BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire's recent run of improved play resulted in keeping D.C. United on their back foot most of the game Friday night at Toyota Park.
However, a late surge from United resulted in a Bobby Boswell equalizer in a 2-2 contest, sending both teams home with a point and the Fire feeling a familiar sting as they allowed another late goal to prevent full points at home.
United put Chicago behind early thanks to a Rob Vincent goal on a rare indirect free kick inside the box, but Chicago answered back quickly, with goals from Razvan Cocis and David Accam just seven minutes apart. The Fire continued to press for a third goal, showing why they've become a tough team to play at home, but missed chances coupled with a breakdown under pressure in the late going allowed D.C. to steal a point away at the death.
"You have to do your best to understand what you can do better," head coach Veljko Paunovic said after the game. "Keep your faith like always, and have an honest approach, and want to get better and give your best in every single game."
"We've been in this situation a couple times this year, and that's where we still fail. We've actually had a couple games where we did well, but we have to be more consistent. It's a learning process. It's growing, and it's a process."
The Fire's lack of consistency has been their Achilles heel through much of the season. Despite their improved overall play over the last month, the lack of points to show the fruits of their work has been a blow.
"There's so much good within the game, so I think it's important to focus on that," Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson said. "If we can keep doing what we've been doing on both sides of the ball, I think we'll be fine. As a team we're getting more confident in that mindset, because that's the most important thing for us going forward."
Chicago controlled significant portions of Friday's match, finding opportunities to counter United as they pressed for an equalizer. That made the end result that much more difficult for Paunovic, but he remains optimistic about the direction the team is headed.
"It was hard to see that goal, because we had the win very close, but we'll keep our heads up and continue working and talk about how we can improve."
Jeff Krause is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com.
