A Nemanja Nikolic brace was not enough as the Chicago Fire fell 4-3 in their home opener against Sporting Kansas City. A pair of defensive mistakes late in the game cost the Fire three points.
After making the MLS playoffs last season, there was a sense of excitement as the Fire opened their season at home. However, those hopes were quickly dashed as Sporting KC’s Felipe Gutierrez scored in the ninth minute to give the opponents an early lead.
The Fire battled to try to equalize the score line, but were coming up empty. Sporting KC managed to stifle the Fire’s attack quite well and limiting any sort of goal scoring opportunities.
To make matters worse for the home side, Johnny Russell doubled the lead for Sporting Kansas City in the 44th minute. The Fire headed into the half trailing by two.
In the second half, coach Veljko Paunovic decided to switch things up by playing another forward and bringing in Luis Solignac to accompany Nikolic. The Fire looked a bit more dangerous and were starting to create more concrete chances.
They would finally break through in the 70th minute as newcomer, Aleksandar Katai, opened up the scoresheet for the Fire. Katai headed in a wonderful floated cross from Bastian Schweinsteiger and just like that the Fire were back in it.
The goal brought a renewed sense of optimism. The fans, who were taken out early in the game, were now very much alive. Four minutes later, Nikolic scored his first goal of the night. The Fire had gone from 2-0 down to tying the game in a span of four minutes.
They would take the lead in the 82nd minute as Nikolic scored his second goal of the night. Coach Paunovic’s team had turned this game completely around. The Fire were up 3-2 with eight minutes left in the game. However, things quickly went sour fast.
Kansas City tied the game just a minute after the Fire took the lead. The Fire goalkeeper, Richard Sanchez, blocked a dangerous through ball, but his block landed right to Jimmy Medranda who as he slotted his shot over the outstretched arms of Sanchez. Moments later, SKC’s Felipe Gutierrez capped off a nice play that included a nutmeg on a Fire defender and a well executed dummy to give his team the 4-3 victory.
It was a rollercoaster of a game for the Fire as they managed to come back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead. The defensive lapses in concentration in the final ten minutes of the game cost the team not only the lead, but three points as well.
Those defensive errors were the topic of conversation during Coach Paunovic’s press conference.
On what he attributed the defensive breakdown, he said, “Concentration. I think lack of awareness, but that’s the whole team. We all have to do a better job of defending because if we’re not consistent this is going to happen.”
He was also asked what he felt they needed to do to fix the defensive mistakes.
He said, “All I can do is work. I can’t do anything other than that and I trust in the work that we are doing. I also think that we need time.”
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The newcomer, Katai, on loan from Spanish side Alaves had an immediate impact.
Pauno added, “I think he has a huge potential and we have to work to help him. I’m definitely sure that he can impact the game more, but he needs time and we need time also. But it’s obviously good for him and the team that he started really well.”
“Time” seemed to be theme at the press conference. Coach Pauno stressed that the whole team, not just the defensive group, need more time to acclimate to one another. He stressed that with more time to work together, the team will get back on the winning track.
The Fire head on the road as they will take on Minnesota United in search of their first points of the season.
Ernesto Hernandez
Sports Editor
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