The Chicago Fire won a match that they absolutely had to have when they defeated DC United by a score of 1-0 at Toyota Park. The victory means that a draw away in the second leg  at RFK Stadium would see Chicago through to the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Fire also continued their superb play against DC in head to head playoff matches.  Having played 6 times to date they have won 5 times and drawn once.  Manager Juan Carlos Osorio had his club extremely well prepared and they put together an almost perfect tactical plan to obtain the victory. Chris Rolfe played a huge part in helping the plan work by providing a vital goal before the 15 minute mark that allowed the home side to settle down and play with focus. 

DC United came into the match with two big absences as both Emilio and Jaime Moreno were still bothered by their respective ankle injuries. This was a huge blow for Tom Soehn’s side as Emilio was the Golden Boot winner in MLS this season with 20 goals while Jaime Moreno is the leading goal scorer of all time in the MLS. Soehn adjusted by placing his attacking midfielder, Christian Gomez, upfront in a striker role with Guy Kpene alongside. This setup did not work as United missed Gomez play making ability in midfield while Kpene was awful and was substituted by Emilio 12 minutes from time. 

The second half saw United pushing forward in large numbers but their finishing was just a bit. Meanwhile, Chicago had Calen Carr come on when Osorio switched to a counter attack style and he came very close to scoring. One thing is for certain, United are in for a fight when the two clubs meet for the second leg next week.

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