Player Ratings: Sporting Kansas City 1, Chicago Fire 0

I think every Fire fan would have been happy to walk away with a point from a midweek game on the road against a good Sporting Kansas City side. However, this was a game that was clunky, awkward, lost Graham Zusi in the 21st minute, and thus lent itself to stealing three points. Ultimately, that did not happen, and the Fire squandered several golden opportunities in a 1-0 loss.

As painful of a game as that was on the eyes, the Committee of One suffered through it and has the following ratings:

Robert Beric: 2 – His penalty kick summed up the game for the Fire. It was crap. Beyond that, I don’t recall him doing a lot. He maybe found a pocket of space here and there but did not do anything with it.

Fabian Herbers: 4 – Herbers won the penalty, had a missed header attempt, and forced the turnover that ultimately led to Djordje Mihailovic’s failed chip. Not his best night, but not the worst, either. Replaced in the 58th minute.

Ignacio Aliseda: 5 – The problem for Nacho is that he had a stay-at-home defender behind him, so he had to create a lot on his own. He did well when he had the ball. He completed 21 of 22 passes, but again lacked the flair he had earlier in the season.

Djordje Mihailovic: 4 – He had two of the three good chances for the Fire tonight. One hit the bar and he dragged the other wide. The desire was there for the homegrown, but legs just did not seem to want to follow.

Alvaro Medran: 6 – He was the man of the match for the broadcast team and I agree with that. He was asked to do his usual work as well as the work supplied by Gaston Gimenez. He did his best with that and was visible everywhere.

Brandt Bronico: 3 – He was abused on the goal from Reid and did not do much otherwise. He may have brought grit to the lineup, but the quality was lacking tonight. Brandt was put out of his misery in the 73rd minute.

Boris Sekulic: 5 – In the first half, he seemed to be as active as anyone. He did ok getting forward had some decent combination play with Mihailovic. I do not recall him being as active in the second half, and he was replaced in the 79th minute.

Mauricio Pineda: 5 – I think he had an ok performance overall, but nearly gave away a goal in the second half.

Francisco Calvo: 5 – After Medran, I thought was Man of the Match (which will really unsettle my older brother). He had 7 of the Fire’s 20 clearances along with 4 interceptions. His yellow card early was well earned and will cost him the match against DC on Sunday.

Jonathan Bornstein: 5 – At this point in Jonny B’s career, he doesn’t go forward as much, and tonight was no different. He lead the team with 4 of the Fire’s 14 fouls, but did not have a caution, just a verbal warning. Overall, a solid shift for the veteran defender.

Bobby Shuttleworth: 5 – There was nothing he could do on the goal from Reid, but he did not have any great saves either. His distribution was his strength tonight. He only had one incomplete pass the entire night.

C.J. Sapong: 4 – This was the first time C.J. has appeared in a game where it felt like he needed to make an impact. Overall, his positioning was great, but just seemed to be lacking something. He looked a bit rusty, for lack of a better term. However, his ability to put himself in places to make an impact gives me hope that big things are ahead for him.

Przemyslaw Frankowski: 3 – He played. I guess that’s something.

Michael Azira: 5 – He provided great energy and did good work as either a 6 or 8 late in the match. Much like the Cincinnati game with Mihailovic, I feel like Azira has earned a start on Sunday vs. DC United.

Elliott Collier: 4 – The Kiwi was out there and tried to do some things, but ultimately nothing came to fruition. He came on for Aliseda, but did not have Nacho’s impact on the game.