Fire Mon Sep 21 2009

Fire Battle to a Draw with Crew

The Chicago Fire (10-6-10, 40 pts.) fought hard yesterday as they took on the Eastern Conference Leading Columbus Crew (11-4-10, 43 pts.). The two teams have tied the last five regular season matches between each other, and this time the Fire was hoping to snap that trend. But to no avail.

The Fire came out strong in the first half with a goal in the sixth minute from midfielder Peter Lowry. After receiving a touch pass from recently returned forward Brian McBride, Lowry sent a right footed shot inside the left post. Lowry struck again in the 35th minute. Chris Rolfe played a ball intended for Cuauhtémoc Blanco, but the Crew defense deflected the pass and set up a perfect shot for Lowry at the center of the box. The Fire went into the half with a 2-0 lead and the hopes of a victory.

But the second half belonged to the Crew. In the 55th minute of play, defender Robbie Roger sent a ball from the left for Guillermo Barros Schelotto. He positioned himself nicely for a header three yards off the goal line, and the ball went sailing into the right side of the net. The score was leveled in the 78th minute with a penalty kick from Schelotto.

Despite both teams battling hard for the win, neither could seem to outscore the other. The tie leaves the Fire in second place, only three points behind the Crew. With only four games left in the MLS regular season, the Fire will continue to fight for first place as well as the Supporters Shield, awarded to the team with the best record. The Fire's next match will be Saturday, September 26, against Toronto FC at Toyota Park at 7:30 p.m.

— Vanessa Day / Comments (0)