Oduro credits Fire teammates for scoring mark

Dominic Oduro’s 85th-minute goal did more than win Saturday’s game for the Chicago Fire, 3-2. It also marked a club milestone.

Oduro became the first Fire player to reach double digits in goals since Damani Ralph in 2004.

“I can’t take credit for that,” Oduro said after the game. “All my goals have been coming off of hard work from my teammates; they’ve made it possible for me to be where I am right now. I thank all of them and the fans for helping to make this happen for me.”

Oduro is tied for fifth in scoring in MLS, just 2 goals behind leaders Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls and the L.A. Galaxy’s Landon Donovan.

Patrick Nyarko got the primary assist on Oduro’s goal, with substitute Diego Chaves getting the secondary assist.

“I told Patrick if we have a breakaway and you don’t pass me the ball, I’m going to hit you,” Oduro said with a smile.

Oduro, who appropriately goes by @freakyfast on Twitter, finished the game in distress and needed help from the trainers when the final whistle blew.

“Oduro was cramping up,” Fire interim coach/technical director Frank Klopas said. “With players like him, they sprint so much during the game that I think they need more days to recover than guys that are in the midfield, with more of an anaerobic fitness. He ran so hard today. I told him to keep pushing, telling him it’s all in his mind.”

Another missing defender:For a third consecutive game the Fire will be without a starting defender when it hosts New England on Sunday afternoon.Central defender Cory Gibbs earned a one-game suspension with his red card in Saturday#146;s win against Chivas USA. That followed one-game yellow card accumulation suspensions to left back Gonzalo Segares and right back Dan Gargan.#147;I don#146;t want to express how I feel about it, but it was a hard tackle,#148; Gibbs said of the play Saturday. #147;Would I have given it a red, no. But it was definitely a yellow, but that#146;s the referee#146;s discretion. It was just unprofessional of me at the time, and I take all the responsibility for it.#148;Josip Mikulic could get the start in place of Gibbs if he#146;s healthy enough. He left Saturday#146;s game with a leg injury, giving way to Yamith Cuesta.The netminder:Goalkeeper Sean Johnson looks like he#146;s finishing his second professional season as well as he did his first.#147;He#146;s maturing and playing with a lot of confidence,#148; Klopas said. #147;He#146;s got a lot of upside and he#146;s getting better. That position is about living and playing. He played very well today and he#146;s played very well for me all season.#148;Though Johnson gave up 2 goals Saturday to Chivas USA while playing a man down, he also stopped the dangerous Juan Pablo Angel in 1-on-1 situations. He finished with 6 saves for the game. He has a goals-against average of 1.32 this season.#147;We know he has all the tools to be an unbelievable goalkeeper, but with his experience he#146;s making game-saving saves to keep us in games,#148; captain Logan Pause said. #147;When you are down a man sometimes things get a little ruffled. We gave up two goals right at the start of the second half and we needed him to make the difference and he absolutely did that today.#148;Remembering the Sting:Former Chicago Sting owner Lee Stern reports his 1981 team will be honored by the Chicago White Sox at Sunday#146;s home game. The Sting won the NASL title that year, playing at old Comiskey Park.Many players will be in attendance, with Paul Hahn and Ingo Peter flying in for Germany for the event.#147;It#146;s going to be a fun weekend,#148; Stern said.Ÿ Follow Orrin Schwarz on Twitter @orrinsoccer.