| | LAS VEGAS -- Ante Razov scored on a header in the first half and Dema Kovalenko added an insurance goal in the second to lead the Chicago Fire to a 2-0 victory over Joe Public of Trinidad and
Tobago on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
In the other game, Alajuela of Costa Rica upset tournament
favorite Toluca of Mexico 1-0.
Razov, eighth in Major League Soccer in scoring, connected off a corner kick in the 19th minute. He headed in a bending corner kick from Peter Nowak to give the Fire a 1-0 lead.
"Our goal was to advance to Friday night and we're glad we
could do that," Chicago Fire coach Bob Bradley said. "It doesn't
always come as easy as we'd like to think."
Chicago battered Joe Public goalkeeper Donavon Thomas with 22
shots. Thomas had 11 saves and faced 10 corner kicks.
"He (Thomas) was pretty flamboyant, provided a lot of excitement and made some good saves," Bradley said.
Kovalenko entered the game in the 76th minute and six minutes later he found the back of the net thanks to a short pass from fellow reserve Paul Dougherty.
Dougherty dribbled up the left side and drew Thomas out of the goal before passing the ball to Kovalenko who had a wide open net.
Joe Public failed to mount a substantial attack and only managed
three shots on goal. Chicago goalkeeper Zach Thornton made only one
save.
The Fire, the defending MLS champions, are in fourth place in
the Western Conference of the MLS and have clinched a playoff spot.
Joe Public reached the Champions' Cup by winning the Caribbean Club
Championship.
Wednesday's quarterfinals have D.C. United of the MLS against Olimpia of Honduras, and Necaxa of Mexico against Saprissa of Costa Rica.
The semifinals are Friday and the finals Sunday.
The champions advance to the finals of the FIFA Club World Championship next January in Brazil.
In the second game, Alajuela scored in the 59th minute when Wilmer Lopez sent a through ball to Josef Miso, who bent a shot past Toluca goalkeeper Hernan Cristante.
Toluca, summer tournament champion of the Mexican league, was a finalist in the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, losing to D.C. United of the MLS.
Alajuela reached the Champions' Cup by taking second in the
Central American League.
Toluca was only able to penetrate Alajuela's defense for six
shots, three of those on goal. Alajuela took eight shots with seven
on goal and forced Cristante to make six saves.
Alajuela goalkeeper Alvaro Messen saved three shots.
The Costa Rican team used a defensive strategy after scoring the goal and committed 20 fouls in the game.
Toluca's best chances to score came in the first half when Jose
Manuel Abundis took a shot in the 29th minute that Messen made a
diving save on. In the 32nd minute, Toluca's Jose Cardozo sent a
shot headed for the upper-right corner of the goal that Messen
leaped for and batted away.
| |
ALSO SEE
Trecker: Cup coverage tarnished
United, Fire compete in CONCACAF Champions Cup
 |
