The Fire entered their Thursday night match with the New York Red Bulls with very little to play for. Unable to catch Eastern Division leader, Columbus Crew, the only variable confronting the Fire was whether they would finish second in the Eastern Division or third. A win and the loyal Fire fans would be treated to at least one playoff game at Toyota Park.

The more pressing item on Chicago’s agenda was finding the early season form before it was too late. For most of the season, Chicago’s defense led the MLS. Goalkeeper Jon Busch continues to lead all goalkeepers with 10 shutouts. The Fire entered the match third in the League with a +8 goal differential.

New York began the match with more pressure, needing a win to guarantee a spot in the postseason. The prospects looked dismal, since the Red Bulls had managed only one victory on the road this season. To make matters worse, MLS suspended goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke on October 18th for 10 games as a result of testing positive for performance enhancing substances.
From the opening whistle, the New York Red Bulls showed the urgency of their situation. With a steady rain and chilly temperatures, the Red Bulls dominated possession in the first 10 minutes. But then disaster struck. Chicago dampened the Red Bulls early hopes when New York’s sloppy play allowed Chicago to gain possession on the Red Bulls half of the field and score. Chicago midfielder Justin Mapp found himself on the ball with space. Mapp pushed the ball up the right side of the New York defense, and then abruptly cut toward the center of the Red Bull defense. Seeing open green on the left side of the New York defense, Chicago midfielder Stephen King ran forward. King collected Mapp’s pass and drew New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero off his line. King completed the deft passing sequence by sending a cross toward the streaking Chris Rolfe, who headed to ball into net for his 7th of the season.

In the 32nd minute, the desperate Red Bulls equalized, capitalizing on a rare sleeping Chicago defense. New York’s Dave van den Bergh collected a pass off a quick restart. Van den Bergh took the ball down the left side of the Fire defense before sending a high cross which found Juan Pablo Angel in the middle of the Chicago goal area. Angel rose incredibly high to meet the cross and easily headed the ball past Chicago’s Busch to level the match at 1-1.

Not to be out done, Chicago’s Chris Rolfe roared back in the 39th minute with a blistering shot past the outstretched arms of New York’s Cepero. Rolfe calmly collected a pass off his chest and one timed his curling shot off the outside of his right foot. It was a world class goal for a player who elevated his play for this final regular season match.

Rolfe’s dominance was not done. Moments later, Rolfe capped off the opening 45 minutes with a third goal. This time Rolfe was fed a heel pass from Blanco, leaving Rolfe one on one with the frustrated Red Bulls goalkeeper. Rolfe calmly slotted the ball home, completing his first career MLS hat trick. Rolfe’s goal burst was long overdue, said Rolfe, “I think it might have been the first time since high school that I had a hat trick.”

When the Fire emerged for the second half, Rolfe continued to run the Red Bulls ragged, assisting on Brian McBride’s goal in the 53rd minute and Daniel Woolard’s goal in the 75th minute. New York managed to notch their second goal of the match in the 88th minute, when second half substitute Macoumba Kandji sent fellow second half substitute Dane Richards pass into the net.

The final score of 5-2 mirrored the Fire’s first meeting with the Red Bulls – a 5-1 drubbing on May 25th in the Meadowlands.

While Chris Rolfe was the obvious story of this match, the unsung hero for the Fire in their series with the Red Bulls was the aging, but still dynamic Cuauhtemoc Blanco. New York had no answer all season for Blanco’s vision and ball control. In the two matches Blanco played, the Fire netted 10 goals. The one match Blanco failed to suit up for, the Fire managed to win, but did so by scoring only one goal. Blanco’s mastery on the ball and his world class vision allowed Chicago to continually break down the Red Bulls’ defense. It was Rolfe’s night, but Blanco’s series. A lesson well-learned just in time for the post-season.

The loss leaves New York in a precarious position. Their 39 points gives them an edge in the wild card race, but a win for DC United or the Colorado Rapids on Sunday would end New York’s season, leaving them out the postseason for the first time since 2002.

The Fire, having already secured their postseason berth before this evening’s match improved their standing by securing second place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is set to host the New England Revolution in the opening round of the playoffs. This evening’s strong performance gives the Fire an immediate confidence booster. Chris Rolfe acknowledged tonight’s impact for his team and the League, “I think most people in the league know we are a good team and I think tonight’s game shows we are ready for the playoffs.”

Chicago must hope Rolfe is correct and that their play this evening is an indicator of better things to come. Should this evening’s level of play continue, the other playoff teams will definitely not want to play with this Fire.

Match Facts

New York Red Bulls (10-11-9) vs. Chicago Fire (13-10-7)
October 23, 2008 — Toyota Park

Scoring Summary:
CHI — Chris Rolfe 7 (Stephen King 1, Justin Mapp 8) 11
NY — Juan Pablo Angel 14 (Dave van den Bergh 5) 32
CHI — Chris Rolfe 8 (unassisted) 38
CHI — Chris Rolfe 9 (Cuauhtemoc Blanco 11) 44
CHI — Brian McBride 5 (Diego Gutierrez 1, Chris Rolfe 6) 53
CHI — Daniel Woolard 1 (Chris Rolfe 7) 75
NY — Macoumba Kandji 1 (Dane Richards 6, Chris Leitch 2) 88

Lineups:
New York Red Bulls — Danny Cepero, Chris Leitch, Andrew Boyens, Gabriel Cichero, Kevin Goldthwaite, Juan Pietravallo (Luke Sassano 46), Jorge Rojas (Dane Richards 65), Seth Stammler (Macoumba Kandji 46), Dave van den Bergh, Mike Magee, Juan Pablo Angel.
Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Diego Jimenez, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, John Wolyniec
Chicago Fire — Jon Busch, Brandon Prideaux, Wilman Conde, Bakary Soumare, Diego Gutierrez, Stephen King, Justin Mapp (Daniel Woolard 74), Logan Pause, Chris Rolfe (Patrick Nyarko 82), Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Brian McBride (Mike Banner 85).
Substitutes Not Used: Andy Herron, Nick Noble, Marco Pappa, Dasan Robinson

Misconduct Summary:
NY — Juan Pietravallo (caution; Reckless Tackle) 28
NY — Kevin Goldthwaite (caution; Reckless Tackle) 43
CHI — Diego Gutierrez (caution; Reckless Tackle) 72
referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: Anthony Vasoli; Jeff Muschik
4th official: Michael Kennedy
time of game: 1:48
attendance: 13,274
weather: Cloudy -and- 58 degrees