BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- After last Sunday's 4-1 loss to FC Dallas, the Chicago Fire came out with a gameplan Thursday night against the Los Angeles Galaxy. They looked to score early and defend, defend, defend. The plan worked to their advantage as the Fire topped the Galaxy 3-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Toyota Park.
Chris Rolfe scored a pair of goals, one in each half, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco added a third as the Fire snapped a quick two-game losing streak. Eddie Lewis scored the Galaxy's lone goal to send the teams into the locker room tied at 1-1.
The Fire nearly broke through after just 10 minutes, but Ante Jazic was perfectly placed at the right-hand post to head Bakary Soumare's header from Justin Mapp corner kick off the line.
But it didn't take long for the home side to gain the advantage.In the 13th minute, Rolfe intercepted the ball at midfield and knocked it forward. John Thorrington held it up for Rolfe to regain possession, and ran upfield. Rolfe broke through defenders, bounced off one and almost fell to the ground, then spun around and blasted the ball into the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 Fire lead.
The Galaxy's Ante Jazic sent a long shot toward goal in the 26th minute for the first Los Angeles shot of the match. On its way toward goal, it took a deflection off defender Wilman Conde, but Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch managed to tip it over to keep his net clean. David Beckham took resulting corner kick, which Conde again cleared to keep the lead at 1-0.
But the Galaxy were gradually coming back into the game, and tied the score in the 35th minute. Greg Vanney laid the ball off to Landon Donovan, who looped a pass to Chris Klein on the right side of the field. Klein crossed it into the box where Eddie Lewis got in front of his defender and flicked it inside the far post with his left boot, tying the game at 1-1.
LA almost jumped ahead in the 40th minute on a counterattack. At a full run, David Beckham passed a short ball to Edson Buddle on the right side of the field. Buddle ran a few steps and sent a long angled shot toward the far post, but it rolled just outside the goal.
Blanco went down in the 45th minute after colliding with LA goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Blanco lay motionless for a couple of minutes, before being attended to and walking off the field with assistance. Blanco then re-entered the game for the remaining two minutes of stoppage time.
The Fire put the game away with two goals in three minutes early in the second half. Chasing a 50-50 through ball outside the box in the 57th minute, Blanco collided with defender Troy Roberts while goalkeeper Wicks ran up to make a play at the same time. Blanco managed to touch the ball past the two Galaxy players, hopped over Roberts and had an easy shot into an empty goal.
Two minutes later, another long through ball from midfield, this from Gonzalo Segares, sent Rolfe racing in alone on goal. Rolfe fired a long shot from just outside the area. Wicks got a hand on it, then turned and watched as the ball bounced into the back of the net for a 3-1 Chicago lead.
The Galaxy had a couple of late chances to pull a goal back. Donovan sent a volley, on a cross from the left, over the net in the 71st minute. Then in the 86th minute, defender Sean Franklin had a clear header off a corner kick, but sent the ball wide left.
The Fire held out the rest of the way and now have 41 points, remaining in third place in the East, now six points ahead of the New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy are still tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with San Jose, both teams with 29 points (though the Earthquakes have two games in hand).
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