Thursday, March 29, 2012

Match Day #3 Preview

Match Day #3 Preview and Random Thoughts
            On Sunday the Fire travel to the mile high state to take on the Colorado Rapids. The Fire are coming off their first win of the season while opening their home slate last weekend. The Rapids come off an embarrassing loss to the Redbulls at Redbull Arena last weekend after starting the season with 2 wins. This can be a tricky game for the Fire to go in and steal all 3 points from the Rapids while playing in Colorado. I know people say that the altitude should not be a factor but unfortunately it is. The problem that I see the fire having if they cannot control possession is that certain midfield players will be fatigued rather quickly in the second half. The players that I’m concerned about are Pardo, Grazzini, and Pappa. Pardo came off in the second half of last week’s game with apparent fatigue; hopefully he can go the full 90 this weekend. Grazzini came off also last week after almost completing 90 minutes, a feat he rarely accomplishes since joining the Men in Red. As for Pappa, we all know rarely goes the full 90. If the fitness of at least Pardo and Grazzini does not hold up for the majority game the Fire are going to have a tough time controlling the game and  dictating the way that they want to play. With that being said I do believe the Fire can control this game as long as they play smart, make good passes to each other’s feet, make Colorado’s back line work, and let the ball do all the work. Here is the lineup I would like to see:
Tornaghi
Gargan-Anibaba-Gibbs-Segares
Pardo
Robayo-Grazzini-Pause
Oduro-Nyarko
            I know after Pappa’s good game offensively last week, I think that having him off the bench would be a good thing especially if Klopas has to take off Grazzini early in the second half.  Even though Johnson is back and unavailable for the weekend, I would actually like to see Tornaghi stay in the net for the foreseeable future. He has put in 2 solid games so far and looks very comfortable commanding his 18 yard box.
            I see the Fire going into this one and having a hard fought game. I can see goals coming from Nyarko and Pardo as the Fire win 2-1.
Random Thoughts
·         The league suspended and fined Houston’s Colin Clark for verbally abusing a ball boy. He specifically used a gay slur that was caught on cameras last Friday when Houston played at Seattle. Good for the League to suspend him because there is no place in soccer for this.
·         The Fire announced a summer friendly against Aston Villa on July 21st. Well this is different from what we have seen in the past. Too bad we didn’t have the chance to take on AS Roma who announced a stop in Chicago to take on an unnamed opponent on July 22nd.
·         Johnson is back from the Olympic Qualifying a little sooner than expected.
·         Fire Reserves won their first game against RSL this week 1-0 behind a goal from Corben Bone.
·         After seeing 2 games played with the new home jerseys, I can say in my own opinion that I don’t like them. I thought they would grow on me, but every time I see that navy stripe I don’t like it even more. I don’t see why something that was synonymous with the Fire home jersey had to be changed after 14 years. Some people say that it is only a stripe, well that’s the problem it is not. It is part of the history of the Fire. The Fire were known in some of the songs that were sung by the fans as “the boys in red and white” not “the boys in red and navy”. But nothing anybody can do about it now.
Predictions
FC Dallas over DC 3-1, TFC and Columbus tie at 1, Redbulls beat Montreal 2-0, Vancouver over Philly 3-0, San Jose over Seattle2-1, RSL over Portland 3-1, LA over New England 3-0, SKC over Chivas 2-1

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Match Day #2 Rewind

Match Day #2 Rewind and Player Ratings
            After the first drab and lifeless first game against Montreal, Saturday night’s home opener versus the Union was a nice change of pace for about the first 75 minutes. The Fire came out with great possession and nice intricate passing in the midfield and great counter attacking soccer. Right from the beginning there was something different about the Fire, it seemed that they had a sense of urgency to prove to the home crowd that they can compete. The Fire created multiple chances throughout the entire game but only capitalized on one of them. That chance was a fantastic piece of work from Pappa on the right side when he took on 2 defenders and got off a well placed cross that was met by the head of Oduro. There was also Grazzini’s shot before the goal and also the break by Oduro that was cleared off the line by Albright in the first half. In the second half Pappa had a shot off the outside of the post, Puppo and Oduro had a nice combo that was not finished and at the end of the game Oduro had a break that was saved nicely by an oncoming Macmath in the Union goal. But the last 15 minutes the Fire were on the back foot defending the Union who were desperately trying to find an equalizer but couldn’t find a way past Tornaghi. And so the first home game proved to be a night that the Fire can build on who head out to Colorado, who were routed by the Redbulls today, on April 1st for a nationally televised game.
Player Ratings
Tornaghi- (7) Solid display once again from the young Italian including some quick distribution that led to several counter attack chances. He is starting to pose the question of “what happens when Johnson returns from U-23 duty?”
Segares- (5.5) Not a great game and not a bad game, just did his job and a got it done.
Anibaba and Gibbs- (6) Played well and held off the lifeless Union attack and the late game surge. Both had chances on the other end off of set pieces.
Gargan- (5.5) Just like Segares played well and did his job.
Pardo- (6) Directed the middle very well until having to come out 70th minute.
Pause- (5.5) Played well especially on the defensive end disrupting possible attacks.
Pappa- (6.5) Played probably his best offensive game since the hat trick game last year against RSL. Still ignores his defensive responsibilities from time to time.
Nyarko- (6) Played well in combination with Grazzini and Oduro on the left side.
Grazzini- (6) Controlled the attack and the play through the middle. He looked like he had fresher legs than last week, especially playing in front of the home crowd.
Oduro- (6.5) Scored yet again and had a few other opportunities that he could have put away. Now people are calling out the “Oduro doubters” because he has scored 2 goals in 2 games, but remember he has scored only 28 goals in 152 league games. Maybe he just needed more consistent playing time or maybe this run he is on won’t last. We have 32 more games to find out.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Match Day #2 Preview and Random Thoughts

Match Day #2 Preview and Random Thoughts
            So after the opening in Montreal to start the season, the Fire take on the Philadelphia Union for the first game of the season in front of a possible sell out. The Union are coming off 2 straight losses to start the season, with losses at Portland and at home to Colorado. In these two losses the Union have looked like a team with no real identity. To top off those losses they will be without some key players when they face the “Men in Red”. They will be without Williams(starting mid) and Adu(starting mid) both with the USA U-23 team. Rumor has it that they will also be without the Farfan brothers through injury and “Brotherly Game” out of Philly are reporting that starting center back Danny Califf has not traveled with the team. This bodes well for the Fire to be able to control the game on all fronts. Now to the Fire, they still have the same personnel missing from last week. Johnson still remains with the U-23s, Kinney is still out with injury, and Friedrich who just had his first training session on this week has said he is still a few weeks away from being match fit. So for Saturday’s game this is how I see the Fire lining up:
Tornaghi
Gargan Anibaba Gibbs Segares
Pause Pardo Robayo
Grazzini
Oduro Nyarko
Based off of last week performances this would be the best lineup for the Fire to use so they can secure all 3 points at home. I think that Pappa should have a seat and be used as a sub and here are a couple reasons: 1. He seemed a little lazy last week and had no urgency with the ball. 2. He had the tendency to float into the middle where he caused more damage to the team because he tried to be more like Grazzini. This cannot work when Grazzini is already out there trying to distribute from the middle. I think that Pappa needs a wakeup in order to realize that he needs to fill the wing position instead of floating into the center. I would put Robayo in to see what he can do out on the wing. I’m sure he will bring more energy going from box to box than Pappa does. Other than that I would not change the lineup.
Prediction
            I think that the Fire can control this game for the full 90 minutes if: 1.They feed off the energy that the home crowd is going to bring. 2. They leave two up front at all times. Last week Klopas had decided to take Nyarko and move him back to the midfield and leave Oduro up top by himself. This did not work and provided little to no offense. They did not create anything until Puppo was brought on to partner Oduro. 3. Relax out on the field. Last week the Fire seemed to be a little nervous and at times were making poor decisions with the ball. 4. Grazzini needs to have a little more time with the ball and Pappa needs to stay away from him and create space for him. But hopefully Pappa will be benched and we get to see what Robayo can do. If all of this happens I can see the Fire pulling out the victory, 3-0, with goals from Oduro, Barouch, and Robayo.
Random Thoughts
·         Fabrice Muamba who collapsed on the pitch during Bolton’s FA cup quarterfinal against Spurs has been making some good improvements after his heart had stopped for some time.
·         Arne Friedrich has started to train with the team but won’t be available for a couple weeks. He also revealed that he fell in love with the Chicago skyline before signing his contract with the Fire.
·         Other teams around the league have already began announcing summer friendlies, I personally think that the Fire will probably announce a game against a team from Mexico again. As much as friendlies are a cash grab I would like to see them try to play teams from other countries such as teams from Germany. One of the best times I ever had at a Fire game was when they hosted Hamburg in 2000 I believe it was. Hamburg actually had a good number of supporters come out and it was a good time had by all at the Barnburners 1871 tailgate.
Rest of the League Predictions
Adam’s: Houston and Seattle tie 1-1, TFC over San Jose 2-1, Crew and Impact tie 1-1, Portland over God awful New England 3-0, RSL over CDUSA 2-0, Vancouver over DC 2-1, Colorado over another horrible team NY Redbulls 2-1, SKC over FC Dallas 2-1
Mike has already posted his in another post. Last week I ended up going 5-4 and Mike ended up going 3-6
Weekly   Picks       Seattle 2/Houston 1-Fire 3/Philly 2-Toronto1/San Jose 1-Portland 2/New Eng. 1-Columbus3/ Montreal 0-RSL3/Chivas 0-Vancouver 2/DC 1-NY. 2/Col. 1-KC 3/Dallas 1                                                                                                                                                 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Match Day #1 Rewind


Match Day #1 Rewind and Other Random Notes
As many of you had witnessed earlier today, the Fire took on the Montreal Impact in Montreal in front of a crowd close to 59 thousand strong. Taking all 3 points would have been a tall order and I thought they were going to do it. Well the Fire came away with a point to show for the trip up north. First of all I would like to say that the Impact are going to have a strong following based on the crowd that was there to witness their first home game. I know they will not be playing in the Olympic Stadium all the time and not have that big crowds every game but they will have a loyal fan base.
I would have liked to see the Fire take the game to the Impact and take the crowd out of the game. Well that didn’t happen. Instead the Fire looked shaky from the beginning and could not get a solid attack going. Throughout the first half the midfield looked nervous, bunched and a little lazy at times. Montreal on the other hand looked comfortable on the field but at times they also looked a little nervous. It was nice to Nyarko take a chance at goal in the first couple minutes of the game. That was one element that was missing from his game in previous seasons. But that was one of two clear chances the Fire had all during the first half. Montreal pressed during the first having Tornaghi make a couple good saves and having to be active on corners and crosses. The only other clear chance for either team was the disallowed goal that Braun scored after a shot by former Fire player Justin Mapp. Braun was clearly behind the defense when Mapp took the shot in the 35th minute.
In the second half the Impact started to attack at the Fire again, forcing Klopas to make the adjustment of pulling Nyarko back into the midfield leaving Oduro all alone up top. This move hurt the Fire and they paid for it. In the 56th minute Nyassi came down the right side and crossed the ball into the box to find the head of Arnaud. The defense of the Fire seemed to be out of place with marking the Impact players and the placement of the header was good enough where Tornaghi could not do anything about it. After the goal the Fire still looked lifeless in attack until Klopas brought in Puppo for Pappa. This actually added some life to the attack because it restored 2 forwards up top instead of one. This actually almost paid dividends right off the bat when Puppo fought his way into the box to try to create an opportunity. In the 68th minute Segares went off with an injury, which could be significant because he normally does not go off with injuries in the past. But the Fire’s persistence paid off in the 71st minute when Grazzini received the ball just outside the box and chipped the ball past the defense where Oduro tapped it underneath a charging Ricketts to tie the game at one. Other than that, there were only a couple other chances for each team including a rocket of a shot from Gardner that beat Tornaghi but could not beat the post.
Player Ratings
v Tornaghi(8.5)-Has to be the man of the match. He came up big when it counted and looked comfortable in net after the first few minutes. I believe the Fire have now found a legitimate #2.
v Gargan(6)-A beast as always. Forced the attack on the right side and was rarely beaten. But he did turnover the ball that lead to Montreal’s goal.
v Anibaba(5)-Solid in the center, broke up a couple attacks and had a good work rate.
v Gibbs(5)-Same as Anibaba and I give them both 5 because I didn’t know who was supposed to be on Arnaud when he scored.
v Segares(5)-Was just okay. I don’t know what else to say about his play.
v Pardo(5)-Was just okay also. Broke up plays and had a tireless work rate as always.
v Pause(5)-Not much to say here also. Had some good plays and some not so good plays.
v Pappa(3)-Did he even show up today? Lazy when had possession and was stripped from behind on numerous occasions. Looked very apprehensive and uncomfortable while playing next to Grazzini.
v Grazzini(6.5)-Beautiful assist to Oduro. Was not getting any calls all game and seemed to be uncomfortable when they moved Nyarko back to mid leaving one striker up top and a 5 man mid.
v Nyarko(6)-Good work rate, liked how he actually took a few shots and played some good defense when needed. Looked much better out on the wing than up on top.
v Oduro(6.5)-Scored the only goal, tried using his speed against Montreal but was a little ineffective.
v Puppo(5.5)-Added some life up top for the final 28 minutes. Created a couple chances.
v Hunter Jumper(5)-Filled in well for the injured Segares for the final 22 minutes. No major mistakes just a slipped that let Nyassi walk in and have an open chance that Tornaghi dealt with.
v Paladini(5)-Came on for Grazzini for the final 11 minutes and added energy and a possible assist for Puppo in the waning moments.
Final Thoughts
            The Fire really need to look more relaxed out there but also need to be more aggressive at the same time. They cannot be playing from behind again this season. Last season we were fighting just to tie games and not playing to finish games. Pappa like I said wasn’t really out there. He looked lazy and very uncomfortable especially when he floated into the middle next to Grazzini. I think that Klopas has to figure out a way where Pappa and Grazzini can be out there at the same time. Would anybody be upset if they used him as trade bait? I know I wouldn’t.  Another thing that hurt this team was when they went with a single striker up top. It doesn’t work for this team because the midfield ends up dropping back to help on defense and that left Oduro out on top versus 2 sometimes 3 defenders. I know that this was game 1 of 34 and there is time for all of this to get worked out but I hope the Fire will have a better showing next week at the home opener.
One Other Non Fire Related Thought
I hope for the best for Fabrice Muamba who collapsed on the pitch during Bolton’s FA Cup match against Tottenham. He was last reported to be stable but still in the ICU at a hospital in London. This is never good to hear especially when it happens to a young player like that.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Match Day #1 Preview


Match Preview
The Fire go into their first game of the season well rested after not having to participate in the “First Kick” weekend. However, they do go into their travelling north across the border to serve as the first guests of the expansion side Montreal Impact. This game kind of reminds me of what happened last year when the Fire were the first visitors to Portland. I thought that since Portland were an expansion team and the Fire started the 2011 season well, that the Fire were going to have an easy game. Well we all know how that ended. This is going to be a very tricky game for the Fire, either Montreal feeds off the expected 58K+ crowd or the Fire takes the crowd out of the game by dominating the Impact. This is who I would like to see start the game for our Fire:
Tornaghi
Gargan-Anibaba-Gibbs-Segares
Pardo
Pappa-Robayo-Grazzini-Nyarko
Oduro
To me this line up would create the most chances going forward as well as still being able to track back to cover defensively. I know some of you are thinking “Pause should be out there he is the captain”. Well I thought about that and I think that this line up brings more to the table but I have been wrong in the past before. The only question mark is Robayo who might not even be able to play due to ITC issues. If that’s the case, than Pause should slide right in no problem. I can see Barouch coming off the bench for Oduro or Nyarko. Also coming off the bench I could see Paladini filling in for Pappa or Grazzini. My prediction is that the speed of Oduro and Nyarko will create havoc for the Impact defense and our backline will be able to handle the Impact attack. Final score Fire 2 Impact 0 with goals from Oduro and Paladini.  
Random Thoughts
·       Fire waived Pari Pantazopoulos Monday. No big surprise there, I’m still wondering why Videira is still on the roster.
·       The SKOL was also Monday but I can’t comment on it since I was not there. Heard they had a record crowd this year.
·       Arne Friedrich is not available this weekend. I have a feeling he won’t be ready for a couple weeks.
·       Tornaghi did get all paper work figured out and is available this weekend.
·       Broadcast schedule was announced a little less than 48 hours before the Fire’s first kick. Will be playing on CSN, NBC5.2, and NBC Chicago for local coverage. Why announced less than 48 hours before kickoff is an issue that the front office may have to try to solve before next year.
     Also the fire only have one more draft pick unsigned after singing defender Tony Walls to a contract.

Weekend Predictions
·       Adam ‘s predictions: Houston over San Jose 2-1, Portland over FC Dallas 3-1, SKC over New England 2-0, Seattle ties TFC 1-1, RSL over NYRB 3-1, Vancouver over CDUSA 3-0, Colorado ties Philadelphia 1-1, LA over DC 2-0
·       Mike’s predictions: Fire over Montreal 3-1, Houston ties San Jose 1-1, Dallas over Portland 2-0, RSL over NYRB 2-1, Seattle ties TFC 2-2, Vancouver ties Your really not the Chivas 1-1, Philadelphia over Colorado 2-1, LA over DC 4-1

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Chicago 2012 Preview


So another season is just around the corner for the Chicago Fire. Some changes have been made to the team but the core group, which finished as one of the hottest teams in the MLS, remains intact for the 2012 season. There are many questions that I have been asking myself about the changes and what has to happen for this season in order for the Fire to get back to the dominance that they were accustomed to for many years. Well now that I have to decided to write a blog, I can know have an outlet to express my opinions and concerns for my beloved Chicago Fire.
First off, a little bit about myself. My name is Adam Merges and I hail from the western suburbs of Chicago. I have been going to Fire games since ’98 and have been influenced by some sort of soccer throughout my life. If it wasn’t watching the 1986 or 1990 World Cups at home with my dad and brothers on Spanish stations (because at the time the Spanish stations were the only channels to air the World Cup without commercial interruption) or playing in the infamous BBSL, soccer has always been there. I do also follow other teams and leagues around the world but I can honestly say that I only support 2 teams: Chicago Fire and Arsenal FC.
Well let’s get this preview started:
Goalkeepers:
Out: Alec Dufty(Not brought back) and Jon Conway(Retired)
In: Jay Nolly(Trade with Vancouver) and Paolo Tornaghi(Tralist Signed)
This is a considerable upgrade and the Fire should feel good about themselves considering that Johnson should be missing a considerable amount of time to join the USA U-23’s for Olympic qualifying and the Olympics themselves.
Defenders:
Out: Yamith Cuesta(Loan ended) and Josip Mikulic(Personal reasons)
In: Hunter Jumper(Draft), Austin Berry(Draft), and Arne Friedrich(Free transfer)
It seemed at first that the losses of Cuesta and Mikulic would make the Fire thin at center back but the additions of Friedrich and Berry provides depth at that position. Singing Arne could be the best signing this year for the Fire provided he stays healthy. Arne brings experience from playing in Germany and playing on the German National Team for almost 10 years. According to reports Berry and Jumper have been fitting in with the team so well that it may prove to put Siriboe and Pantazopoulos as the odd men out.
Midfielders:
Out: Baggio Husidic(Option declined) and Mike Banner(Waived)
In: Rafael Robayo(Loan from Millionarios)
With the addition of Robayo and the players already at the club(Pause, Nyarko, Pappa, Pardo, Paladini, Bone, Videira, Pineda, and Grazzini) this creates a very good problem for Klopas this season. Talk about competition for playing time in the midfield. With Paladini improving his play in the preseason and Robayo coming in who can play on the right side and is a very good box to box midfield and reports are that he will give 110% every game who do you sit? Klopas has stated that he will play his best 11 every game but does that mean he plays Robayo instead of Pause the captain? This is going to be a good problem for Klopas this season.
Forwards:
Out: Diego Chaves(Option declined), Christian Nazarit(Option declined), Gabriel Ferrari(Released)
In: Frederico Puppo(Loan from Danubio), Kheli Dube(Re-entry draft), and Orr Barouch(Permanent transfer from Tigres)
The Fire are hoping that Oduro’s form of scoring a career high 12 goals carries over to 2012. The signing of Puppo and Dube provides depth at the position and the permanent signing of Barouch gives the Fire an option to bring on a target forward that can play next to the other forwards. As the preseason has showed Frank seems intent on starting Nyarko up top with Oduro and having that speed go at opposing defenders.
2012 Prediction:
               Being the pessimist that I am, I always bring up questions about signings and tactics with the Fire. I think that this team will make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 provided a couple things happen.
1.      Oduro has to continue to score goals. If last year was a fluke year and he does not produce the other forwards on the roster have to pick up the slack. If they cannot the burden of scoring goals will fall on the shoulders of the attacking mids and I don’t see how this team can win if all of the offense is coming from the middle of the park.
2.      The midfield and defense has to stay healthy. If our center backs stay healthy I believe we have the most depth at that position than any other team in the league and with their experience combined with youth will be able to shut down any attack in the league. Our midfield also has to stay healthy especially Grazzini, Nyarko, and Pardo. We all saw what happened last year in the Open Cup Final when Grazzini is not on the field. There was no creativity, no flow, and the Fire continued playing long balls to Oduro hoping that his speed would help. Pardo has to be out there every game because of his experience and the ability he has to read the game. Yes, I think that Pause is capable of filling in for Pardo but Pardo cannot miss extensive periods of time. At times Nyarko is the most dangerous player the Fire have out on the field and he needs to be out there providing those runs on the wings to open up the opposing defenses.

Here is how I think the MLS season will shape up:
·        Out in the West: 1.LA Galaxy 2.Seattle Sounders 3.RSL 4.Portland Timbers 5.Vancouver Whitecaps 6.FC Dallas 7.Colorado Rapids 8.San Jose Earthquakes 9.Chivas USA
·        In the East: 1.SKC 2.Houston Dynamo 3.New York Redbulls 4.Chicago Fire 5.DC United 6.Toronto FC 7.Columbus Crew 8.Philadelphia Union 9.Montreal Impact 10.New England

MLS Cup goes to: LA Galaxy. They have arguably the best team in the league and barring any injuries and international call ups this team is just too good in all positions. LA wins 3-1 over Chicago.