Going into Saturday’s game at the Rose Bowl against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Fire had allowed the fewest goals in Major League Soccer with 12.
And while it would seem that defense has been their most consistent area of play, Fire coach Bob Bradley doesn’t like to focus on just one aspect.
“When you’re trying to become a good team, you’re trying to be solid in all phases of the game,” Bradley said. “If you can’t move forward and create chances, you can’t defend. That’s an area where we feel pretty good.”
The first time these two teams met, May 20 at Soldier Field, the Fire handed the Galaxy their first loss of the season. The 3-1 victory also snapped a five-game Fire losing streak and was probably its finest all-around performance this season.
The Fire followed up the Galaxy performance with a 5-0 rout of Colorado. The shutout was the third for goalkeeper Zach Thornton, tops in MLS. Thornton also leads MLS with a 1.21 goals-against average.
Of the 12 goals allowed by the Fire, eight came in two games, a 5-4 loss in Colorado followed by a 3-1 defeat at home to D.C. United.
“As a team, we have played pretty consistently this season,” Bradley said. “We feel we have gone on the field and had an idea of what it takes to compete.”
Bradley said he and his coaching staff have stuck to the same philosophy whether the Fire are winning or losing.
“When we lost the five games in a row, we didn’t have a new message every day,” he said. “We try hard to be consistent about what it takes to be a good team.”
The Fire are tied for second in the Western Conference and in solid contention for a playoff spot.
