Last minute draw vs. Fire

Phew! How 'bout "El Pescadito"! That was a really close game. The Fire had a 6-man defense going for most of the 2nd half with the lead at 1-0. We had some nice chances. But their defense kept us back until injury time when Carlos Ruiz slipped the ball past Fire GK Matt Pickens in the 93rd minute. Nicely done, Carlos!

Ruiz saves draw for FC Dallas
FC Dallas draws 1-1 with Fire on last-second goal
Posted: Friday September 21, 2007 12:30AM; Updated: Friday September 21, 2007 12:30AM

FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- Carlos Ruiz scored in the final seconds to help FC Dallas tie the Chicago Fire 1-1 on Thursday night.

Ruiz dribbled past two Fire defenders and chipped in a shot from about five yards away into an open Chicago net in the 93rd minute for his seventh goal of the season. Clarence Goodson assisted on the score.

Chicago's Chris Rolfe scored an unassisted goal in the 56th minute to give the Fire a 1-0 lead. Rolfe fired a right-footed volley into the right corner of the net from about 25 yards away for his first goal since May 12 and his fifth of the season.

The Fire (8-10-7) have not won a game in Dallas since July 4, 1999, a streak of 10 games.

Chicago goalie Matt Pickens had made two spectacular saves in the final 20 minutes of the game to prevent FC Dallas (12-9-4) from tying the game.

In the 88th minute Pickens made a diving save to his left side to deflect a shot by Ruiz and in the 78th minute he made a leaping save to punch away Goodson's header from the top of the goalies box.

Pickens finished the game with six saves, FC Dallas goalie Dario Sala finished the game with four saves.

Rolfe almost scored on a shot from the top of the arc in the 29th minute which grazed the fingertips of Sala and hit the top of the crossbar.

Rolfe's shot was one of only two shots for the Fire. In the first half, FC Dallas outshot Chicago 17-8.

The game was also the first time that Chicago forward and Mexican national team star Cuauhtemoc Blanco has played a game in Dallas since joining the MLS earlier this season.

Numerous fans in the announced crowd of 15,059 were sporting a yellow Club America jersey, Blanco's former team in the Mexican league. Blanco's only shot of the game came in the 72nd minute when his attempt from 12 yards out sailed high over the crossbar.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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