Last Saturday the Fire looked pretty good despite a few players having off games and not finishing all of the chances we had. The score line didn't reflect the number of chances that fell into the Fire's lap. We beat a team that was on a little roll as of late, as the Fire picked up all 3 points at home against Toronto. They fell behind in the first half due to some sloppy play which ended up being a give away from Pappa. Which in my opinion he didn't have a good night overall despite scoring the equalizer in the second half. The equalizer came from miscommunication in the Toronto back which led Pappa to be able to round the keeeper and from a tight angle put it in. The go ahead goal came in the 84th after Toronto saw a player sent off for a 2nd yellow. Nyarko earned the Fire a free kick on the outside which Pardo sent into the box to meet the head of Berry who put it into the corner past the Toronto keeper who was frozen in place. Berry is going to be a stud in I say 2 years, in which that time he will be a regular for the USMNT and a starter for European league(my best guess would either be in the EPL or the Bundesliga). That was the game because shortly after Toronto were reduced to 9 when a player(can't remember who it was) was forced off due to injury and no remaining subs. This also marked the debuts of Fernandez and Macdonald at home. Fernandez looked good up until a slight knock right before half which forced him off just after halftime. He provided energy and creativity to the attack. The entire time he was out there his work rate was second to none. I believe he can be a Fire legend if he sticks around. Macdonald on the other hand was a breath of fresh air up top. Yes I was skeptical of him signing with the team but what he showed in the 45 minutes was a willingness to do his job. He did almost everything that Oduro can't do. Macdonald held up the ball to wait for support, made some great passes, and was able to hold off defenders with his strength. If he can get into game shape I think that Oduro will be relegated to being a 2nd half sub.
On to a short preview for Sunday's game against Philly. The Fire should be able to take maximum points as the Union look to be playing better after the departure of Nowak. It should be a tough test especially if ex-Fire defender Bakary Soumare is ready to make his first appearance for Philly after signing with the league again. But with no pressing injuries for the Fire, Klopas should field the same team as last week with possibly Oduro starting on the bench in favor of Macdonald. Should be an interesting game to see how much the team has gelled with another week of training with each other. Look for some more opinions and write up next week as I recap tommorrow's match and other random thoughts.
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