Five players key to Fire's second half
Considering it just stopped a streak of five MLS games without a win, you'd think the Chicago Fire would be on the verge of relegation.
A look at the league standings might reveal a surprise: the team is not only third in the Eastern Conference, but its 24 points rank it ahead of Western Conference leader Real Salt Lake.
Not a bad place to be with 15 regular-season games down and 15 to go.
Still, the Fire (7-5-3) wants a more successful second half of the season than the first half it just finished, and there are five players who are the key to achieving that goal:
1. Cuauhtémoc Blanco
The Fire's temperamental designated player is a no-brainer on this list. The 35-year-old midfielder needs to remain productive. If he tires, the Fire will flame out.
2. Jon Busch
In 2007 Busch played the role of veteran backup to starting goalkeeper Matt Pickens. This season Nick Noble is backing up Busch, though Noble has barely any playing experience. We don't know if he can play in MLS, but there might have been a reason the Fire drafted goalkeeper Dominic Cervi in the first round of February's SuperDraft. Unfortunately, Cervi chose not to sign with the team.
Busch has rehabilitated from two major knee surgeries in his career, and the Fire brain trust must have had a lump in its collective throat when he briefly clutched his left knee after leaping high in traffic for a cross Saturday night.
His health is crucial. Without Busch the Fire might not lead the league in goals against.
3. John Thorrington
Thorrington has 4 goals this season in limited playing time due to injury, but those goals have played key roles in some Fire wins, including Saturday's much-needed confidence-booster against Toronto FC. Thorrington brings a passion and determination that the Fire seems to miss when he's out.
4. Wilman Conde
He's no Lubos Kubik, at least not yet, but coach Denis Hamlett calls Conde "a commanding presence" in the back who needed to get on the field as soon as he recovered from an early-season hamstring injury.
Tall and strong over the ball, Conde will be an imposing pairing with Bakary Soumare at central defense. When they are able to get on the field together - hopefully Saturday against Real Salt Lake - they will make an already very good defense even better.
5. Chad Barrett
Barrett is to Fire fans what Paul Konerko is to White Sox fans these days. He leads the team with 5 goals and also has 4 assists, but fans only seem to remember his failings. He and Konerko have this in common also: sometimes they both try too hard for their own good.
Barrett talked in the preseason about scoring 12 goals. Reaching that goal would make his critics eat their words.
If there's a reason not to put Barrett on this list, it's because he might be headed to China. Olympic team coach Peter Nowak will announce his roster at noon Thursday, and there's a good chance Barrett will be on it, just as he was for the qualifying phase.
oschwarz@dailyherald.com