Fire snuff Revolution out of US Open Cup
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Revolution assigned high priority to the US Open Cup this year. But Andy Herron and the Chicago Fire got the better of the them last night for the second time in four days.
Herron scored twice as Chicago took a 2-1 win over the Revolution, setting up a meeting with D.C. United as the Fire reached the semifinals of the 92-year-old tournament for the seventh time in their nine years of existence. Herron, who also scored in Chicago's 1-0 win over the Revolution in an MLS game last Sunday, converted in the 12th minute and on a 58th-minute penalty kick. Both scores were set up by defensive errors, according to Revolution coach Steve Nicol.
``It's frustrating because we played some great stuff," Nicol said. ``We passed well but a couple mistakes cost us the game. We've only ourselves to blame. We tried to play offside and if we don't play offside on the first goal we're fine, then we lost the ball in the middle and that led to the penalty kick."
After Herron's first goal, set up by well-placed ball from defender Leonard Griffin to Calen Carr, who split the defense and sent a perfect ball through the goal area, the Revolution settled into a fast-paced passing game.
The Revolution dominated possession for long periods, tying the score on Taylor Twellman's 27th-minute header. The sequence began as Joe Franchino won a corner against Floyd Franks on a slow-rolling ball and quickly sent the ball to Clint Dempsey, who was unmarked at the back post. Dempsey nodded the ball back into the goal area for Twellman to score into an open net.
The deciding goal was set up after Carr went down in a clash with Revolution goalkeeper Doug Warren while attempting to run onto a Herron through ball. Herron then chipped the penalty kick into the center of the goal as Warren dived right.
The Fire went with several reserves, including Carr, who was an effective complement to Herron at forward. The Revolution used their entire starting lineup of field players, but lost Pat Noonan, who appeared to injure his right leg and limped off the field behind the Chicago goal in the 65th minute. The status of Noonan, who was replaced by Jose Cancela four minutes later, has not been determined for the RevolutionColumbus game Sunday.
This was the first Revolution defeat in three visits to
``If we can pass the ball [against Columbus] the way we passed it tonight, we'll be fine," Nicol said. ``We had better movement off the ball from the front guys and the midfield guys and that's why we created chances. But we can't have mistakes on the other end."
Defender Jay Heaps said the Carr breakaway on the opening goal resulted from a mixup with central defender Michael Parkhurst.
``We were probably too high on the line and it was a miscommunication," Heaps said. ``I dropped back and [Parkhurst] stepped. It's the first time that has happened for a goal and it's bound to happen. We are going to talk it over and get it right. We are all fast back there and can cover."
A sign of the Revolution's emphasis on the tournament was that general manager Craig Tornberg successfully bid to host a semifinal match had the Revolution won last night. In 2001, the Revolution played hosted four US Open Cup matches, advancing to the final. Since then, the Revolution have used Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Mass., as a home field in the Cup . . . The Revolution are 5-6-2 (24-19 goal differential) in Open Cup matches . . . The Fire announced the acquisition of French midfielder Pascal Bedrossian, 31, from Angers SCO.
