Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson was keen to stress the positives after his side earned their third draw of the season on Saturday, a 2-2 tie at D.C. United that leaves the Fire without a win in four league games.
Goals from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Quincy Amarikwa left the Fire feeling unlucky to leave with just a point against a United side who are now without a victory in 15 games stretching back to last season.
Hurtado’s header opened the scoring in the 27th minute before strikes from Fabian Espindolaand Perry Kitchen looked like giving the hosts victory. But Amarikwa’s timely intervention eight minutes from time earned Frank Yallop’s men their second road point of the year.
Johnson, who is part of the U.S. national team squad that will face Mexico in a friendly in Phoenix, Ariz. on Wednesday, believes it is only a matter of time before he and his teammates turn things around and get their first three points of the season.
“I think we’ve done well and at the end of the day we’ve got to look at it [as], we got a point,” he said to reporters after the game. “We came in and I think we deserved three. We played well enough to get three, but it is just up to us to really push over that hump and turn the ties into wins.”
The Fire 'keeper recorded six key saves on the night, playing his part in an entertaining contest with both sides pushing for the win throughout an end-to-end tussle at rain-swept RFK Stadium.
And although he and his defense failed to keep a clean sheet for the fourth time this campaign, he believes they did well to stand up to the best that D.C. threw at them.
“I thought it [the team’s defensive effort] was good, to be fair,” he declared. “I thought it was just a bit unfortunate. The second goal there was a bit of pinball action around … I thought we had some similar situations where we had the ball in their box and things didn’t really fall our way, but that’s just the way it goes. That’s soccer for you.”
The Fire host their second home fixture of the season when the Philadelphia Union come to Toyota Park next Saturday (4 pm CT, My50 / TWCSC).
