Chicago Fire end in draw with D.C. United

At one point in Chicago Fire history, Toyota Park was considered something of a fortress. Defending the home field was a matter of pride.

Remember that 11-3-3 home record in 2012?

It's not happening for the Fire so far this season, and it could be a very bad omen.

The home team gave up a 64th-minute goal to longtime Fire midfielder Patrick Nyarko - traded away in the off-season - and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against D.C. United on Saturday afternoon. The Fire (1-2-4, 7 points) is just 1-2-2 at home this season and already is in last place despite a schedule front-loaded with home games.

"It's devastating," said Fire midfielder Michael Stephens. "We've let a lot of games slip away, a lot of games we were in control of, games we've had leads and lost leads. It's disappointing. Not much to say else than that."

"It's a bit of a disappointment," added midfielder Arturo Alvarez, who assisted on rookie Fire defender Jonathan Campbell's first professional goal off a free kick in the 41st minute. "We had some chances that maybe we could have finished off the game and we kind of let D.C. stay in it. From the last game against Montreal at home (a 2-1 loss April 16) with the last-minute goal that they scored on and now this tie at home, we'll take the point at home, but at the same time we want to start winning games at home.

"We need to."

The Fire might be able to get away without earning the full 3 points at home if it could steal an occasional 3 points on the road. But the Fire heads out on a three-game road trip knowing road wins have been impossible to find for nearly two years. It hopes to end a league-record 27-game road winless streak that dates back to July 2014.

"Now that we're going on the road after we haven't gotten points at home," Naperville native Stephens said, "we have to win on the road or else we're going to be up (the) creek here, so we need to get the wins and we need to get a win on the road now."

Even in 2015, when the Fire finished dead last in 20-team Major League Soccer, it managed a .500 home record.

"We know we're capable of winning games," Alvarez said. "We just need to make sure we keep focusing on that. They will come. They will come."

If they don't it's going to be a very long season for the home team.

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