There were countless flashes at Toyota Park on Thursday night for the most anticipated game of the year. The Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham were in town to face the Chicago Fire and Cuauhtémoc Blanco. The struggling Fire beat out The Galaxy, who are fighting for their play-off lives, 3-1.

The Fire scored early in the 13th minute from Chris Rolfe, but the Galaxy continued to fight and got an equalizer from newly signed Eddie Lewis in the 35th minute. Landon Donovan was absent for most of the night, but he helped with an assist on their lone goal of the match. The biggest cheer came in the 57th minute after Cuauhtémoc Blanco put the Fire ahead with an unassisted goal.

Although the Fire faltered late in the first half, they came out strong in the second. Only two minutes after Blanco’s goal, Chris Rolfe found the net for the second time of the night, putting the Galaxy away for good. David Beckham didn’t show much on the field, and the Fire defense shut him down for most of the night. Beckham drew many cheers from the crowd during starting line-up introductions, but he was booed plenty during the game.

The Fire have not gotten the results that they need, but their playoff chances are secure for now. Barring a complete collapse like the White Sox, the Fire will be one of the eight teams in the chase for the MLS Cup. Their play as of late has been cause for concern, but the win tonight leaves fans content for at least another week. If Chris Rolfe keeps playing the way he did tonight, assisted by the combined skills of Blanco and McBride, this team will return to being MLS Cup favorites.

Despite the appearance that the team had lost confidence in themselves, Fire coach Denis Hamlett assured fans that they hadn’t. This win should increase their confidence level even further and perhaps even lead them to an MLS Cup title.

 

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