The recurring nightmare haunted Chicago Fire FC again Saturday night at Soldier Field. The New York Red Bulls rallied to level late, 1-1, on a headed goal by Cory Burke one minute from full-time.
The late equalizer for the visitors came off a late corner kick, just like Atlanta United's second-half stoppage time winner a week ago and FC Cincinnati's late tying goal during a 3-3 draw in Matchday 4.
“It's the same thing that has happened three times now," Fire FC head coach Ezra Hendrickson said postgame. "Late in the game, corner kick and we decide we're not going to mark our man. On corners, each man has a responsibility, each man has a player that they're supposed to be marking. They know it. It's not like we don't know it.”
Hendrickson’s frustration level only increased Saturday after two dropped points at home against an Eastern Conference foe.
“But I have to take responsibility because at the end of the day I'm the head coach and it's my team and we're letting these points slip away like that,” he said. "Obviously I'm not out there marking, but I have to get guys on the pitch who are going to step up in these precious situations and just not get beat. Just not get beat. We are at home, a minute or two or so to go. They get a corner and we lose our mark. Once again. It's just ridiculous and it has to stop.”
Chicago are 11th in the Eastern Conference table with 11 points from their first nine matches. Take those late-match corner kick defending faux pas out, and Fire FC could be fourth in the table.
"It’s the same thing happening over and over again,” Hendrickson said. "We're just going to have to spend maybe a whole training session just training to defend corner kicks because we're just horrible at it.”
On Saturday, Kei Kamara put Chicago in front with his fourth goal of the season and 143rd of his MLS career. That 34th-minute tally held up until Burke latched onto John Tolkin’s corner and headed his first Red Bulls goal into an empty net as Fire FC goalkeeper Chris Brady came off his line to challenge.
The leveler, which came in the 89th minute, immediately raised Hendrickson’s blood pressure.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to just that corner kick. We man up, we mark our man, we clear that ball and we win the game,” Hendrickson said. "And it's not the first time. It's three times now. Twice at home. Late in the game on corner kicks we lose our man and we get beat. Last week we fought back to get back into that game in Atlanta, maybe 30 seconds to go.
“We lose our man and we get beat. It has to stop and we are just gonna have to train harder and harder at defending set pieces, defending corner kicks in particular because this cannot keep happening. It’s early in the season, yes, but these points are crucial points.”
