The Fire played uninspired for too long and Veljko Paunovic made confusing lineup decisions and far too late substitions in a game that was billed as the most important of the season. It was a failure on all fronts.
The Chicago Fire were outclassed from whistle to whistle Tuesday and fell 3-1 to the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. It is the fourth consecutive year the Fire have exited the tournament in the semifinal round.
There is no way around this one folks. This loss is going to have an impact.
Fans were rightfully upset after the lackluster performance, threatening to cancel season tickets, stop watching, stop purchasing merchandise etc.