Your place for pre- and post- game discussion. Also, remember if you have any questions for the players or coaches, post here before halftime and I will do what I can.

Venue:
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

Weather:
Clear and 58 degrees

Referees:
Head Ref: Alex Prus
Asst Ref: Fabiot Tovar
Asst Ref: Sean Hurd
4th Official: Terry Vaughn

Actual Lineups:

New England Revolution (Won last leg 2-1)
GK Matt Reis
RB Jay Heaps
CB Emmanuel Osei
CB Darrius Barnes
LB Kevin Alston
RM Kenny Mansally
CM Jeff Larentowicz
CM Shalrie Joseph – Captain
LM Sainey Nyassi
RS Kheli Dube
LS Edgaras Jankauskas

Subs
GK Brad Knighton
DF Amaechi Igwe
DF Chris Tierney
DF Pat Phelan
MF Wells Thompson
MF Mauricio Castro
MF Nico Colaluca

Chicago Fire (Lost last leg 1-2)
GK Jon Busch
RB Brandon Prideaux
CB Dasan Robinson
CB C.J. Brown -Captain
LB Daniel Woolard
RM Chris Rolfe
CM Logan Pause
CM John Thorrington
LM Marco Pappa
RS Brian McBride
LS Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Subs
GK Andrew Dykstra
DF Gonzalo Segares
MF Baggio Husidic
MF Mike Banner
MF Justin Mapp
FW Patrick Nyarko
FW Calen Carr

PRE-GAME:
-Dilly Duka has been signed by MLS according to Steve Goff and is adamant about playing for the Red Bulls.
-Section 8 chanting and waving flags. Great job! Love the atmosphere.

IN-GAME:
1min: Possession back and forth and no final connection.
3min: Blanco with a cheeky backheel. Nice to see him in form.
5min: Nyassi taken down on the right trying to use his pace up the right. Free kick from the right scooped up by Busch.
6min: Nyassi again terrorizing the right side. Not a good sign for the Fire.
8min: Mansally and Jankauskas now moving up the left. Revs win a croner from the left that skips by everyone.
10min: Nice moves by Fire around the goal. Resulting in Blanco trapping a ball and sending it across to Rolfe on the left, but rookie Alston takes care of it. Thorrington looking a little lost so far tonight.
11min: Section 8 with flares lighting it up. Blanco makes a nice run up the left and lays it off to Thorrington behind him. Shot wide left. Thorrington needs to get into the game.
13min: In case you missed it, Osei with a a semi-failed bicycle clearance in the early minutes. Very amusing.
14min: Rolfe and Pappa moving the ball around well and hustling in the attacking third. Can’t get last pass to go.
16min: Bride wins a long ball from Busch with his head sending it to theright for Blanco to win and give to Pappa, who loses his man with some nice footwork sending the ball across the goal mouth from the right, just missing a teammmate running across. Pappa looking good tonight.
18min: Blanco goes down, holding his face at the top of the box on the right. Mansally with a YELLOW card. Joseph is pissed. Kind of yelled at the ref. Getting chippy. Blanco takes the free kick from the right and it curls straight to Reis.
21min: Nyassi running onto a ball and Busch has to kick save before he gets to it barely. Dangerous moments as Busch is tested again. Nearly a goal for the Revs. Section 8 with some great chanting going.
24min: Nice. Pause in the middle sends a low pass to Blanco parked on the right. Blanco sends a beautiful ball to McBride’s head but it goes right to Reis. Nice power on it though.
26min: Again, Blanco with a ball from the right floated over and deflected to McBride, who sends it back across low for Rolfe. Getting close to first goal.
29min: Blanco calling for ball takes it and with a bit of passing to Pappa gets it back on the right and sends it across the goal mouth but Revs compact in goal.
31min: Wow. Breakaway Fire runing up the middle and McBride gets it on the right and send it behind all his teammates. Pappa to McBride and they win a corner. Nice makeup for that early flub. Revs very tight defensively.
33min: Blanco up the right with a nice flick of the ball forward and Pappa beats his man and wins a corner. No result though as Revs defending well.
35min: GOAL FIRE — Beautiful hold up by Blanco, who then falls, and Pappa continues to abuse the right side and send the ball across the goal mouth to Thorrington who slots it into the left corner. He is warming up, no pun intended.
36min: Jankauskas gets a YELLOW for taking down Blanco and then Blacno up the right gets it to (you guessed it) Pappa for a shot that Reis has to dive to his right to punch away for a corner.
38min: Blanco defending and clearing and then running the attack for the Fire again. He is on Fire. Sorry had to say it. Trying to imagine what this team will be like without him for most of next season at least. He really does at creativity to the attack.
41min: Mansally very active for the Revs. Blanco on the right again sends the ball and Rolfe nearly gets to a header in the goal, but Reis is just a step ahead. Again, Blanco on the right and after some rather odd movement around the box Reis wins the ball from the attacking Fire with a lunging ballet-like grab.
43min: Revs on the other end, but can’t convert and Blanco on a breakaway up the left that the Revs quickly try to snuff.

1 minute of stoppage time!

Brown fouls Jankauskas for Revs free kick, which is over the bar.

HALFTIME
Shots: Revs 7, Fire 8
Shots on Goal: Revs 1, Fire 5
Saves: Revs 4, Fire 1
Fouls: Revs 8, Fire 4
Corners: Revs 2, Fire 3
Offsides: Revs 2, Fire 0

Castro in, Mansally out.

46min: McBride on the end of a header that Reis gobbles up. Fire already coming out swinging.
48min: Nyassi tearing up the right side using an extra boost of speed on the right, sends a ball across the goal line and nearly a very dangerous moment for the Fire.
51min: McBride collides with Reis and stays down and limping. Not good for the Fire.
54min: Fire get off a shot but it is high and wide.
55min: Blanco on the right with a nice little through pass to Pappa who moves to the top of the goal and Thorrington runs on and whiffs it over the goal.
56min: Nyarko in, McBride out. Not a good thing to have McBride injured.
58min: Robinson with a powerful roundhouse kick out of the goal box of an incoming Rev free kick.
60min: Rolfe on the left with a nice long ball to the right for Blanco, who sends it back across and into the six yard box. Very close to a goal. Followed by more Fire attacking. Really pouring on the pressure. Can the Revs keep absorbing this much pressure?
63min: Alston sends a nice ball up the right to Nyassi, who shanks it wide for a goal kick.
65min: Fire losing momentum and now Jankauskas really posting up as target forward, not many Revs hanging back. Alston with a hard tackle and Fire get lucky to interrupt the Revs momentum in the attack.
68min: Pappa with a long shot from the left, followed by Nyarko with a run into the box from the left. Hard tackle from Alston, but the foul is on Nyarko.
69min: Castro off to get blood off shirt. Rolfe with a nice run to win a free kick. As it stands, we will be in two 15 minute overtimes and then penalty kicks unless someone scores another goal. Fire nearly get one as they pour on the attack.
75min: Blanco and Pappa putting on a short pass keepaway clinic on the right side. Fire on the move again but a ball a little too far for Blanco to run onto. Castro needing stitches.
77min: Awesome Ref Prus chest bumps Osei out of the way.
79min: Thorrington down as he gets run over on the left. Still down and no call or stop of play for some time.
80min: Nyarko makes something out of nothing as he rips the ball of a defender in the right corner and then slips it to Blanco, who turns on a dime and sends a shot that hits the cross bar. Wow!
82min: Rolfe with a nice slip to Nyarko up the left sideline and Thorrignton whiffs a shot at goal. Another attack by the Fire causes Reis to drop the ball it.
84min: GOAL FIRE — Nyarko pushes a defender over and again from the right runs up the goal line. He lays it off to Blanco after a turn and Blanco sends it over Reis and into the net. THE PLACE ERUPTS IN CHEERS
86min: YELLOW card Larentowicz while fouling Thorrington after the Fire somehow stop a crazy scramble in their goal and start a counter.
87min: Blanco refuses to be subbed out, so Carr comes in for Pappa.
89min: Wow. Blanco on a breakaway almost. Tonight is his night.
90min: Larentowicz nearly heads in a goal, but it goes wide right. Scary moment for the Fire.

5 mins of stoppage time!

Busch smothers a ball that is almost surely a goal otherwise with so many Revs in the box. Blanco sends a ball through and the Fire can’t stop attacking. Last Revs gasp is gobbled by Busch.

END OF GAME: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 0 CHICAGO FIRE 2

FIRE ADVANCE TO EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL!