Great goals and a Montreal Impact win can't hide the Chicago Fire's growth
The Chicago Fire started the season looking, well, competent.
The much-maligned club had taken six points from their first five matches. Sure, that's not an overwhelming showing and they had played exclusively floundering Eastern Conference foes, but points are points. For a team that was an embarrassment a year ago, the turnaround job that new manager Veljko Paunovic had done at the start of the season was impressive.
But how good are the Fire? We were going to find out when they took on the Montreal Impact on Saturday. The Canadians look like the class of the conference and a good showing against them would be the confirmation needed to believe that this Fire team might have a little something in them.
Not even 30 minutes into the contest, Kennedy Igboananike showed he had a whole lot in him.
Wait for it, wait for it...BANG. What a curler from Igboananike. #CHIvMTL https://t.co/f8xMflWUeU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 16, 2016
That's a masterpiece. It's hard enough to put the ball in the top corner, but from that angle, the ball needs to curl and dip, which Igboananike did expertly.
The Fire took that lead into halftime and were rightly feeling good. Rookie Jonathan Campbell had saved a goal, continuing the rookie's strong start to the season, and at times, Chicago looked downright tidy. They were organized and whether with the ball or without it, very much confident.
Montreal brought Didier Drogba on in the 50th minute. Maybe they realized they needed the help, or maybe getting one of your best players into any game is a good move. Whatever the reasoning, he made his way onto the pitch and, almost immediately, the Fire forgot how to defend.
Drogba scored, and the match was all level. Maybe Chicago were in trouble?
The goal didn't stun the Fire. They still played with Montreal. So they didn't have a ton of possession, or even many chances, but they weren't overwhelmed. When they did get the ball, they knew where to find space and when they defended, they knew where to take away space.
That is until Ignacio Piatti found space in the 90th minute. It wasn't even good space for an attacker, but Piatti is no ordinary attacker.
What. A. Winner. Take a bow, Nacho Piatti. #CHIvMTL https://t.co/el4xPZfKfA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 16, 2016
It's nearly an exact copy of Igboananike's strike.
So who did it better?
It doesn't really matter. Piatti's was the winner.
The Fire may not have made it yet. It's still early in the season, so their solid play could be a fluke. Their roster will hardly impress you. But it's impossible to ignore what Paunovic has going at Toyota Park.
Sing it from the rooftops: The Chicago Fire are a competent soccer team.
