FC Cincinnati steals win from desperate Chicago Fire

It was bad enough that the Chicago Fire's Nicolas Gaitan had just missed a penalty kick that would have tied Saturday night's game against visiting FC Cincinnati.

Then he had to spend almost an hour sitting around the locker room thinking about it during a weather delay when lightning was spotted in the area.

The delay could have been a much-needed chance to reset for the Fire. Instead FC Cincinnati eventually won 2-1, dealing another blow to the Fire's dimming playoff chances.

"It's a tough one, obviously," Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said, citing his team for a lack of "courage" in the game. The mood in the postgame locker room, he said, was "silence."

The Fire (5-9-7, 22 points) remained in 10th place in the East after losing at home to FC Cincinnati, the league's worst team. It hosts the second-worst team, Columbus Crew SC, on Wednesday night.

"I'm not giving up and nobody is going to give up in that locker room while I'm here, so we're going to work with the guys, prepare them," Paunovic said.

But after a bad loss like this one and with only 13 games left in a disappointing season, Paunovic's time with the Fire could be short.

"Every day I'm concerned about my job security, I think," he said. "...I'm absolutely confident that we are going to lift this up, that we are going to fix it. I believe in our guys, and tomorrow I'll be here working with them, giving them support and preparing them for the next match."

The Fire's prospects to win the game improved just before halftime when a clear handball gave Gaitan another penalty kick. Cincinnati goalkeeper Spencer Richey saved Gaitan's second PK, but Richey gave up a rebound that bounced back toward Gaitan. Gaitan converted the second chance at his second chance, tying the game 1-1.

But the struggling Fire never could find the goal it needed to take the lead, and Cincinnati did.

Cincinnati scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute on a goal by second-half substitute Fanendo Adi.

Gaitan wasn't the only Fire player who had something to occupy his thoughts during the 59-minute delay, which was called in the game's 26th minute with Cincinnati leading 1-0.

Midfielder Fabian Herbers could think about how the ball bounced off his chest in front of the Fire goal in the very first minute of play straight to Cincinnati's Allan Cruz.

Cruz buried the ball in the back of the net behind Fire goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm.