BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Thanks to a 73rd-minute wonder strike from D.C. United forward Conor Doyle, the Chicago Fire felt the wrath of a fourth consecutive defeat in MLS play Wednesday night.
Head coach Frank Yallop, addressing the media following a 1-0 loss at Toyota Park that saw his side remain at the foot of the Eastern Conference table, once again relayed a recurrent theme that’s plagued his side for the better part of 15 games.
“A little bit of quality in the final third wasn’t quite there, and then we got outdone by a terrific goal,” Yallop said. “That one hurt again. I thought we did enough to at least get a tie.
“We should be good enough to win games. We work hard on the training field, the guys are committed, it seems. I’ve been around a while, and I feel for the guys right now.”
Jeff Larentowicz, who’s captained the side through the highs and lows of a topsy-turvy regular season, knows a ninth loss may be a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s no reason to cave in with more than half a campaign to play.
“I don’t think it’s ever too late,” he said. “If you look at last year, the Revolution went to the final last year losing seven straight at one point. You have to find a way to keep the morale up.”
Despite having to cope without the injured Shaun Maloney and David Accam, and the suspended Matt Polster, the Men in Red maintained a commanding 62-percent possession over their counterparts.
What’s plagued Yallop’s group, however, hasn’t been the lack of effort. Following an offseason that featured wholesale changes from last year’s team, Yallop is bent on building cohesion throughout the remainder of the campaign, something that’s seen him garner success in previous coaching stints in MLS.
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“It’s just a matter of building a group that can win no matter what,” Yallop added. “That’s the hardest thing in sports: is getting the right chemistry and the right balance. I feel the group right now, maybe adding a few pieces to it, is going to be good.
“I’ll be under pressure if I don’t win. But I don’t give up, I keep going, and, usually in the end, I get the group going in the right direction, and I’m very determined to do that here.”
