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The Chicago Fire traded the rights to defender Wilman Conde to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.

Conde and the Red Bulls agreed to terms on a contract and he will join the team pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.

“The club is pleased with the talent we’ve assembled,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “We reviewed the situation and wanted to support Wilman’s return to MLS. The allocation money we received in return will help us continue to build our team.”

Conde, who joined the Fire in 2007, had four goals and four assists in 77 matches before signing with Mexican side Club Atlas on a free transfer in January 2011.

Having protected Conde during the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft, the Fire held the MLS right of first refusal on him.

The Chicago Fire's starting central defense quickly evaporated following the team's 2010 season. They hope they found one answer in selecting and signing Cory Gibbs during Wednesday's second stage of Major League Soccer's re-entry draft.

The 30-year-old Gibbs played a career-high 25 games for the New England Revolution this past season. And Gibbs will be expected to shoulder a heavy load for the Fire's defense now that C.J. Brown has retired and Wilman Conde is no longer with the organization.

The X-factor for Gibbs will be maintaining a healthy stint, as he has suffered through multiple injuries during his career.

Gibbs has earned 19 caps for the U.S. National Team, but a knee injury prevented him from joining the Americans for the 2006 World Cup.

Following his collegiate career at Brown University, Gibbs found his way to FC St. Pauli of the German Bundesliga, where he became the second youngest American to score a goal in league play against FC Cologne on Nov. 24, 2001 (he was 21 at the time).

In MLS, Gibbs played for the Dallas Burn in 2004, Colorado Rapids in 2008 and 2009, then New England in 2010.

At this stage for the Fire, Gibbs would team up with either Dasan Robinson or Kwame Watson-Siriboe in the central defense. Watson-Siriboe is coming off his first MLS season. Robinson was briefly on the expansion draft block, but the Fire protected him after the Portland Timbers selected midfielder Peter Lowry.

Also in Wednesday's second stage of the re-entry draft, former Fire forward Josh Wolff, who tallied 32 regular-season goals for Chicago in his first five MLS seasons, was the first pick by D.C. United. Juan Pablo Angel switches coasts, going from the New York Red Bulls to the Los Angeles Galaxy. But one designated player who was not selected was four-year Columbus Crew star Guillermo Barros Schelotto, whose option was declined after the season.

Midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and defender Wilman Conde are pursuing opportunities away from the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer, a source with knowledge of the Fire's offseason plans told ESPNChicago.com.

Read the entire story.

The Chicago Fire's 2010 season does not merit a report card that you would like to put on the refrigerator.



In closing out the Fire's campaign, a season that resulted in a 9-12-9 record and only 36 points (which ranked 10th out of 16 MLS teams), ESPNChicago.com dishes out its final grades on a year that had some potential, but hit a road block down the stretch.

Coaching: First-year Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos headed into the organization with the hopes of high-possession, active, offense-driven soccer. This incredibly candid coach and his higher-ups said all the right things heading into the season. But quite a bit was lost in the translation on the field. There were scoring droughts, late-game lapses, lack of possession, lack of cohesiveness and ultimately a losing record. The head coach cannot control every aspect of a match on the sidelines, but the build-up to the game and the organization of this roster were completely in De los Cobos' hands. On most occasions, his thought process was puzzling.

Personnel management and judgment were two clear flaws this season. The late preseason release of goalkeeper Jon Busch, the additions of Salvadorans Julio Martinez (eventually released) and Deris Umanzor (mediocre season in the back), the delayed realization that Nery Castillo was not up to speed, questionable substitutions, starting the same tired roster in a two-games-in-three-days stretch, starting some players out of position, dreadful SuperLiga and U.S. Open Cup showings, not testing this team's depth in non-MLS matches or meaningless regular-season games ...

Should I go on?

There is no question that injuries did hamper this team. But the best squads find a way to work through this. De los Cobos and Co. did not, and if the Fire trust him to lead the way again in 2011, he will need positive results right out of the gate -- not to mention some renewed energy. De los Cobos has a full offseason, a full preseason and a roster he should be completely familiar with before a single 2011 regular-season match.

As far as 2010 goes, we need a parent/guardian signature on your report card. GRADE: F

Goalkeeping: It took half of a season, but the Fire found their No. 1 goalkeeper. Rookie Sean Johnson was one of the high points of this season with some highlight reel saves, confidence and aggressiveness from the back. While his record did not show it, Johnson turned into a jewel that Chicago grabbed late in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

Andrew Dykstra had the daunting task of succeeding Busch with less than a week to go heading into the Fire's season opener in New York. Dykstra had some rough patches in there and some communication issues. But toward the end of the season, when Johnson had to miss several matches because of an eye injury, Dykstra's game showed improvement, particularly against D.C. United in the home finale.

Mistakes will still occur from this young goalkeeping duo. But overall, it was not a bad showing from a tandem that did not have an MLS match under its belt heading into the year.

Considering the organization's mishandling of the Busch situation just before the opener, the Fire stumbled upon a bright future in Johnson. GRADE: B-minus

Defense: The Fire's defensive flaws were not in the amount of goals allowed, but rather the late-game lapses and set-piece defending. The most pivotal match of the season was the Fire's 1-1 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Chicago played down a man -- Gonzalo Segares red card -- and managed to gain a late 1-0 lead, only to immediately surrender it in second-half stoppage time off of a set piece. Two points were lost at home, and the Fire managed only three victories over the remaining 10 games.

MLS All-Star Wilman Conde had a disappointing season with some key mishaps in the back. C.J. Brown's play was not as crisp as his younger years, though he still played with the same tenaciousness. De los Cobos played a multitude of guys at left back, and for some reason did not reward Krzysztof Krol's play. Dasan Robinson was hurt. Umanzor did not display many intangibles. Rookie center back Kwame Watson-Siriboe is still a raw unknown. Right back Steven Kinney had a good first year and has some potential.

But for the most part the back line was inconsistent and prone to a key error. There are several question marks within this defense moving forward. GRADE: D

Midfield: The Fire's biggest losses after the 2009 season were in the midfield, with Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Chris Rolfe departing the team. But typical forward Patrick Nyarko stepped into the midfield role early on and was Chicago's top player this season with a team-high 10 assists. Marco Pappa scored seven goals, though his shot selection was poor. Logan Pause was steady in defensive midfield.

The Fire brought in Freddie Ljungberg in the midfield and up front, and he brought some intensity and experience that was lacking. Baggio Husidic scored five goals, but he was rarely used in the final third of the season. John Thorrington's continual injury bug is frustrating.

The midfield still lacks a person who has the confidence and stubbornness that Blanco had. GRADE: C

Forward: The Fire took some risks up front and they did not get the production they were hoping for with Nery Castillo and Collins John. John showed he was good for maybe a strong shot or two on goal, but he could not maintain that prowess for an entire match. The out-of-shape Castillo had maybe one mediocre performance, while his other seven ranged from poor to embarrassing.

Brian McBride scored six goals in a more limited role that included only 18 starts. Calen Carr's production probably was more than what some were expecting. He tallied just as many goals as John in about half the playing time.

Castillo and John are still young, and that is the saving grace for Chicago. Both have shown that they can play the game at a high level before. They just didn't show it for the Fire in 2010. GRADE: C-minus

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire's next two games truly will paint the picture of whether there is a glimmer of hope to the remainder of this season. But even with back-to-back wins, a typical Fire postseason is a long shot.

The Fire host Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday at Toyota Park, then head out west to take on the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. The Sounders and Quakes are the two teams tied at the bottom of the playoff picture, with 36 points apiece heading into the weekend.

"These next two are especially big," Fire forward Calen Carr said. "Well, they're all huge, man. These ones are no bigger than the last two or the next two after."

The Fire are in the midst of a six-game winless streak. With a 6-9-8 record and 26 points, Chicago needs to make up a double-digit points deficit just to reach the postseason cutoff point -- assuming everyone in front falters. With seven matches to go, the Fire likely need five or six wins among their final seven regular-season games just to have a slim chance at the postseason.

"Every year I've been here, we've been in the playoffs," Carr said. "Usually the Eastern Conference Finals. That's the bar. The goal is to take it to the next level, not to go backwards. That's troubling, and I think that's something that's on everybody's mind."

The thought of potentially missing the postseason for only the second time in Fire history is the remaining drive for a team that bleeds tradition, honor and passion as its motto.

"We have the obligation to put 100 percent on the field," Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos said. "This is the situation, for our fans and for our club. We need to show them our commitment in each other. We need to fight for these seven games with honor."

"We haven't been able to just -- throughout full stretches of games or weeks -- outplay or dominate teams in the league," Carr said. "At this point, we need to fight our way for everything, every loose ball, everything we can get. I think that energy will lead to playing better and lead to half chances, scrappy goals, whatever it takes."

This Saturday against Seattle, the Fire potentially are looking at a one-striker setup that the team used earlier this season. Nery Castillo has missed some training because of a hamstring injury. And on Wednesday, De los Cobos indicated that he could go with a heavy midfield setup with Marco Pappa, Patrick Nyarko, Freddie Ljungberg, Bratislav Ristic and Logan Pause, with Collins John as the lone forward.

"When we started the season, we had this shape and had good moments," De los Cobos said. "I need to decide if we should play with two forwards or only one forward, depending on what's happening with Nery."

Last week, Seattle posted a convincing 4-0 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Columbus Crew. Blaise Nkufo netted a hat trick, and it was the team's largest margin of victory in MLS play. The Sounders are 5-0-1 when Nkufo has started.

The Fire and Sounders met up at Qwest Field on Aug. 28, and Fredy Montero tallied two goals to lead Seattle to a 2-1 victory. Chicago's defense broke down in both instances against Montero, leaving him completely unmarked for the game-winner in second-half stoppage time.

Chicago center defensive back Wilman Conde is serving his one-game suspension for picking up two yellow cards during the Fire's recent 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. It is expected that Dasan Robinson will team up with C.J. Brown at center back.

In previous seasons, the good typically outweighed the bad when Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde unleashed his aggressive play on the pitch.

This year, however, is a different story. Whenever Conde makes a mistake or a bad decision, or if he simply is the recipient of the opposing team initiating contact or diving, the end result has been game-changing in the opponents' favor.

That was the case again Saturday during the Fire's 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Conde was issued a pair of yellow cards -- the second resulting in an RSL penalty-kick goal by Alvaro Saborio in first-half stoppage time.

The Fire (6-9-8) are winless in six straight matches (0-4-2 during their current stretch), while Salt Lake (13-4-8) set an MLS record by extending its home unbeaten streak to 23 games. Conde is forced to miss the Fire's next match against Seattle Sounders FC next Saturday at Toyota Park.

Chicago's playoff hopes continue to dwindle with only seven regular-season matches remaining.

"All it takes is for one team above us to screw up and for us to start winning some games," Fire defender C.J. Brown said. "All we have to do is squeak into the playoffs. For me, and a lot of the guys, we are still going to battle. Every game for us has a playoff mentality."

Normally Conde's tenacious moments have been exploited this season. But against Salt Lake it was one of his softest defensive attempts that resulted in a penalty kick.

Already sitting on a yellow card, Conde and RSL's Ned Grabavoy chased down the ball in the box in the 44th minute and Conde briefly grabbed the left arm of Grabavoy. That prompted referee Jorge Gonzalez to issue a second yellow to Conde. Originally Gonzalez issued the yellow to Brown, but during several minutes of confusion, he properly issued it to Conde.

During Saborio's penalty kick attempt, Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson guessed correctly to his right and dove at the ball. But Saborio's low strike went past Johnson for a 1-0 lead that held up the rest of the way.

Conde's first yellow card came in the 30th minute when he fouled Saborio from behind. On at least a couple of occasions between Conde's yellows, RSL's players took a tumble during some weak one-on-one contact against the Fire defender.

Clearly playing a man down had a negative effect on the Fire's attack, though Chicago was not doing much on the offensive end before Conde's departure. The Fire did not put a single shot on goal, while Salt Lake had five shots on goal. Salt Lake also had a dominant 17-5 advantage in shots.

The Fire's offensive chances were slim at best. Shortly into the 22nd minute, Collins John took a deep strike that skimmed the top of the crossbar. RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando screamed at his defense for appearing to back off and give John plenty of space to strike the ball.

Salt Lake had more than a few opportunities to pad its lead in the second half. One of the most visible chances was in the 83rd minute when Andy Williams passed the ball across the goal box and had two RSL players near the path of the low cross -- Pablo Campos in line with the center of the goal and Paulo Araujo Jr. converging at the far left post.

RSL also should have done better on a 24th-minute opportunity where Robbie Findley was one-on-one against Johnson. Conde missed the ball sent by Grabavoy, and that allowed Findley a chance head-to-head against the Fire's rookie goalkeeper. But in Findley's attempt to direct the ball over Johnson, he also shot it well over the crossbar.

Analysis: Following Conde's ejection, the second half of Saturday's match felt like two teams going through the motions at times. RSL wanted to hang onto its lead while Chicago tried to minimize the damage defensively.

Seven regular-season matches remain, the postseason looks bleak with every passing week, and the Fire still have to question how to best utilize their personnel.

Freddie Ljungberg was a non-factor as head coach Carlos de los Cobos dropped him deep into the midfield. Ljungberg was taken out of the match in the 60th minute. Nery Castillo and John put little pressure on Rimando and the RSL defensive line. Midfielder Marco Pappa played for most of the match, but he looked rusty with some off-the-mark crosses and a 5th-minute shot attempt within the top of the box that was dreadfully wide left.

Johnson looked great in goal once again, coming up with four saves. It is unfortunate that he continually is thrown the task of warding off goals outside of the run of play.

Recently-signed Bratislav Ristic made his Fire debut with the start at right midfield, and he moved well on the pitch. You can tell by his mannerisms that he has been training with his Fire teammates for a while. With the ejection of Conde, Ristic dropped more toward right defensive back in the second half, with Brown and Dasan Robinson patrolling at center back.

Instead of escaping Seattle's Qwest Field with a respectable point, the Chicago Fire once again allowed a late goal.

Seattle Sounders FC's Fredy Montero tallied two goals, including the game-winner in second-half stoppage time, as Seattle topped Chicago, 2-1, in front of a crowd of 36,386.

Montero was unmarked at the far left post for the game-winning header, while Chicago's defense was drawn toward the middle of the box. The Sounders' Nathan Sturgis delivered a crisp cross from the right side of the pitch and Montero headed the ball down by Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson's feet and into the net for the winner.

For a second straight match, the Fire (6-7-6) saw a potential road draw evaporate late. The Fire lost 4-3 to the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 21. Seattle (9-8-5) extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches.

Fire designated player Freddie Ljungberg returned to Seattle for the first time since his trade to Chicago. But Ljungberg left without a win and also departed knowing that he will miss the Fire's next match Saturday against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

With an 83rd-minute yellow card for bumping into Seattle defender Jeff Parke, Ljungberg will miss the upcoming match due to yellow-card accumulation. Fire defender Wilman Conde missed the Seattle match because of the same infraction.

The Fire defense had some positive moments without Conde in the mix, but both goals allowed Saturday consisted of failing to tightly mark Seattle's best goal scorer.

Montero's first goal tied the score at 1-1 in the 36th minute. Tyson Wahl delivered the ball in from the left side, curving the ball past Fire defensive midfielder Logan Pause. Montero snuck in behind Fire defender Gonzalo Segares, who was playing as a center back in Conde's absence. As Montero tried to control the ball in the box, Fire defender Krzysztof Krol tried to help. But Montero eluded the defense and shot to the far left post for the goal.

Fire midfielder John Thorrington made his long-awaited return, starting and and netting a first-half goal. Thorrington had missed the entire season because of a left quad injury, and he made an immediate impact with a 28th-minute penalty-kick goal.

In the 27th minute, the Fire's Patrick Nyarko held the ball at the left side of box against Sounders defender James Riley. Nyarko sent the ball toward the middle of the box, and when Parke converged to try and help out Riley, Parke's arm made contact with the ball. His arm was not intentionally extended away from his body to stop the trajectory of the pass.

Nevertheless, the Fire were awarded the penalty kick, and Thorrington capitalized. Thorrington had a small hesitation that did not cause Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller to flinch. But Keller's guess was incorrect when he dove one way and Thorrington shot the ball to his right and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Analysis: Montero is an incredibly talented player and a difficult man to mark. But the Fire defense dropped the ball in its effort against the Colombian forward. Any team's leading goal scorer will welcome the type of space he was given to work with leading up to his two goals.

Chicago's defense did have a different look with Steven Kinney on the right side (the space where Montero got his second goal), Segares moved to left-center and Krol at left back (Montero got between Segares and Krol, leading to the first goal). That still is no excuse for the Fire's lapses against Montero.

A positive for the Fire was the return of Thorrington. As expected, a healthy Thorrington can cover a lot of ground on the pitch and bring some beneficial energy. Capitalizing on the penalty kick to get the early lead was huge. The last time Thorrington took a penalty shot, he was denied by Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando in last year's Eastern Conference final loss to the eventual MLS champs.

There were a few times where Thorrington and Pause looked like they wanted to occupy the same space on the field, but it was nothing drastic that changed the flow or led to some sort of turnover. Thorrington looked good out there and he made some strong runs. On several occasions, Thorrington's Fire teammates should have been looking in his direction because he was finding some open spaces.

The Fire have a busy two months on the docket, and while they do have time to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference, they will look back on these back-to-back road matches as big opportunities missed to salvage points on the road.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Nearly a month has passed since midfielder Freddie Ljungberg bid adieu to Seattle Sounders FC and welcomed the Chicago Fire with open arms.

Ljungberg returns to his former Seattle stomping grounds this Saturday when the Fire take on the Sounders at Qwest Field.

Qwest draws MLS's largest fan attendance and plays in one of the loudest venues the league has to offer. Ljungberg could hear a much different tone than he was used to earlier this season and last year when he played in his first MLS campaign with Seattle.

"In the stands you'll probably get some cheers and some boos," the Sweden native said. "That's probably what it's like. Back home, wherever you went you got booed everywhere. It just makes you want to play more. So it's not a problem."

The irony of this trip is that Seattle has been on a tear of late without Ljungberg. The Sounders (8-8-5) are in the midst of a six-match unbeaten streak (4-0-2). Chicago (6-6-6) is looking to shake of a 4-3 loss to the Houston Dynamo that included a horrendous first half, followed by an improved second half.

"The second half, I think we played extremely well," Ljungberg said. "That's probably the best we've played since I've been here. We controlled the game totally."

Seattle is not as invincible as last year at Qwest, but the Sounders still have a respectable 5-4-2 mark on their home turf.

"I'm never happy when I have to play on turf," Fire defender Gonzalo Segares said. "It's completely different. You cannot play soccer over there. They're really used to that field, so they use that to their advantage. We've just got to go there and get motivated. If we play as well as the little moments we had in Houston [in the second half], where we created a lot of chances, I think we can come out of there with points."

The timing of Segares' recent return is a benefit this weekend because Chicago has to play without defender Wilman Conde, who is out because of yellow card accumulation. That gives the Fire options to either go with Segares inside for Conde's spot and Krzysztof Krol on the left, or allows for Segares to stay at left back Krol or Kwame Watson-Siriboe in the middle.

Though Chicago came up short in set-piece situations the last time around, the Fire defense appears to have enough reinforcements to overcome Conde's absence now that Segares is in the fold again.

"You almost sit there and say, 'why did he ever leave?'" Fire center defensive back C.J. Brown said. "I'm happy with it. He's a good guy, good player. He stays focused. It's been an easy transition to have him come back."

Right defensive back Dasan Robinson is out with a hamstring injury, so rookie Steven Kinney should get the nod in the starting lineup.

Fire designated player Nery Castillo did not travel, as he has been held back to work on his fitness. While some could argue that an in-game setting is invaluable toward assisting Castillo's fitness, the few moments he has been utilized in games have had a negative effect on the flow of his position.

On Friday, the Fire released forward Stefan Dimitrov. Dimitrov did not contribute much this season. He played in portions of five MLS matches and logged only 67 minutes.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire defense allowed four goals for the second time in MLS play this season when they departed Houston with a 4-3 loss to the Dynamo on Saturday.

The number of goals was not the most troubling thing, but rather the way in which Houston scored its tallies -- on set pieces. That was something the Fire were prepared for with Houston, but the Dynamo still cashed in.

"The thing that we talked about is the only time that they were going to score is on set pieces, and they did it four times," Fire left defensive back Gonzalo Segares said. "It's frustrating because we talked about it."

"That's their game -- set pieces," Fire center defensive back C.J. Brown said. "We, as in I, have to do better at it."

Brown stressed the "I" probably because the man he was marking, Dynamo forward Brian Ching, had a hat trick. And moving forward, Brown was quick to point out that the best remedy for defending against set pieces is simply eliminating them.

"At the end of the day, I think it comes to limiting the opportunities to have free kicks -- preventing the corner kicks, preventing the free kicks," Brown said. "Doing better at that would help us a lot more. And just as an individual being focused on your man."

There were some unfortunate sequences from the Fire's perspective. Twice the ball popped out perfectly for Ching to get a goal. And even Lovel Palmer's goal off of a free kick, Chicago set up its wall and Segares simply could not make contact when he left the wall to try and block the strike.

"When I stretched my foot to try to block it, it went right between my legs," Segares said. "And of course as I'm popping out, I left a hole in the wall, and that's where the ball went through. ... Things bounce one team's way, and that just goes with the game."

"We've got to be a little more focused on getting a hold of a man and shutting them down until the play's cleared," Brown said. "On the initial plays, I'm with Ching. But after it hits something, bounces around, it's anybody's man. You need to stay tight as much as you can until that ball is out of the box."

Chicago's defense now has to prepare for a trip out west without starting center back and 2010 MLS All-Star Wilman Conde. Conde will miss Saturday's match against Seattle Sounders FC because of yellow card accumulation.

Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos is mulling two options -- either bringing in Krzysztof Krol or Kwame Watson-Siriboe directly for Conde's slot, or moving Segares to center back and utilizing Krol at left back.

In the net, it is expected that Sean Johnson will continue to get the call following his first MLS loss. Johnson has continued to play with decisiveness and has come up with some clutch saves ever since he has taken hold of the starting spot.

"He's made some very good reactive saves, which you want in a goalkeeper," Brown said. "I always say that you're going to have to make one or two big saves for us every game. That's just a given. And then we'll try to do whatever we can to limit those opportunities."

Not limiting those opportunities was the downfall of Chicago's last match, plain and simple.

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.

Ching had an easy goal in the 31st minute when the ball popped away from Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson on an aggressive interception on a corner kick to give Houston a 1-0 lead. The goal of the match was Ching's bicycle kick in the 59th minute off of a rebound from the crossbar that gave the Dynamo a 3-1 advantage.

The match stayed interesting, though, when Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell had an own goal in the 70th minute when he tried to defend against second-half Fire substitution Patrick Nyarko. That cut Houston's lead to 3-2. Then Chicago tied the score at 3-3 with Wilman Conde's header off of a Freddie Ljungberg corner kick from the right side in the 81st minute.

Houston had a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute on Lovel Palmer's blast off of Richard Mulrooney's free kick. Fire forward Calen Carr tallied his second goal in back-to-back matches in the 55th as he had plenty of time in the box to strike the ball past the poor defending of Boswell and underneath Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad to cut the Fire's deficit to 2-1.

Analysis: Not to take away from the comeback, but the Fire were fortunate they had the opportunity to work their way back. Houston went into halftime with only a 1-0 lead, despite the Dynamo's 11-2 shots advantage, a 3-0 shots-on-goal lead and a whopping 8-0 lead on corner kicks.

The damage could have been much worse.

The Fire survived the first 15 minutes unscathed as the Dynamo was far and away the better team, with multiple scoring opportunities. On the flip side, the Fire literally could not string together three straight passes to one another in that early span.

Chicago fell asleep early on and nearly allowed a goal in the third minute. Shortly after Dominic Oduro was fouled, Mulrooney immediately took the free kick and connected with Geoff Cameron. Cameron had a clear header chance, but he hit the crossbar. A couple minutes later, Palmer's header went over the crossbar as Houston tried to capitalize on a Mulrooney corner kick.

Conde tallied his first goal of the season, but the blemish from this match is that he will miss the road match against Seattle next Saturday because of yellow card accumulation. Conde picked up the yellow when he ran straight into the Dynamo's Brian Mullan in the 61st minute -- an unnecessary move from the back -- and it now turns into a setback heading into Qwest Field. Defender Krzysztof Krol probably can step into Conde's role, but Chicago would rather have its MLS All-Star in the mix.

Johnson suffered his first MLS loss in the net. Johnson was 2-0-1 entering Saturday's match, and he would like to have back that 31st-minute sequence. Fire defender C.J. Brown did his best to try and get out of the way of Johnson, but the two players bumped and Johnson could not secure the ball as Ching was there to mop up.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire are an under-.500 club (4-5-5) that posted only one non-league victory this season in a disappointing showing at the U.S. Open Cup, Sister Cities and SuperLiga.

Chicago made some needed personnel changeover with the departure of several key players following 2009. But up to this stage, things have not panned out.

"It's hard to try to keep the group, because you have a salary cap, people have other dreams and goals," Fire technical director Frank Klopas said. "You attempt to keep guys here, but it's not always easy. It happened to us, obviously. We had a very good team in the past two seasons, and we fell short."

The new group, however, has not performed well. Forward Collins John has only one goal, Salvadoran midfielder Julio Martinez was signed and released, Salvadoran defender Deris Umanzor struggled early but has looked more comfortable of late -- particularly in the midfield, and the handling of the team's goalkeeper situation before the season was puzzling.

With the turnaround, it was expected that it might take some time for everything to fit into place. But the Fire were not expecting a middle-of-the-pack performance in the Eastern Conference.

"Of course we're not happy," Klopas said. "I think there have been good moments in games where we've played very well. In every game, we're in the game. We have moments where we create opportunities, played well, stayed organized as a group and created a lot of chances. We just haven't been able to put them away."

Chicago is attempting to compensate for some moves that have not worked out through 14 regular-season games. The Fire recently signed Mexican Nery Castillo as a designated player and traded midfielder Justin Mapp to the Philadelphia Union for allocation money.

"Justin was not a starting player for the team," Klopas said. "I think we all can talk about the talent and potential, but at some point I think the last couple years, when you see it the production just hasn't been there. And it's the same this year. He's a great guy off the field and a great personality, but I just felt that we needed to move on."

With an open roster spot now available, Klopas is not tipping his hand as to specific future signings or another designated player. But he does want to see some versatility in the personnel decision.

"We need more players that can be dynamic going forward and give us more options," Klopas said. "Also guys within this league that you feel can play different positions and adjust, whether they can play up top, you can move them in the middle, just to be more flexible like that."

An array of injuries also set back this club. In fact, the Fire roster was limited to 15 players for Chicago's final SuperLiga match against Pumas UNAM, forcing head coach Carlos de los Cobos to dig deep into his bench.

"You've seen a lot of maturity and growth with a lot of players that have gotten opportunities for the first time to play, and have stepped up," Klopas said. "And that I'm confident about and I feel good about."

Offer in Conde's hands: The Fire made and extension offer to defender and 2010 MLS All-Star Wilman Conde, and Klopas said it is now in Conde's hands. "It's a great situation here. We made him a very good offer and we'd love to have him here," Klopas said. "But it's his decision. This club has been great for him, and I think he understands it. He likes Chicago. We've done our part."

Nyarko working his way back for L.A.: Midfielder Patrick Nyarko was out for several weeks because of concussion-like symptoms, forcing him to literally take a three-week break with no workouts of any kind. But he resumed training Monday and is confident that he is on course for Sunday's Galaxy matchup. "I completed all the fitness drills [Monday] and came back [Tuesday]. My touches were decent enough, not great," Nyarko said. "As expected, I'm getting back into it, and hopefully the next couple of days I can fine-tune my touch and get a little bit of fitness back for the weekend."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The injury-riddled Chicago Fire, stretched so thin that they only had four available bench players, managed to pull off a 1-0 victory against Pumas UNAM on Tuesday during their final SuperLiga group match in front of 9,429 at Toyota Park.

Fire defender Wilman Conde netted the team's lone goal, gaining a first-half lead on a corner kick finish as the Fire's pair of 2010 MLS All-Stars connected in the 35th minute. Pumas also poorly defended that sequence.

MLS First XI All-Star Marco Pappa took the corner on the right side and delivered a good ball to the far left side, where fellow MLS All-Star Conde got the easy header for the goal and a 1-0 lead. Pumas' defense was nowhere to be found during that set piece, because if Conde whiffed, Chicago's Krzysztof Krol was there to head it in, too.

That goal was extremely important to set the tone the rest of the way. The Fire had to maintain a balance of both aggressiveness and caution because they did not have too many backup options to lean on.

"It's been tough," Fire forward Brian McBride said of the injury situation. "The guys are working extremely hard, trying to get back. The guys that just have come down with some injuries ... as players, you go out there and support your teammates. We battled, we fought for each other and we got the win."

Pumas appeared to have a possession edge in the first half, and they also had one of the game's better scoring opportunities in the 31st minute. Juan Francisco Palencia was in a great position to keep pushing forward after he got past Fire defender Tim Ward. But instead of continuing ahead, he brought the ball back because the Fire's C.J. Brown was converging from the right. Pumas did manage to get a shot from Juan Cacho, but Conde cleared the ball.

For the most part it was a meaningless SuperLiga match for both teams because the Fire already were eliminated from Group B, and Pumas had a huge hill to climb to overcome Monarcas Morelia's substantial goal differential edge. But Chicago got a win for the first time since a 1-0 road victory against the New England Revolution on June 27.

"It's very important," McBride said. "Stuff like that wears on you."

In Foxborough, Mass., New England defeated Morelia, 1-0, to win the group on Tuesday. Both teams advanced to the semifinal stage, with the Revs winning the group with three victories.

This year's tournament was a far cry from the 2009 version, where the Fire advanced to the championship and fell to Tigres UANL in penalty kicks. Chicago finished its 2010 run with a 1-2-0 record.

Analysis:The Fire salvaging a win on Tuesday obviously is a minor consolation prize for a team that was hoping to make a similar run to last year's tournament. But Chicago's defense did hold up its end of the bargain with the clean sheet, with Sean Johnson making three saves in the net.

Talk about a far cry from the Fire's 5-1 loss to Morelia to open SuperLiga.

The Fire also had to play with some caution for a portion of the second half. They made three of their four allowed substitutions by the 72nd minute, with goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra as the lone man on Chicago's bench. Fire defenders Brown and Conde also were nursing yellow cards to stay out on the pitch.

The MLS All-Star Break comes at an opportune time for the Fire. They need to get some healthy manpower back on the pitch, and if all goes well they could see recent signing Nery Castillo by the time they return to MLS play to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 1.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde was added to the Major League Soccer All-Star roster Monday as the team gears up for a match against English Premier League's Manchester United on July 28 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Conde, who was selected by MLS All-Star Team head coach Bruce Arena of the Los Angeles Galaxy, joins fellow Fire teammate Marco Pappa at this year's event. Pappa was named to the 2010 MLS All-Star First XI last Tuesday for his first All-Star Game appearance.

"I know there are a lot of defenders that have been doing a great job with their respective clubs, and the fact that I was one of the chosen ones ... it's a huge surprise," Conde said.

Conde played in last year's MLS All-Star Game against Everton, marking his first All-Star appearance during the squad's loss in penalty kicks.

Conde has made 13 starts in regular-season play this year. He has been with the Fire since 2007 and has been the backbone of Chicago's central defense alongside C.J. Brown.

Neither goal was produced during the run of play, but the Chicago Fire will certainly take a 2-2 draw against the host Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Major League Soccer action at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

The game's front line starters each had a goal -- Collins John and Brian McBride for the Fire, and Omar Cummings and Conor Casey for the Rapids. John's first goal in a Fire uniform came in the 25th minute off of Marco Pappa's corner kick, and McBride's second-half penalty kick tied the score at 2-2 in the 51st minute.

The Fire improved to 1-1-0 and now prepare for their home opener April 10 against the San Jose Earthquakes at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. Three of the Fire's next four games are at home.

On Saturday, Chicago played without defender Wilman Conde at center back, who was questionable for the game already because of a foot contusion. That meant another Fire youngster stepping into the fold early in rookie defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe.

"It's a very hard place to play," Watson-Siriboe said of the high altitude at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. "Plus they have two fantastic players in Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Cummings is very quick and very fast, and I had to adapt to it. The first 20 minutes in the first half, it wasn't good. But the second half we did a lot better."

The Rapids had the upper hand early on when Cummings found plenty of space to hammer home a 13th-minute goal from long range past Fire goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra. Though Cummings' strike was top-notch, the Fire midfield and defense gave Cummings too much room to work with.

"I would say it was more of still learning how to play with each other, learning how to close the space and learn to push up as one," Watson-Siriboe said. "As time goes on, we will be more cohesive."

But in the 25th, the Fire responded. Pappa's corner kick was a perfect placement, with John notching the header to tie the score at 1-1. Pappa pinpointed the best part of the Fire attack because McBride was also lurking in the area, and only one Rapids defender was in the vicinity.

Colorado regained the lead when Pappa made a poor defensive decision and was called for a foul on the Rapids' Colin Clark in the box. Casey easily converted the PK when he placed the ball in the opposite direction of Dykstra's dive, giving the Rapids a 2-1 lead in the 41st minute.

The tables turned in the second half when Rapids defender Marvell Wynne fouled the Fire's Patrick Nyarko in the box. McBride netted the game-tying goal and Chicago held on the rest of the way.

ANALYSIS
Proper spacing on the field and strong run of play go hand-in-hand. The Fire looked like they fell shorter in both areas during this match compared to their 1-0 season-opening loss to the Red Bulls. The final score just didn't mirror this fact.

Chicago capitalized on its two scoring moments off of the corner and PK. But the Fire's attack was lackluster at best.

At times this looked like the Fire team of last season in that several stretches included playing some unncessary long ball, back and forth with the Rapids. Neither team appeared to be a tenacious offensive threat, and toward the end it was apparent that the Fire were willing to hold on tight for the road draw.

The Fire missed Conde in this match, both on the defensive end and in transition to muster some offense.
Next weekend's home environment will be a welcome boost to this team when it hosts San Jose. Hopefully for the Fire's sake, 2010's home slate will turn around from last year's 5-4-6 showing.