A Vast Left-wing Conspiracy

Suddenly, the Chicago Fire found the keys to their offense. Eight goals in the last two games tripled the team's output for the season in the space of 180 minutes. So, what happened? This explosion found it's roots in a confluence of factors that all hit at the same time, and while some of that comes from some fortunate bounces, there have been times in the Fire's past where that luck hasn't translated to the scoreline. Here's a quick rundown of what changed in the last two weeks.

At home on the left. Over the course of the first five matches, U.S. Nat standout DaMarcus Beasley played mostly in a wide swath of grass behind whoever was playing striker, and sometimes as a second forward. While the results of that experiment weren't bad, they weren't terribly good, either. Now, Beasley is playing out left in his "natural" position, and has responded with some of his most inspired play of the season, including consecutive goal-of-the-week candidates.

The kids have got game. Not that anyone was really doubting them, but rookies Logan Pause and Damani Ralph, along with second-year man (but still younger than both) Justin Mapp have done exceptionally well since coach Dave Sarachan inserted them into the lineup. Granted, that was done mostly because of excused absences to normal starters, but Sarachan knew he'd be missing key people this year at some point, so the fact that they were ready to step up speaks volumes about how well the coach has them prepared. It also goes a long way to validate something I said after the draft, and that was that it was significant that all of the Fire's draft picks were over age 20, the theory being that they wouldn't need the long development time we've seen with, say, 2002 draftee Craig Capano.

Fitter, happier, more productive. I think the addition of a conditioning coach is one of those things that is making a much bigger difference than anyone realizes. Getting young, hungrier legs on the field has helped as well, as evidenced by Pause's sprint to catch Landon Donovan last week. When you consider that Williams and Faria, who had been starting prior to this run, both were late to join the team in training camp (Williams because he was a late signing, Faria because he was taking care of his father, who just recently passed away, in Brazil), the increase in overall fitness of the starting eleven is even more noticeable.

The center must hold. And then some. When Andy Williams left the starting eleven to go play with Jamaica, the Fire switched from an offense centered on one central attacking mid, or sometimes two, to a 4-4-2 alignment. Without that more dedicated offensive presence in Williams, we've seen holding midfielders Chris Armas and Logan Pause push up a little more, as they've got more cover from the extra body in defense. This almost got Pause an early goal in the Colorado game, and it also forces opposing midfields to deal with the pair, which, in turn, helps free up Beasley and Mapp on the wings.

Dire straits. No, they're not getting their money for nothing, and their chicks for free. But the team is getting opponents who are on the ropes. Colorado has looked terrible so far, to the point where the list of injured Earthquake players the following week probably could have beaten them. On the one hand, that makes them games the Fire should have won, certainly, but to net four goals in each game shows the kind of killer instinct you expect from a champion.

Lucky AND good. Sure, the Earthquakes game could have gone differently. Manny Lagos' early goal could have stood up. Carlos Bocanegra could have been called for either an indirect or a penalty kick for his play on Lagos after San Jose got one back. Evan Whitfield could have been called offside on the play that led to the Fire's third goal. But how many times in the past have Fire fans bemoaned how we got a lucky break, but weren't able to convert it into a goal, or a win? Luck is one thing. What you do with it is another.

With another match against a struggling opponent in still-winless DC United, the Fire should be able to continue their current surge, even without Carlos Bocanegra and Chris Armas, who were not released from the National Team camp for the match. Then, with Beasley joining those two, the real test will come for Sarachan, as he will have to juggle lineups a bit more in their absence, but two of those games come against an equally shorthanded Metro squad. To help shore up the gap, former captain Peter Nowak seems to have been running up his phone bills to Europe, as the Fire have been linked to several Eastern European players in the last week or two who might be able to give the team an extra lift midway through the season, including Derby County midfielder Georgi Kinkladze.