Chicago Fire grabbed a 1-0 win over table leaders Seattle Sounders in what could be a turnaround of their campaign.
The team had suffered three straight defeats in the MLS before going on to secure a 1-1 draw against Houston Dynamo in the previous match. They have managed to build on this point in the best possible manner after getting a home win over the table leaders. This will provide them with a huge moral boost for the rest of the season. Manager Frank Yallop says that this victory will introduce a lot of confidence into the team, while he also praised the way the defence managed to keep a clean sheet.
For long periods of the game, it looked like Chicago Fire would be satisfied with a point. However, it would not have been enough for them to close the gap on teams like New York City, who are just above them in the table. The decisive move came in injury time of the game and Johnson made it stick by scoring a late winner in the 92nd minute. Seattle Sounders had been in poor form coming into the game, but they were not expected to suffer such a disappointing result. The opposition were unable to find a way past Eric Gehrig and Adailton.
“It was good to get through this defensively, it gives you confidence going into the next match. I thought we put our bodies on the line tonight and I was really proud of the way the guys fought, dug in, got the goal and then didn’t want to let it go. I thought Adi and Eric were outstanding again tonight. They fought, they battled and they didn’t want to give anything up. Forget the players that are playing, if you don’t want to fight and scrap for your teammate and yourself you’re in the wrong sport and you won’t win,” said Yallop.