Change of playing surface should benefit Fire in second leg
November 3, 2009, 10:25 PM
By: Charlie Corr
During the 2009 regular season, the Chicago Fire held a respectable record on artificial turf. They were 2-0-2 in MLS matches and also posted a 2-1 SuperLiga win over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
Still, heading back home to Toyota Park's grass, and a playing surface that is longer than Gillette's pitch, should bode well for Chicago in Game 2 of its Eastern Conference semifinal against the Revs (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox Soccer Channel).
"We're excited to go back home," Fire midfielder Chris Rolfe said. "We know we need to win at least by one goal, but we're totally capable of that. We'll be playing on grass, which we're more comfortable with, along with a bigger field. That should help us against a team like this."
From a health standpoint, the comfortable grass surface should be a plus as well. Midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco had some earlier hamstring issues and defender Wilman Conde's hamstring problems have lingered. Midfielder John Thorrington and defender Gonzalo Segares missed the final stretch of the regular season and hope to make an impact in the playoffs.
It certainly could be argued that Segares was not ready for last week's opener at Gillette Stadium (a 2-1 Fire loss against the Revs). Fortunately for Segares' sake, he was not used extensively, and as long as training runs smoothly this week, he should be in better game shape for Saturday.
The Fire need to make an offensive push this weekend to avert their one-goal aggregate deficit and advance in the MLS playoffs. Playing on a surface that they know every square inch of should be the Fire's X-factor.
ODDS AND ENDS
Back the Fire for top goal: MLSnet.com is holding a vote for the 2009 AT&T Goal of the Year. Several Fire tallies from this past season are on the list. A personal favorite is Brian McBride's Week 4 goal against the San Jose Earthquakes -- solid passing from front to back and a perfect final touch. That doesn't take anything away from the other panelists, including Chicago's Marco Pappa (Week 16 vs. the Colorado Rapids) and Peter Lowry (Week 21 vs. the Houston Dynamo) who also made the list. Click here to cast your vote!
"Best of" awards: Nominations currently are being accepted for the 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards. The categories include Best Soccer Bar, Best Soccer Specialty Store, Best Soccer Blog and Best Fan Photo. Click here for the full details at USSoccer.com. The nomination period runs until Nov. 20 and actual voting begins on Nov. 23.
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Contributors
Charlie Corr
Charlie Corr is a Chicago-based soccer writer and sports public relations specialist for two professional soccer teams. Contact him by clicking here.
