A.C. Milan Tops Chicago Fire 1-0 in International Friendly

By Tessa Fegen

CHICAGO, IL - May 30, 2010 - A.C. Milan is the fourth European club to visit Chicago in May as they played the Fire in a friendly match at Toyota Park.

Fire Head Coach Carlos de los Cobos was excited about the opportunity to get to play against a team from “the best league in the world,” as he called Italy’s soccer league.

The stadium was stirring with energy and excitement as 20,356 fans from across the country came out to see some of the best players in the world. This was the first ever sell-out for an international game in Toyota Park history. Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, and Clarence Seedorf came to represent A.C. Milan and are three of the most skilled players in the game.

Ronaldinho received roaring cheers as his name was announced in the starting lineup, then got the standing ovation as he left the game in the 74th minute.

Everyone in Chicago wanted a moment with Ronaldinho, especially the fan who ran out onto the field during the 32nd minute of play to kiss his cleats. Of course, he was promptly chased down by security and escorted off the field in handcuffs, but he got his moment.

The Fire did not play as if they were intimidated, coming out very strong in the first half. They got the first two shots of the game. The first came from Justin Mapp in the second minute who forced a Fire corner kick. McBride collected the serve and got another quality shot off.

The Fire played consistent, utilizing the strengths they possess. Nyarko used his speed and even flicked a ball over Ronaldinho’s head, McBride got shots off, Poppa took several long shots, and Mapp dribbled through defenders. The Fire took 8 shots in the first half to A.C. Milan’s 6. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to capitalize on any of their opportunities. Neither was A.C. Milan, as the half ended scoreless.

A.C. Milan captain Clarence Seedorf got the only goal of the game in the first minutes of the second half as he dribbled behind two Fire defenders. Andrew Dykstra misread his touch and came out too far, allowing Seedorf to pass it into the back of the net.

The Fire got their most dangerous chance of the game in the 54th minute when Husidic played it out to Martinez on the right side who took a hard shot, which was then deflected by the keeper out of bounds.

Then, in the 65th minute, Mike Banner dribbled past A.C. Milan defenders and hit a shot just wide of the goal. Banner got one more attempt in the 81st minute as he shot wide of the goal again. Stoppage time got fans up on their feet as back-to-back corners nearly resulted in a Fire goal.

Carlos de los Cobos was happy with his team's performance. “It was a good match for us. We played a very big team with very big players and I am happy with our players' effort,” said de los Cobos.

“Once again, we had those clear chances to score and we missed. We will continue to look to improve and if we do the work, we will,” said de los Cobos.

The Fire head coach made a lot of substitutions throughout the match, allowing several players the opportunity to play against some of the world’s best. ‘The best way for the players to grow up and improve is to play in games like this against these kinds of guys,” said de los Cobos.

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