After bringing in Maicon Santos, followed by Sherjill Macdonald and Daniel Paladini shortly thereafter, the Fire feverishly pressed into the attack. Although organization and beauty was at a premium, the ability to put one of the best possession based teams in the MLS on their heals is impressive. The impact that Mike Magee has had on the side can't be understated as it was his passion and energy that seemed to will the men in red forward. He did receive a yellow card for perhaps a bit too much passion directed toward the referee but maybe it was a necessary evil to get his teammates energized. His goal was gift wrapped to him by Portland's goalie Kocic but Magee was in the right place at the right time and was able to finish off the pass from Alex, something that wouldn't have happened a few weeks ago. It was also Magee who drew the foul that allowed Daniel Paladini to crush his free kick into the back of the net to equalize late against the Timbers. Brazilian midfielder Alex also seemed to be a revelation in central midfield, providing at least some of the creativity that has been missing since the exit of Grazzini last summer. He has clearly gained confidence through his recent starts showing calmness and class against the bruising Portland midfield. While still turning over the ball to frequently, he is certainly staking a claim to a starting spot in Chicago's midfield.
Player Ratings:
Sean Johnson- 5- Beaten near post on the opener for Portland and from roughly 25 yards by a solid Ben
Zemanski blast brings Johnson's score down.
Gonzales Segares- 6- Decent in defense and possession and serviceable in the attack
Bakary Soumare- 6- A few excellent steps to interrupt Timbers attacks lift up the ranking for Soumare who
had a few horrible turnovers in the defensive third
Austin Berry- 6- Solid in defense but the defense as a whole had a nightmare beginning to the game
Jalil Anibaba-5- Largely unhelpful in the attack and should have doubled up on Valeri before he scored.
Dilly Duka- 6.5- Finally Dilly showed some of the pace and trickery that we have been hoping for.
Jeff Larentowicz- 6- Somewhat outplayed in the middle by a strong Portland midfield but provided good
teeth in the center for Chicago.
Alex-7.5- Some excellent moments for the Brazilian. Showed creativity and confidence to keep possession.
Provided the dangerous ball that led to Magee's goal
Patrick Nyarko-6- Dangerous as always on the left side of the Fire midfield, frequently finding himself in
dangerous positions, but in typical Nyarko fashion couldn't find the composure in the final third to make
the most of his hard work.
Chris Rolfe-6- Besides a thunderous volley in the first half that was tipped over the bar there was little
coming from the diminutive striker and was subsequently subbed out.
Mike Magee-8- Dangerous, hard working, intelligent, and passionate all night. Providing the opening goal
and drawing the foul for Paladini's free kick blast.
Subs:
Maicon Santos-5.5- Seemed somewhat unattached to the attack as Chicago pressed for the equalizer.
Sherjill Macdonald- 6.5- This was one of the better showings from Macdonald this season. Clearly eager
to restore his place in the lineup he held the ball up nicely and combined well with his teammates.
Daniel Paladini-7- An excellent choice by Klopas. Was able to provide some energy and possession in the
center while maintaining some defensive prowess in the wake of Larentowicz' exit. Absolutely sniped the
equalizer.
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