The Chicago Fire stayed red hot and the Columbus Crew continued their slump in a key playoff battle and it was all because of Chris Rolfe. After Chicago fell behind 1-0, Rolfe scored a pair of goals to lead the Fire to a 2-1 win that has them comfortably in a playoff sport, while the Crew are on the outside looking in.
Chicago Fire Vs. Columbus Crew, 2012 MLS: Fire Come Back For Vital Win
It took just 15 minutes for Columbus to go in front thanks to one of Sean Johnson's all-too-common mistakes. This time he took a back pass and kicked it right to Jairo Arrieta, who was wearing a yellow shirt and not a red one. He was also just 12 yards in front of the goal so he had no problem beating Johnson for the opening tally.
That just started the Chris Rolfe Show, though. The veteran scored twice in three minutes to give Chicago the lead.
It started in the 23rd minute when Sherjill MacDonald played Rolfe in with a good pass. All alone in on Andy Gruenebaum, Rolfe made no mistake with a clinical finish that level the match at 1-1.
Rolfe showed off his expert finishing again three minutes later. He collected a pass from Patrick Nyarko before curling a shot just around Gruenebaum for a pretty goal and the Fire were a goal to the good.
Columbus had the bulk of the possession the rest of thee way, but they couldn’t do much with it. They rarely created chances and when they did, their attempts at goal left plenty to be desired.
In the end, Rolfe’s goals held up and earned the Fire their seventh win in eight matches. That run has propelled them to second in the East on 53 points, just two shy of leaders Kansas City with a match in hand. The Crew are one point out of a playoff spot and have played one more match than the fourth and fifth place teams in the conference.
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