subject: New England Revolution Playoff Tickets - New England 2, Chicago 1 [print this page] Emmanuel Osei registered a goal, Shalrie Joseph scored in the 75th minute and the New England Revolution defeated the Chicago Fire 2-1 in the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Get New England Revolution playoff tickets and see Joseph score the game winner. Chris Rolfe opened the scoring for Chicago in the 17th minute, and Osei answered by tying the match one-all just before halftime.
The teams will conclude the two-legged series at Toyota Park on Nov. 7. New England coach Steve Nicol admitted that his club did not play well early in the contest. However, the coach was pleased to get "the win he wanted." Chicago challenged New England's defense early when Brian McBride headed a pair of passes that went wide of the net just before the 10th minute.
The Fire finally seized their opportunity to score a goal when Marco Pappa went down the right side and sent a wide-angled shot that Revolution goalkeeper failed to smother. Rolfe quickly shot the ball into the net to put Chicago ahead 1-0. McBride had a chance to extend the lead for Chicago two minutes later, when he took a pass from Pappa and drilled a shot that went past Reis but ricocheted off the left post.
New England started to play well offensively after the 20th minute. Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz had two close-range shots as he kept the pressure on the Fire through 30 minutes. One of Larentowicz's opportunities came in the 26th minute, when Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch found himself way past his line to challenge the midfielder on a long ball.
Busch fell down and Larentowicz had an open net, but he sent a shot through that deflected off the far post. The Fire must have been kicking themselves for not capitalizing off their opportunities. Nicol acknowledged that his club did not do much for the first 10 to 15 minutes and his team was definitely frustrated. The coach added that New England started "to play loose" and found momentum later in the match. The Revolution continued to attack and Osei almost got his first MLS goal in the 40th minute. He fired a 25-yard shot that skimmed off the near corner of the net. Osei didn't have to wait long for another scoring chance. Two minutes into extra time, New England forward Kenny Mansally delivered a free kick that Osei deflected past Busch for the tying goal.
The Fire did not give up and battled early in the second half. They nearly took the lead, but Pappa's long-distance shot hit the bar and bounced off the goal line in the 71st minute. Although Chicago failed to take advantage of their scoring chances, the Revolution capitalized off their good fortune just four minutes later. Larentowicz passed the ball to Joseph, who fired a shot that beat Busch and gave New England a 2-1 lead. In the final 15 minutes of the game, Chicago tried to fight back, but the Revolution defenders held their ground and were able to secure a victory against a well-balanced team. Who will win the next match?
