Chicago Fire Playoff Tickets - Chicago Advances To Eastern Conference Finals

John Thorrington and Cuauhtemoc Blanco both registered goals and the Chicago Fire

defeated the New England Revolution 2-0, taking the two-game semifinals series 3-2 on aggregate. Get Chicago Fire playoff tickets and see Blanco score a goal. The victory assured the Fire their third-straight appearance in the Eastern Conference final.

Chicago entered the match trailing New England after a 2-1 defeat on Nov. 1. Thorrington leveled the aggregate score in the 35th minute of the game when he fired a shot into the lower left corner. It was his first playoff goal. Not bad for a midfielder who just returned to the lineup after missing seven games due to a leg injury. Blanco secured the victory when he found the back of the net with seven minutes remaining in the contest.

The series-clinching goal started when Chicago's Patrick Nyarko fended off New England's Emmanuel Osei along the end line, dribbling the ball into the box and drawing out goalkeeper Matt Reis. Nyarko then sent a pass to Blanco in the center of the box, where he managed to fake out two defenders before drilling the ball in the upper right corner. Chicago coach Dennis Hamlett stated that his players knew what was on the line from the get-go. The coach continued to say his club deserved the win. It's the second consecutive season in which the Fire has eliminated the Revolution from the postseason, and fourth in eight all-time playoff matchups. Chicago is 7-0-0 when hosting the Revolution in the playoffs.

Because Chicago is the highest seed left in the East, they will host Real Salt Lake in the conference final on Nov. 14. RSL advanced to the Eastern Conference final by triumphing over Columbus 4-2 on aggregate on Nov. 5. The last time Chicago hosted the East final, they beat New England 1-0 in overtime in 2003. Since then, the Fire have reached that round three times, but lost each match on the road. Hamlett said he was thrilled when he saw Columbus eliminated from the postseason because it gave his club the opportunity to host the Eastern Conference final. The coach added that his players "had a little more energy in terms of being able to play with the idea that you can host the conference final."

New England defender Pat Phelan had two golden opportunities to tie the series late in the game. In the 89th minute, he head-butted the ball just wide of the net. Phelan had another chance five minutes into stoppage time, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Jon Busch. The Revolution has been plagued with several injuries all season, and coach Steve Nicol felt that his club's effort should not be diminished. The coach admitted that the season was "incredibly difficult." Nicol had no idea which player would be available from week to week. He said, "I guess it's true there is some solace in the fact that we got to the playoffs under the conditions that we did. It says a lot about the character of the players."

by: Brent Warnken

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