Fire break 10-game winless streak
There were small celebrations on the field and smiles in the Fire postgame locker room for a change Sunday night.
Breaking a 10-game winless streak that lasted more than two months will do that for a team. The Fire got that monkey off its back with a 2-0 victory against Toronto FC at Toyota Park.
Interim coach/technical director Frank Klopas called the win “very important” for the players and organization, and he was right, even if the team’s playoff hopes remain dim.
For the team’s confidence and morale and much more, this win meant a lot. Clearly a 3-7-15 season has worn on everyone in Fire red, Klopas included, and the win had tremendous value.
“It helps at the end of it you’ve got something to show for it,” Klopas said, praising his players’ work ethic throughout the drought. “We’ve been so close. This goes a long way to motivating the guys. We’ve got a lot to play for. A lot of weeks left in the season, also the U.S. Open Cup semifinals (Aug. 30 at Toyota Park).
“That’s important, because as a coach, as a person, you can do so much to motivate the players, but it helps when you go on the field and the stuff you’ve been working on pays off and you get a victory.”
Dominic Oduro scored his eighth goal of the season in the 16th minute on a pretty flick from Gonzalo Segares’ cross. In the 69th, newcomer Dan Gargan scored on his former club, a header from a Pavel Pardo corner kick.
“It’s a matter of time,” added rookie defender Jalil Anibaba, who looked the most excited of the Fire players when the final whistle blew. “It’s been a long time coming to let out excitement like that, to celebrate with the team and the fans, with the staff.
“I think we deserved to celebrate like that.”
The win also gets the Fire out of the Eastern Conference basement.
“It feels great,” captain Logan Pause said. “We know where we still sit, but it’s just a huge load off the guys, who have been working just so incredibly hard. I’m just really proud. We continue to stick to what we’re trying to do, we continue to chip away. I think it definitely paid off tonight.”
The players didn’t let the celebration get out of hand. They know there is a lot of work still to do, and they desperately want to get some momentum going to finish the season.
“As you can see I don’t think it’s something that we’re all of a sudden popping champagne-type of celebration, but the mood and the attitude in the locker room is night and day from what it has been.”
ŸFollow Orrin Schwarz on Twitter @orrinsoccer.