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Chicago Fire’s midweek training: 3 takeaways from Week 1

By John Carollo III

CARSON, CA - MARCH 2: C.J. Sapong #9 of Chicago Fire celebrates his goal during the Los Angeles Galaxy's MLS match against Chicago Fire at the Dignity Health Sports Park on March 2, 2019 in Carson, California. Los Angeles Galaxy won the match 2-1 (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - MARCH 2: C.J. Sapong #9 of Chicago Fire celebrates his goal during the Los Angeles Galaxy's MLS match against Chicago Fire at the Dignity Health Sports Park on March 2, 2019 in Carson, California. Los Angeles Galaxy won the match 2-1 (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Uriel Antuna #18 of Los Angeles Galaxy handles the ball defended by Jorge Luis Corrales #25 of Chicago Fire at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 02, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
CARSON, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Uriel Antuna #18 of Los Angeles Galaxy handles the ball defended by Jorge Luis Corrales #25 of Chicago Fire at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 02, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

2. Jorge Corrales has a stinker

If you’ve been following my twitter reaction to this last game, you will have seen one name plastered all over: Jorge Corrales.

Now, it is absolutely unfair to place all the blame for a game onto one person. It is also unfair for the player to suffer that much unfortunate luck in one match. But, although Twitter is a place for an instantaneous, emotional response that can often lack clarity and accuracy, I think, after reviewing the footage, I stand by my analysis of those plays in a much calmer manner.

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Early on in the game, there was a small moment that meant nothing to most viewers. An LA winger put in a cross to pretty much no one. It was too hard for an attacker to run onto. But Corrales insisted on playing the ball, even though there was no one near him. He gets his head on the ball and puts it out of play. Instead of a goal kick, it is now a corner kick. He gets a scolding from goalkeeper David Ousted. Flash forward to the second half and, once again, a cross comes in with no LA attacker near the end of it. Corrales decides to play the ball instead of letting it out for a goal kick. This time, the Fire get punished on the play and let in a goal on the ensuing corner.

The second goal came from a throw-in. Only 10 minutes earlier, Corrales didn’t mark Zlatan Ibrahimovic properly from a throw-in — Zlatan would’ve scored if not for the absolutely magical save from Ousted. On this occasion, someone on the other side makes the same mistake and Zlatan is open for a rebound off the post. When looking at different angles of the play, there’s an argument to be made that the ball was still going into the net, but I believe that, given the night he was having and the movement of the ball, Ousted saved this shot. The ball only went into the net after a poorly positioned defender got a leg to it and deflected it into the goal. That defender: Jorge Corrales.

As I said, it’s unfair to blame the entire defeat on him. Aleksandar Katai was unable to square up against Efrain Alvarez on the corner kick and it was Nico Hasler who was caught sleeping on Zlatan. But at the same time, if you remove Corrales from the equation, I don’t think that either of those goals would’ve happened. That’s not a good thought to have about a defender.

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