CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Fire wanted to prove they're still
among the MLS elite. No better way to do it than by beating the
league's best.
Josh Wolff scored an unassisted goal, his first of the season,
in the 55th minute Sunday as the Chicago Fire beat the Wizards 3-2,
ending Kansas City's unbeaten streak.
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Kansas City Wizards' Mo Johnston (10) beats Jesse Marsch to the ball Sunday. |
Kansas City, which is now 10-1-2, was the last undefeated team
in Major League Soccer.
"We are so disappointed in our record," said Jesse Marsch, who
also had a goal for the Fire, now 7-6-1. "We've given away so many
games. This was a big game for us because we need points and this
is a chance to let the league know we're still a team to be
reckoned with."
The Fire's Hristo Stoitchkov also scored a goal and had an
assist on Marsch's goal. Stoitchkov could have scored twice more,
but his shot past the hands of Wizards keeper Tony Meola hit the
right post and Meola saved another shot by punching it up and over
the crossbar. Stoitchkov, who is nursing a strained groin, didn't
play in the second half.
Gary Glasgow and Chris Henderson each scored and had an assist
for Kansas City.
"They played well. We didn't play that well," Kansas City
coach Bob Gansler said. "But there's an old adage: You play as
well as your opponents allow."
The Fire managed to win despite the absence of forward Ante
Razov, the MLS' leading scorer with 11 goals. Razov, who has seven
goals in nine games against the Wizards, was called up for national
duty in the US Cup.
The Fire also were without midfielder Chris Armas, defender C.J.
Brown and defender Lubos Kubik. Armas and Brown also are playing
for the national team, and Kubik has a sprained left knee.
Kansas City was without its leading scorer, Miklos Molnar, who
played in a friendly for the Dutch national team Saturday.
"For whatever reasons, we don't have players -- national team
duty, injuries -- to be able to deal with it now. It says a lot for
our team," Wolff said. "It speaks loudly for our reserves."
The Wizards came into the game far and away the MLS' stingiest
team, allowing only 0.42 goals per game. They'd allowed just five
goals all season, but three of those were to the Fire in Kansas
City's 4-3 victory on March 25.
Chicago leads the MLS in scoring (32 goals), and its offensive
prowess paid off early in the second half. With several Fire
players in front of the Kansas City goal in the 55th minute,
Wizards defender Brandon Prideaux cleared the ball, but Wolff
trapped it near the keeper's box and scored on a cross.
"We have some players today who showed they certainly bring
something to the field," Fire coach Bob Bradley said. "A number
of guys today put out big efforts."
The Fire took a 2-1 lead in the 41st minute when Marsch scored,
heading Stoitchkov's corner kick straight into the right side of
the net. The Wizards came right back, though, tying the game at 2
in the next minute when Chris Henderson scored.
Kansas City, which had trailed just seven minutes this season,
scored first. Glasgow was falling away from the net but managed to
keep his composure long enough to head Henderson's corner kick just
over the hands of Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
It was the first goal of the season for Glasgow, who was making
his first start.