A goal from rookie forward Calen Carr would be all the Chicago Fire would need to stay undefeated in preseason play, as the club registered its third shutout in four contests in defeating the Trinidad & Tobago Under-21 National Team 1-0 this afternoon at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.
The match was played in three 30-minute periods, and the first stanza was wide open but provided few chances for either side. The first clear chance of the match came 14 minutes in when Fire midfielder Brian Plotkin finished a short run with a low effort from 20 yards out that bounced a few feet wide of the right post. Trinidad & Tobago would settle in midway through the half and create some chances of their own, with a Kevin Crooks shot from 20 yards that sailed over the crossbar being the Soca Warriors' most dangerous opportunity of the opening half hour. Chicago nearly got on the board in the 29th minute when Fire midfielder Bushy Moletsane got clear to the right endline and sent a cross towards the penalty spot, but Carr's header off the trialist's pass was directed straight at Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Haseley Holder, who gathered easily to keep the match scoreless.
The Fire's offensive attack would be more assertive in the middle half hour, putting together rush after rush on the T & T goal. However, few of the chances would get put on frame, as midfielder Floyd Franks' 12-yard effort in the 34th minute and carbon-copy chances from Johnson and Carr in the 41st and 42nd minutes would all be pushed wide of the goal. The Soca Warriors nearly took the lead against the run of play in the 49th minute when Kevon Neaves crushed a 40-yard effort that had eyes for the goal, but Fire netminder David Mahoney was alert and did well to leap and get a hand to the ball, tipping it over the crossbar to keep the match scoreless. The second period featured the preseason debut of Fire defender Tony Sanneh, who put in 30 minutes as the center back on the Fire's three-man backline during his first action of the spring.
The Fire would get the eventual winning goal four minutes before the second intermission on a play that started with Johnson taking the ball on a 25-yard run across the middle of the field before finding Ashe on the right flank. Ashe, who entered the match in the previous minute in place of an injured Franks, did well on his first touch of the contest, sending a cross into the six-yard box. Carr would beat a defender to the ball and re-directed it with his right foot past Holder to put the Fire on top 1-0.
The third segment of the match would see the Fire hold the bulk of the possession against a tiring Trinidad & Tobago side. The Soca Warriors would have their chances, however, most notably in the 70th minute when forward Gorean Highley ran onto a long cross towards the back left post. Highley's shot was headed for the lower left corner of goal, but Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton dove low to his right to thwart the chance at the base of the goal to keep the clean sheet for Chicago. Fire forward Chad Barrett had two good chances to double the Fire advantage in the final 30 minutes, but his flashing header from nine yards out missed just left in the 69th minute while a low-angle effort from 10 yards out careened into the left side netting six minutes later. The match's final 15 minutes were uneventful, with the exception of Trinidad defender Makan Hislop picking up his second caution of the match after a studs up challenge on a 50-50 ball in the 80th minute, resulting in his expulsion from the contest.
Scoring Summary:
CHI - Calen Carr 1 (Jeremy Ashe 2, Will Johnson 1) 56
Fire Lineup (3-5-2): Matt Pickens (David Mahoney 31) (Zach Thornton 61); Idris Ughiovhe (C.J. Brown 31) (Ezra Prendergast 61), Jack Stewart (Tony Sanneh 31) (Jeff Curtin 61) (Jack Stewart 73), Jordan Russolillo (Gonzalo Segares 31) (Dasan Robinson 61); Bushy Moletsane (Andy Herron 61), Logan Pause (Richard Mupfudze 61), Scott Buete (Jared Montz 61), Brian Plotkin (Floyd Franks 31) (Jeremy Ashe 55), Ivan Guerrero (Leonard Griffin 46); Calen Carr (Chad Barrett 61), Andy Rosenband (Will Johnson 31).
Trinidad & Tobago U-21 Line-up (4-4-2):
Haseley Holder (Shean Warner 61); Karlon Murray (Colin Kirk 31) (Randi Patterson (61), Makan Hislop (Karlon Murray 80), Yohance Marshall, Aklie Edwards; Hayden Tinto (Abiola Sandy 31) (Hayden Tinto 61), Khaleem Highland (Kendall Jagdeosingh 31), Josimar Belgrave (Kezi Lara 31), Kevon Neaves; Randi Patterson (Shane Calderon 31), Kevin Crooks (Gorean Highley 31).
Discipline Summary:
CHI - C.J. Brown (caution) 57
TRI - Makan Hislop (caution) 73
TRI - Makan Hislop (ejection, second caution) 80