BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Veljko Paunovic promised the Chicago Fire fans a winning end to their home schedule, and despite going a man down early in the second half, his side came up trumps with an impressive 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution.
Goals in either half from Michael de Leeuw and man-of-the-match David Accam spurred the Fire to a deserved victory. It was one that first-year coach Paunovic had hoped to give the fans to thank them for sticking by the team throughout a disappointing season.
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Paunovic was brought in as Frank Yallop’s replacement ahead of the 2016 season, and with his arrival came a renewed sense of hope, as well as a belief that he could return the Fire to playoff contention for the first time since 2012.
But despite the disappointment of missing out for the sixth time in seven years, the Serbian’s reign has presented glimmers of optimism. Paunovic said he was satisfied that he could at least finish this season with a rousing home win, and one which offered a glimpse at the promise a productive off-season could yield next term.
“For us it was a great game, and very important for us to win the game, so we can play our last game at home in front of our fans,” Paunovic said. “I know it was a hard season for everyone, but at least we could grant them this good win.”
Victories have come few and far between for the Fire, and they currently sit at the bottom of the standings. They'll alsop become the first team to finish bottom in consecutive years if they can’t leapfrog the Houston Dynamo with a victory at Toronto FC next Sunday.
"I think the character, the identity that we forged this year was there," Paunovic said, reflecting on the game. "I think at the end this was one of our best games, and I really appreciate the players’ effort they had throughout the whole season. Again, I also want to say thanks to our fans, who during the whole year [were] with us and supporting the team. We look forward to improve and get better for next season.”
Shane Murray is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com.
