“Any time you do not win a championship, it is another year that has gone by the wayside,’’ Reis said, looking back on a year in which he paced Major League Soccer with 114 stops and an .814 save percentage. “I’m sure there are plenty of positives that we can look at, but right now there are none we can think of.’’

The Fire’s victory in the second game of the Eastern Conference series vaulted Chicago into the MLS semifinals. The two-goal margin was necessary as the Fire were down a goal in the aggregate-scoring format following the Revolution’s 2-1 victory in Foxborough Nov. 1.

Chicago will next play at home Saturday against Real Salt Lake, which upset defending champion Columbus. The winner will play in the MLS Cup Nov. 22 in Seattle. It is a game the Revolution have played in four times.

“I thought we had a good chance to go on,’’ Reis said. “With the fact that Columbus got knocked out and having a chance to host the Eastern Conference final at your home stadium, I thought there was a chance.’’

Chicago’s offense Saturday night was highlighted by goals by John Thorrington in the 35th minute and Cuauhtemoc Blanco in the 84th. Both came as a result of Chicago wresting control of loose balls in the Revolution zone. When Pat Phelan missed a close header in the waning moments, the Revolution’s season effectively had come to an end.

“I don’t think they outplayed us,’’ Reis said. “We definitely had our chances at times, but at the end it was a couple of mistakes that cost us.’’

A New England offense that produced a mere seven goals in the previous nine games entering Saturday struggled again, generating only four shots on Chicago keeper Jon Busch.

Edgaras Jankauskas had a golden chance to open the scoring when he slammed a header into the crossbar in the 22d minute. Defender Jay Heaps failed to control the rebound with an open net in front of him, and soon Chicago seemed to take the momentum.

The Revolution are 0-7 in playoff games at Chicago, being outscored, 17-2. After New England eliminated the Fire from the playoffs three straight times from 2005-07, Chicago has triumphed the last two years, and the overall playoff series is tied, 4-4.

That leaves the Revolution to look back on a 2009 campaign in which they lost 121 man-games to injuries, with mainstays Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston, and Chris Albright all sidelined for stretches.

“Expectations from everyone else weren’t very high,’’ Phelan said.

“Despite all our injuries, we still felt like we belonged in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we have the same bitter taste in our mouth that we did at the end of last season. We underachieved a bit.’’

Coach Steve Nicol conceded the injuries took a toll.

“It has been incredibly difficult,’’ he said. “When you go week to week not knowing who is going to be available, it is difficult to plan and organize. But at the same time, I guess we do take some solace that we got to the playoffs under the conditions we did. It says a lot about the character of the players.’’