Hot Time In Old Town - Chicago v. Toronto - MLS #33TRADITION - HONOR - PASSIONhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50655/htiot-fav.png2013-10-20T19:07:20-05:00http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/rss/stream/46202572013-10-20T19:07:20-05:002013-10-20T19:07:20-05:00One Step Closer: Fire 1, Toronto 0 - recap
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<img alt="Magee got the goal - his 20th - as cries of "MVP!" rang out in Toyota Park, while Anangonó was the most dangerous player on either team over 90 minutes." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rMiPC8AA3XX2mUjvUCxw-dHXbSs=/0x209:2850x2109/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21480945/20131019_ajw_bm5_357.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Magee got the goal - his 20th - as cries of "MVP!" rang out in Toyota Park, while Anangonó was the most dangerous player on either team over 90 minutes. | Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It wasn't pretty, but it was three points; Fire grind out a win against Toronto FC, putting their playoff hopes in their own hands; Magee's crafty <em>panenka</em> penalty-kick - his 20th on the season - the difference in a dour affair on a cold, blustery night</p> <p>The best thing you could say about the Fire's performance tonight is that they did the business. It was never really pretty in the sense that they never finished the chances set up by their creative players. That's not to say they weren't in control. In fact, they had the ball a majority of the time, about sixty percent of the time, and they completed seventy seven percent of their passes. They had 6 corners in the first half. And using the eye test, you could tell they were totally in control.</p>
<p>They knew that they needed three points tonight - especially going into the halftime break scoreless. In the press box, we all gathered around to watch the final few minutes of the Revolution-Crew match; any result save a New England win would help the Fire. It finished New England 3, Columbus 2 - so going into the second half, the team knew they needed the three points to put themselves in the driver's seat in the playoff race.</p>
<p>Thanks to a soft penalty finished cheekily by Mike Magee, the Fire got the three points they needed Saturday night, 1-0, over Toronto FC. The win vaulted Chicago into a tie for third in the Eastern Conference with one game left in the regular season.</p>
<p>"I looked at it. Believe me every time I went back - I saw 2-2 then I saw 3-2 - you look at that," Chicago manager <span>Frank Klopas</span> said.</p>
<p>Thus incented, Chicago started the second frame well. Juan Luis Anangonó, despite not scoring, was always dangerous. He was everywhere around the ball, and hustled for 90 minutes.</p>
<p>"Juan does so much work off the ball that he's a threat every time we get the ball to be able to play in depth, and he stretches the opposing team out," the coach said.</p>
<p>"In the first half, we could have done a better job with his movement and finding Mike [Magee] between the lines because there were big gaps between there and we didn't find him enough. But he works so hard with the ball, without the ball - he's creating opportunities and it's going to come."</p>
<p>In the 49<sup>th</sup> minute when <span>Austin Berry</span> banged one off the post on a corner kick, the sense that something was about to happen began to build - and what happened were more shots. <span>Jalil Anibaba</span> had one in the 50<sup>th</sup> from way down town. Patrick Nyarko spent some time making the defense on the right hand side look ridiculous, weaving through double-teams and frequently leaving Ashtone Morgan for dead.</p>
<p>The 62<sup>nd</sup> saw some of the weirdest officiating I've ever seen in a back-to-back sequence. <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span> got booked for what may or may not have been an elbow to the face - to his face? Then Alex forces a handball just outside the arc at the top of the box, presenting a fantastic free-kick opportunity.</p>
<p><span>Mike Magee</span> stepped up and hit it into the wall, and the attack petered out. Another missed opportunity. But wait! A whistle! The referee points to the penalty spot! A handball in the Box! Penalty!</p>
<p>To be sure, there's some question about the call. Jonathan Osorio's arm was tucked inside his body, looking to protect potential future progeny. However, he turned his back, and subsequently, moved his arms into a position where the ball would strike them, and not his chest. Ether way, the whistle blew and Magee stood poised to give the Fire the advantage.</p>
<p>Addressing the ball while facing a packed and rocking Section 8, Toyota Park echoing with chants of "MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!," Magee did a Sammy Sosa home run hop and floated a delicate chip just past where Toronto keeper Stefan Frei had stood before diving - a <i>panenka</i>, perfectly weighted.</p>
<p>"I tried to take a little glance at the goalie, and the approach is that I had to score. Like I said, the goal was a little smaller than normal. Normally I get up there and don't think twice about missing, and this time the last one off the back of the post was on my mind, so I figured I couldn't hit it off the post if I shot it up the middle," Magee said of his effort in the locker room post-game.</p>
<p>TFC only threatened once. A low drive from a second ball off a free kick looked like it was ticketed for the bottom corner, but was pawed away by <span>Sean Johnson</span>, who seemed to come out of nowhere in his pink kit.</p>
<p>The Fire penalty was the only goal in it. Chicago stayed strong through the closing 20 minutes. Anangonó struck the woodwork twice afterward, once hitting the outside of the left post and once of the bottom of the crossbar. "The positive thing is that he's creating opportunities," Klopas said. "I think it's going to come and, as a forward, you have to have a mentality that you want the next opportunity, regardless if you're missing or not."</p>
<p>The bottom line is this: The Fire go into the final game at New York tied for third, with potential outcomes as bad as finishing seventh and out of the playoffs, to as good as finishing third and skipping the play-in game.</p>
<p>However, all good outcomes have one thing in common - all require Chicago to get maximum points at Red Bull Arena in next Saturday's regular season finale. And they know this, as evidenced by this quote from Patrick Nyarko: "We need to get our own result to get us in. I think we have experienced guys we are not going to pay attention that and will stay focused on the game at hand, which is New York and will be a tough game."</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/10/20/4857614/one-step-closer-fire-1-toronto-0-recapRuben Tisch2013-10-19T17:30:02-05:002013-10-19T17:30:02-05:00Home Finale: Chicago v. Toronto - Gamethread
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<figcaption>Abelimages</figcaption>
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<p>The Chicago Fire host Toronto FC for their final home game of the regular season.</p> <p>The stage is pretty much set for the <a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Fire</a>. With the <a href="https://www.brotherlygame.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia Union</a> losing to the <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Montreal Impact</a> earlier today, two more things need to happen for the Fire to clinch a playoff spot: 1) the <a href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Revolution</a> must lose or draw against the <a href="https://www.massivereport.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Columbus Crew</a> and 2) The Chicago Fire must win against <a href="https://www.wakingthered.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Toronto FC</a>.</p>
<p>The Crew are rolling right now and have won 4 of their last 6 games. Both of their two loses in that stretch have been to <a href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sporting Kansas City</a>. Meanwhile, New England's momentum has stalled as they have only won 2 of their last 6 games with wins against <a href="https://www.blackandredunited.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">D.C. United</a> and Montreal. It's very possible that the Crew can go to Gillette Stadium and pull out a favorable result for Fire fans. <i>Go! You yellow f-ing team, go!</i></p>
<p>The game in Massachusetts aside, the Fire need to take care of business. Philly's loss was a bigger piece to the playoff puzzle for the Fire, so the Men in Red will know ahead of kick-off that they have a golden opportunity tonight. Their playoff fate is in their hands. A loss tonight would not be the end of the Fire's playoff contention, but anything short of a win would be a colossal disappointment. Winners are closers, right Panama?</p>
<p>If anyone needs a guide to any of the playoff qualification scenarios, the <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/14/mls-cup-playoff-scenarios-8-teams-can-join-new-york-red-bulls-sporting-kc-po" target="_blank">MLS website has a them all laid out here</a>. If you like to reference the game guides, the Fire v. TFC <a href="https://golazo.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2013-10-19-chicago-fire-vs-toronto-fc/preview" target="_blank">game guide can be found here</a>. Adam's preview for tonight's game can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/10/19/4855186/must-win-chicago-v-toronto-mls-33-preview">here</a>.</p>
<p>Also, as I write this, the Seattle Sounders just kissed their Supporters' Shield chances good-by. They lost 2-0 to FC Dallas. Huzzah! Today is shaping up to be pretty wonderful.</p>
<p>Line-ups to follow.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/10/19/4856120/home-finale-chicago-v-toronto-mls-33-live-gamethread-7-30-centralMark O'Rourke2013-10-19T11:00:06-05:002013-10-19T11:00:06-05:00MUST WIN: Chicago v. Toronto, MLS #33, preview
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<img alt="Let's hope Gonzo has still more reasons to celebrate today." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s9tFiSfBT8KtB2piFEauF1RbbvM=/0x26:574x409/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21408095/143223604.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Let's hope Gonzo has still more reasons to celebrate today. | Abelimages</figcaption>
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<p>Fire need all three points against a Toronto club with nought to play for</p> <p></p>
<p>AND IT IS ALL TO PLAY FOR. As always. As usual. Chicago's quest for an improbable come-from-behind end of the season enters its final stage today, when <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.wakingthered.com/">Toronto FC</a> visits Toyota Park at 7:30 p.m. A win - the Fire's third on the trot - could lock up a playoff spot for the Men in Red; any other result, at home against an opponent of this caliber, must be considered a loss, as well as potentially disastrous for the postseason outlook.</p>
<p>The good news is that the Reds from Canada have nothing to play for save pride. Eliminated two months ago from playoff contention, Toronto will field a team playing for their jobs as individuals, while the Fire will take the pitch as a unit. For cf97 this game will be adjudged by a single statistic: the final score.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Lineups</u></b></p>
<p>Ryan Nelson will be missing two players due to suspension, flank player <span>Jeremy Hall</span> and keeper Joe Bednik, and have his usual suspects out for injury, <span>Danny Koevermans</span> and arguably their best player, Matias Laba. This means that, compared to his lineup two weeks ago, that <span>Reggie Lambe</span> will probably be in the midfield and <span>Stefan Frei</span> will be between the posts, which can be significant. Also, <span>Bright Dike</span>, acquired in a trade from Portland, is now healthy, adding his pronounced physicality to a lineup that otherwise could be a bit lightweight.</p>
<p>Here is what we might see on Saturday night:</p>
<p align="center">Frei</p>
<p align="center">Bloom-Caldwell-Henry-Morgan</p>
<p align="center">Rey-Lambe-Russell-Convey</p>
<p align="center">Earnshaw-Dike</p>
<p>Frank will have an entire roster to choose from for this one. Look for Egidio Arévalo Rios to slide back into the middle of the park in place of Alex. Should Dilly Duka fail to recover fitness in time for kickoff, Alex could slide into the left wing, where <span>Chris Rolfe</span> and <span>Joel Lindpere</span> are other options. Frank to go with the usual suspects in the other positions. This is what cf97 will more than likely be playing:</p>
<p align="center">Johnson</p>
<p align="center">Anibaba-Soumare-Berry-Segares</p>
<p align="center">Nyarko-Larentowicz-Rios-Duka</p>
<p align="center">Magee-Anangono</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Key Matchups</u></b></p>
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<b> Fire's offense vs. Stefan Frei -</b> So what do you do with goalie who hasn't seen a minute of MLS action in almost two seasons, and who took an entire year off due to injury? You shoot as much as possible. If I'm Frank Klopas before the game, I would be telling my midfield and forwards that if you are within 25 yards of goal and have a good look, take that shot. Frei is definitely going to have some butterfingers to deal with after almost 2 seasons - playing in reserve games is not the same as playing in an MLS regular season match. This could be just what players like Anangonó and Duka were looking for; Anangonó has that powerful quick shot that we have seen from time to time, and Duka is like <span>Marco Pappa</span>, unafraid to shoot if he has a good look on goal.</li>
<li>
<b> Fire vs. themselves -</b> The last time that these teams met, the Fire were strong favorites to go into Toronto to take all three points. Chicago took an early lead, Toronto equalized shortly after, and then the game ground into an ugly mess. It seemed on that Wednesday the soccer gods were playing an awful trick on us supporters by giving us an awful game. The Fire played down to their opponents that game; if they want to put themselves in pole position for a playoff spot, they have to be better. A repeat of last week's effort should be more than enough to take all three points from a TFC team that is bound to finish in the bottom three in the league. On the other hand, if cf97put forward the type of effort they had versus DC a couple weeks ago - where they gave up 70% of the possession to the opposition and coughed up plenty of good chances - then it will be a very difficult task to take all three points. </li>
</ul>
<p align="center"><b><u>Wildcards</u></b></p>
<p>For TFC I'll go with Álvaro Rey. In his first few months in MLS, he has shown the ability to create for TFC, and he can also disrupt the opposing attack from time to time. Look for him to provide service to Dike and Earnshaw as well as play a similar style as Duka, cutting in towards the center to try to get a better look on goal.</p>
<p>For the Fire, <span>Mike Magee</span> will be that catalyst that the team needs for this type of game. In the running for the Golden Boot, he would surely love to score a couple in hopes that the Fire can secure a playoff spot this weekend. He loves these type of games, and has shown he craves the pressure of pushing his team to a result. He definitely showed this in the past couple seasons with the Galaxy by becoming an influential player when LA was in those pressure situations. Imagine how nuts Toyota Park will be if Magee was able to score a couple goals tonight.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Outcome</u></b></p>
<p>With six points picked up in the last two weeks, cf97 once again have a potential playoff spot in their hands. It's very simple: Win Saturday, and you have a chance at clinching a spot if other results go their way. Hopefully, we see some consistency from this team. After two straight weeks of scoring three goals per game, we should expect the same from Chicago versus a bad Toronto team. This week I'm going with a Fire win versus Toronto, 3-0 the final scoreline with Magee getting the hat trick. Unfortunately I think the Fire's playoff aspirations will not be known until the final weekend of the season when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Redbulls. But hopefully I'm wrong about that.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Extra</u></b></p>
<ul class="unIndentedList">
<li> Last week on cf97's anniversary it was announced that the Freddie Christiano <a href="http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2013/10/chicago-fire-soccer-club-and-quaker-oaks-announce-winning-%E2%80%9Cheart-your-sleeve%E2%80%9D-design-cf">"Heart on Your Sleeve"</a> jersey will be the 3<sup>rd</sup> jersey for the Fire next season for the October 8<sup>th</sup> game. At first, I thought it an interesting change, but then I saw the 2-tone badge and thought "No way." You can't change the badge because that is what the team is known for. But I guess if people voted for it then that's what the people wanted.</li>
<li> I know this is about the Sounders but give it a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/video/sounders-c-suite-with-jeffrey-hayzlett-10-15-QqdMrRnmQDiQvWKhLfBBGA.html">watch</a>. Jeffrey Hayzlett travelled to Seattle to talk to the Sounders ownership to find out why they are a success in the MLS off the field. I thought it was pretty interesting that almost everything that the ownership and management does always includes the fans. Having 32K season tickets sold is an accomplishment that I think other teams around the league can learn from.</li>
</ul>
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https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/10/19/4855186/must-win-chicago-v-toronto-mls-33-previewAdam Merges