Shorthanded Fire hang on for victory
Saturday night’s 2-1 victory against Columbus didn’t come easy for the Chicago Fire, which was what made it especially satisfying to the players who made it all the way through.
For a second consecutive game the Fire took an early lead, this time Marco Pappa blasting a right-footed shot from 25 yards off Columbus goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum’s hands.
The Fire (7-5-3, 24 points) was feeling great in the 26th when midfielder Sebastian Grazzini assisted on Dominic Oduro’s team-leading fifth goal of the season for a 2-0 lead in front of 17,144 fans at Toyota Park.
Then the game got hard.
Gonzalo Segares picked up a red card in the 29th minute for a hard tackle on the Crew’s Kevan George, and the Fire spent the final hour of the game short-handed.
“It’s hard to play like that, you know?” Pappa asked.
“I think it showed our character, to battle through for such a long period of time with the lead says a lot about the character of our team,” said Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who did his part with 8 saves but allowed a 36th-minute goal to Tony Tchani. “Hats off to the guys in front of me. It’s not easy, especially for those guys running back and forth for a full 90 minutes.”
With each passing day it appears the Fire will have to go forth without its playmaker.
Grazzini exited the game in the 59th minute, the final time fans will see him at Toyota Park unless the club picks up the option on his contract before it expires June 30. When he left the field, Grazzini displayed a T-shirt under his jersey that read “Thanks Chicago.”
“He loves Chicago,” coach Frank Klopas joked when asked if the T-shirt meant the club won’t pick up Grazzini’s contract option. “He loves the fans. I told you guys when I said it the other day, it’s the club’s option. Why would he say goodbye? I think he was saying ‘Thank you, Chicago. I love the fans here.’ You’ve got to be crazy not to want to be part of this organization and this city and the fans we have. I think it’s a thank you to them, and I thought his performance was very good today. He made some very good plays.”
Klopas said during the week the club expects to sign a player during the upcoming summer transfer window, and the club apparently has a long list of possible additions. That list could include Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko, the latest big-name player rumored coming to Chicago.
As for rumors he will leave for a lucrative contract in Europe, Pappa said: “I really can’t answer that question right now. I’m not sure what’s going on with me. I’m for sure thinking about the future, but I’m working for the team.”
Follow Orrin on Twitter @orrinsoccer