over Richmond in the Open Cup semifinals on Aug. 30. Before that, Chicago posted back-to-back MLS victories against Toronto FC and the Colorado Rapids.

In the Rapids match, midfielder Pavel Pardo injured his calf and was subbed out at halftime. Pardo said Wednesday that he is 100 percent for Saturday's match against San Jose.

"I didn't play in the [Open] Cup against Richmond, but that week I rested," Pardo said. "I feel good to get in the game."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion Chicago Fire have touted their best available lineup throughout this year's tournament.

The same cannot be said for some other MLS squads, and you only have to look at the Fire's 4-0 quarterfinal win over a reserve-laden New York Red Bulls side on July 12 to come to that conclusion.

But the semifinal round will not have that type of aura to it as Chicago hosts the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers on Tuesday at Toyota Park (broadcast available at Chicago-Fire.com). Being the only non-MLS team remaining in this year's tournament, the Kickers no doubt will try everything to halt the Fire's deepest run in the Open Cup since their 2006 championship over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"This is a tournament that we take very seriously," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "This has been one of our goals from the beginning, to put ourselves in a position to win the U.S. Open Cup. Now we have a great opportunity on Tuesday. We're not going to underestimate anyone."

Chicago is in the midst of its most successful stretch of the 2010 MLS season. The Fire (4-7-15) posted back-to-back shutout victories against Toronto FC on Aug. 21 and the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

Richmond's USL Pro campaign came to a close on Saturday when the Kickers fell to Orlando City, 3-0, in the American Division finals. Orlando advanced to the league's title match, which the team is hosting on Saturday against Harrisburg City.

That puts the focus squarely on the third-division club's Open Cup run. The Kickers advanced to the 1995 Open Cup final and defeated the El Paso Patriots, 4-2, in penalties. During Richmond's '95 run, the Kickers topped the Chicago Stingers, 4-3, in the semifinal round.

Richmond has advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the tournament four times over the past 11 years, and in its Open Cup history has posted a 5-8 record against MLS teams. The Kickers topped MLS's Sporting Kansas City in this year's quarterfinal, 2-0, with Shaka Bangura and David Bulow netting goals. Bulow has a tournament-high six goals.

"I've seen tapes of Richmond when they played Kansas City, and they have pace," Klopas said. "They're a team that's well-organized. So we have to come and make sure that we're ready to play for 90 minutes. The good thing is that we're playing at home, for sure. We feel great about that, in front of our home fans."

The winner of Tuesday's match will take on either Seattle Sounders FC or FC Dallas. Should the Fire advance and if Dallas wins its semifinal, Chicago would host the Open Cup final on Oct. 4 at Toyota Park. If the Fire and Sounders win, Seattle will host the championship. The Kickers will play on the road if they advance past Tuesday.

The Fire and Kickers have met once before. Chicago topped the Kickers, 1-0, on Aug. 4, 2004, in the Open Cup quarterfinals. That year Chicago advanced to the title match, only to fall to the Kansas City Wizards.

The Fire's communications department said on Sunday that midfielder Pavel Pardo should be available for Tuesday. Pardo was subbed out at halftime of the Fire's 2-0 win over Colorado on Saturday for a hamstring strain. Daniel Paladini was Pardo's replacement, and Paladini came up with a clutch goal-line stop to maintain a shutout against the Rapids.

Despite some upcoming national team call-ups, the Fire will have their full team on hand for Richmond. Orr Barouch was called up to Israel's U-21 squad for a match next Monday against England. Midfielder Marco Pappa was called in to play for Guatemala when it faces St. Vincent/Grenadines on Friday and Belize next Tuesday. Both players will depart after Tuesday's Open Cup match.

The Fire's schedule works out perfectly as Chicago does not have a regular-season match during their call-ups. Chicago resumes MLS action on Sept. 10 against the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Don't look now, but the Chicago Fire have put together a stretch of victories.

Dominic Oduro and Cory Gibbs each netted a goal and Chicago topped the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, on Saturday in front of 15,211 at Toyota Park.

It marked the first set of back-to-back wins for the Fire (4-7-15, 27 points) since the 2010 season, when they topped D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo on April 17 and 24, respectively.

While the Fire are building some needed momentum, the team knows it has to make up for some lost ground in getting back into the playoff picture.

"It's one game," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "The guys are not satisfied. We're not satisfied. This is behind us. We have to look at this match and look at the good things and what we have to improve."

Oduro tallied his team-leading ninth goal in the 17th minute for a 1-0 advantage. Fire midfielder Pavel Pardo played the ball up and Oduro ran past Colorado's Tyrone Marshall and placed a low shot to the left side of the goal past Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens.

Gibbs garnered his second goal of the season in the 36th minute, heading the ball in off of a Sebastian Grazzini cross to take a 2-0 lead. Pardo also assisted with a perfectly placed ball over a pair of Rapids defenders to Grazzini. Grazzini saved the ball just before it went out of bounds and crossed from the left side to Gibbs.

"I was a bit disappointed in myself last week and that (30th-minute) miss against Toronto," Gibbs said. "It dwelled on me all week, and I said that if I have that chance again, I'll do my best to put it away. Grazzini played a great ball in."

Chicago was in complete control over Colorado (10-7-11, 41 points) during the first half, and the defense held tight the rest of the way.

Daniel Paladini came up with a huge block in the 84th minute to keep the shutout intact. Sanna Nyassi had a sure goal, but Paladini cleared the shot off the line.

"When Orr (Barouch) came in, we switched roles -- I was supposed to be on the six-yard box," Paladini said of that sequence. "We switched to where I would be on the post. I just held on the line until the ball was cleared and kept that lead."

Paladini was brought in to open the second half after Pardo left with a calf strain. Pardo's status is uncertain for Tuesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal against the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers at Toyota Park.

"With the calf, we'll have to see (Sunday)," Klopas said. "I know he came in at halftime and it was bothering him. With the game Tuesday, we didn't want to really push it. We'll evaluate and see how he feels."

Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson made four saves for the clean sheet, and Pickens made five saves for Colorado. The Rapids had a whopping 10-1 advantage on corner kicks, but Chicago's defense kept Colorado off the board.

Chicago built off its 2-0 win over Toronto FC the previous week and there is a bit of a step within this club after doubling its victory total in the span of two matches.

"That win last week definitely pushed the players' confidence levels -- Oduro, Grazzini, everybody -- and they worked hard in training on certain things and it paid off," Gibbs said.

Analysis: The Fire ended Colorado's six-game unbeaten run (4-0-2), so clearly Chicago has found some momentum as it heads into a bit of a break from MLS play.

All of the damage was done in the first half on Saturday, and it goes without saying that the positive early starts will continue to cash in some victories. Though the amount of corners allowed was a negative trend, the Fire defense held its ground from start to finish. Even with an obstacle of playing without Pardo for a half, Paladini stepped in with a huge block in the final 10 minutes.

That the Fire did not post a shot on goal in the second half and botched several other scoring chances were complete afterthoughts because Chicago had its lead and maintained it.

A strong start and a complete defensive effort -- it sounds so simple, but with the Fire, they have endured so many matches where a lapse cost them a win.

Saturday was another step in the right direction for the Fire, but there still is a long way to go.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas wasted no time in getting his newest midfielders Sebastian Grazzini and Pavel Pardo into the mix.

At this stage, the last-place Fire (2-6-13) need to throw out all the punches with 13 matches remaining on the season.

Chicago is coming off a 1-1 home draw against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. The Fire were the better team in the run of play, and much of the credit can be directed toward Grazzini.

"He can create, he can make the final pass -- he's dangerous," Klopas said. "He's exciting for the fans to watch. Definitely brings something different to the table."

The Argentine midfielder was incredibly active from side to side, made aggressive pushes forward, tracked back when necessary and was creative with the ball. His mere presence out there seemed to have a snowball effect where other Fire players also demonstrated an increased aggressiveness, piecing together some good strings of passing and crisp movement with and without the ball.

"He can draw two, three players and leave a guy free," Fire midfielder Patrick Nyarko said. "For wide guys like myself and Marco [Pappa], it gives us more chances to be more advanced, rather than coming deep for the ball and try to create from there. We can get the ball wherever and try to run at players and find you in the final third where you can be more of a threat. Rather than coming all the way back, that's the ability [Grazzini] brings in. We fed off of that. It's just unfortunate that we couldn't get the win."

"When he gets the ball you need a lot of mobility and movement," Klopas said. "I think Dominic [Oduro] made great runs with Patrick and Marco, and I think that we created many chances. It's just unfortunate about the quality in the final third, the concentration. It's stuff that we've been working on."

Grazzini arguably was the best player on the pitch between the two teams. Klopas said that Grazzini signaled that he was tiring and was then subbed out of the match in the 66th minute. But his increased tiring was not evident. Grazzini maintained a high work rate.

As a defensive midfielder, Pardo's impact typically won't be as evident as Grazzini's. But the Guadalajara native stepped up with the Fire's lone goal and he would have added an assist in the 34th minute if Oduro finished his high-quality scoring chance behind the Union defense.

"It was just fantastic to see the first game," Klopas said. "Not just because he scored a goal, but the leadership qualities on the field and how good he was with the ball. In the first half he made a great pass to Dominic that was a breakaway, brings the ball down. Stuff like that gives us another attacking dimension."

Because of Cory Gibbs' leg injury in the opening 10 minutes, Klopas was forced to burn an early substitution. That meant Pardo had to play the full 90 in his debut.

"With him, I was less concerned with his fitness, even though he's been with us for a week," Klopas said. "He's a guy with tremendous experience, great pro. He's always taking great care of himself or else he wouldn't have played so many years at that level, for sure. And he was smart. You could see in the first half that he knew when to run, where to be, not waste energy foolishly when you're running around, and that's what you get with him."

This will be a difficult week for both players as the Fire quickly prepare for a road trip against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday. But clearly both players' presence will be vital for Chicago down the stretch.

"You saw what two experienced players will add to this team," said Fire captain Logan Pause, who shifted to right back with Pardo's presence in the starting lineup. "I think their work, not only on the field but in the locker room and off the field, is going to be huge for this group."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire dominated on the attack and had one of their best stretches of passing and movement of the season.

But the Philadelphia Union capitalized on its one half-chance and the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in front of 10,557 at Toyota Park on Wednesday.

Fire defensive midfielder Pavel Pardo tallied a game-tying goal in his Chicago debut to salvage the draw. But it was Veljko Paunovic's 34th-minute tally for the Union that was a bitter pill to swallow from the Fire's standpoint.

Chicago (2-6-13, 19 points) showcased strong control at the start of the match, only to see the Union (8-5-8, 32 points) gain the upper hand.

"It's disappointing because time is running out, for sure," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said of the team's current last-place stance in the Eastern Conference. "That's why with the break, I think we felt good coming into this game. The urgency was there, the desire, so I'm happy about that."

Pardo netted a goal in the 54th minute to tie the score at 1-1. Patrick Nyarko crossed the ball into the box, trying to find Dominic Oduro. It was partially cleared by the Union defense, but Pardo was right there to clean up for the unassisted goal. Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon was not in position to stop the shot toward the left post.

Because of a leg injury to defender Cory Gibbs in the opening minutes, Pardo had to play the full 90 minutes in his first Fire match.

"The last game was two months ago. It was hard," Pardo said. "I didn't do a bad job. It was a surprise for me because I was on the field [for 90 minutes]."

Midfielder Sebastian Grazzini made his MLS debut for the Fire, and he was an energetic presence on the pitch.

"We knew the qualities that he has," Klopas said. "He has the ability to create and beat players and make the final pass. The whole idea today, we wanted to make sure we got the ball forward so he didn't come back much, where he can get the ball and have his energy in the final third."

But Grazzini's night was cut short. Klopas brought in forward Cristian Nazarit in the 66th minute to replace him.

"He got tired," Klopas said. "He even looked at me on the sideline that he wanted to come out."

The Fire held the upper hand on just about every front. They out-shot the Union, 14-7. They had a lopsided 8-1 shots on goal advantage.

But Philadelphia capitalized on its one chance to thwart what was a promising start to the match for Chicago.

Analysis: The Fire played one of their better matches of the season, but for a league-leading 13th time, Chicago only came away with a point.

Chicago's first 30 minutes showcased a sense of confidence that the team had been lacking. As usual, the final touch wasn't there.

Oduro did have two great scoring chances in the 61st and 66th minutes, but Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon came up with two clutch saves on both occasions at the near right post.

The one chance that Oduro needed to finish was in the 31st minute, when Pardo dished the ball forward and Oduro timed his run perfectly to free up space behind Philadelphia's defense. Unfortunately for the Fire, Oduro had a poor touch on the ball and Mondragon collected it out of harm's way.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Here is a quick look at the Chicago Fire's 1-1 draw to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday at Toyota Park:

How it happened: Union forward Veljko Paunovic tallied an unassisted goal at the 34th minute to swing the momentum of a match that was clearly in the Fire's favor during the first half hour. But recent signing Pavel Pardo tallied a goal in his debut to tie the match at 1-1 in the 54th minute.

What it means: With their league-leading 13th draw, the Fire are tied for last in the East with Toronto FC with 19 points and a 2-6-13 record. The Union moves to 8-5-8 and 32 points -- two points behind the East-leading Columbus Crew.

Outside the box: Fire defender Jalil Anibaba, who spent his collegiate career as a center back, was brought into the match in the sixth minute for center back Cory Gibbs. Gibbs left the match with a lower leg injury. Anibaba had been at right back all season for the Fire, and with the addition of Pardo, captain Logan Pause took over Anibaba's customary right back slot entering Wednesday's game.

Up next: The Fire don't have much time to rest up as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. CT at Empire Field.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire face four Eastern Conference foes over their next five matches. Four of their six regular-season matches in August are on the home pitch at Toyota Park.

It goes without saying that this is crunch time for the last-place Fire (2-6-12, 18 points).

Chicago hosts the Philadelphia Union (8-5-7, 31 points) on Wednesday at Toyota Park, and the Fire need to achieve maximum points to try to salvage their season.

The entire Fire organization truly had an All-Star break, with no Chicago players taking part in the midseason match between the MLS All-Stars and Manchester United last week. Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas sees an energized group heading into this stretch.

"The team has come back with a very good attitude and is eager to get things going again," Klopas said. "We all understand what's at stake right now. Mentally and physically, we have to put everything into these next 14 games."

All eyes will be on the Fire midfield to see if their new signings play prominent roles in this second half of the season. Sebastian Grazzini got some minutes during the Fire's 3-1 loss to Man U on July 23, and Klopas plans to roll with the Argentine midfielder the rest of the way.

"He's worked very hard and we've worked on different things with him," Klopas said. "It is my intention to put him in for these last 14 games. Grazzini's job is to get the ball into the final third, closer to the goal, and create the final pass. That's where he's dangerous."

Defensive midfielder Pavel Pardo signed with Chicago last week. While Klopas did not pinpoint how much time Pardo could see right off the bat, the Fire head coach wants to get him onto the pitch as soon as possible.

"He has a lot of experience and has played for many years, so it doesn't take a lot for him to find a rhythm," Klopas said. "He might not be 100 percent, but he's looked good in this short week."

The Fire face a Union team that will have a different look up front. Philadelphia head coach Peter Nowak announced publicly that scoring leader Carlos Ruiz no longer is part of the team. That puts the offensive focus on Sebastien Le Toux, who has not found his form of a year ago, and 2010's top draft pick Danny Mwanga.

"Le Toux is always a threat," Klopas said. "He has a great work rate and is a very busy player -- someone you have to be aware of. That kid Mwanga has a lot of good qualities. He's strong, fast, and when he has open space he can beat you. It's going to be a different look for them. Ruiz was more of an inside-the-box threat."

Philadelphia dropped to second in the East standings with a 2-1 home loss to the Colorado Rapids on Friday and sits three points behind the East-leading Columbus Crew (9-6-7, 34 points)

The Fire will be without defender Yamith Cuesta, who is suspended for Wednesday's match. Cuesta picked up two yellow cards in a six-minute span during a 1-0 home loss against the Portland Timbers on July 17. That means Josip Mikulic should be the fill-in to team up with Cory Gibbs at center back.

The Union is in a similar boat on defense with Sheanon Williams also suspended for the match after receiving two yellow cards during Philadelphia's loss to Colorado.

The Fire hold the league's worst home record, posting a 1-2-6 mark at Toyota Park. That lone win was their home opener on March 26.

Klopas will need to manage his players accordingly this week with two games in a five-day stretch. The Fire travel to Vancouver to take on the expansion Whitecaps on Sunday.

"We're looking at this one because it's important to make sure we take care of this game first," Klopas said of the Philadelphia match. "We'll see where the guys are physically Sunday because it's a long trip [to Vancouver]."