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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire Eliminated by Milwaukee Rampage

July 17, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Franklin, WI (Wednesday, July 17, 2002) - The Chicago Fire was eliminated in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by the A-League's Milwaukee Rampage 1-0 tonight in front of 5,323 fans at the Rampage Sports Complex in Franklin, WI. Rampage midfielder Ranko Golijanin scored the game's lone goal in the 54th minute. Milwaukee will now face the Kansas City Wizards on August 7 in the quarterfinals.

"You feel like we ask so much of so many guys that on a given night you have to change it around," said Fire Head Coach Bob Bradley. "You have to put some responsibility on some of the other guys. Maybe that's a factor. Certainly it enters my mind. Milwaukee plays hard. Anytime you play these games you know you are going to have guys that are going to give everything they have. I felt that we didn't do a good enough job in terms of making it hard for them with the way we moved the ball around. It was too easy for them to know where the ball was going. It was too easy for guys to be on top of Josh and DaMarcus. We were able to create some things, but not enough for the full 90 minutes."

In the 54th minute, Rampage and former Fire forward John Wolyniec sent a long ball from the right side of the midfield to Golijanin, who got behind the Fire defense. The Yugoslavian midfielder dribbled in along on Fire goalkeeper Henry Ring drawing him out of his net. As Ring went down in an attempt to stop the charging midfielder, Golijanin flipped a shot over him and into the back of the net to put the Rampage up 1-0.

"I think in some ways we dominated," said Fire defender C.J. Brown. "They had a few chances and were very effective. They got their one chance and finished it. We had chances, but we just didn't finish them."

Early in the game, U.S. World Cup star and Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley rang the crossbar with an 18-yard left footed shot. Fire midfielder Billy Walsh won the ball from Rampage defender Jeff Bilyk along the right wing. He dished off to Billy Sleeth, who quickly found Beasley at the top of the box. The Ft. Wayne, IN native chipped a left-footed shot over Popik's head that slammed into the crossbar and ricocheting over the net.

Ring had a stellar performance, as the South Carolina product made six saves in the contest including a two shot flurry just before the halftime whistle. Golijanin stole the ball from Brown and dribbled to the top of the box rifling a shot that Ring blocked with his chest. Rampage leading scorer Vitalis "Digital" Takawira pounced on the rebound trying to squeeze a shot into the near corner, but Ring extended his body and blocked it. The rebound fell between the two, but Ring was able to cover it up before the former Kansas City Wizards forward could get to it.

Bradley inserted versatile defender/midfielder David Vaudreuil and midfielder Jesse Marsch, in the 72nd minute. Immediately after being inserted, Vaudreuil raced up the right wing with the ball and sent a centering pass to forward Josh Wolff. He one-timed a solid shot that Milwaukee goalkeeper Dan Popik dove and punched over the crossbar.

In the 81st minute, the Fire's Jason Moore sent a corner kick to Vaudreuil just inside the right side of the box. He turned and crossed a pass in front of the net to all-star midfielder Dema Kovalenko, but his diving header rose just over the right corner of the net.

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