Blanco, Osorio see good things ahead

Chicago Fire wrapup

As everyone knows, a glass filled to the 50 percent level can be equally dubbed half-full or half-empty.

Which way you see it often is seen as a sign of optimism or pessimism, of course, whether you recognize the possibilities in filling the glass or only see the problems within the emptiness.

Perhaps that's the best way to describe the Chicago Fire's 2007 season.

On the upside, the Fire recovered from a disastrous start, brought in a new coach and one superstar international player and qualified for the MLS playoffs with a 10-10-10 regular season record.

Yet the season ended at the same point it did in 2006, an Eastern Conference championship loss at New England that left some doubts.

Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio sees positives and negatives.

"If I am objective, I coached 18 games and we won 7, tied 7 and lost 4 -- and that was good enough to make the playoffs, which was our midterm goal," Osorio said. "And we were in the final of the conference, so we can say in general that we accomplished something that a lot of people had doubts about."

Taylor Twellman's first-half bicycle kick goal was enough to see the Revolution through today's MLS Cup title game against Houston at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. (11 a.m., ABC.)

"If you ask me, I'm disappointed," Osorio said. "With what we have in the squad, I felt we could have gone a little farther than we have. We played against New England. We limited a team that put an average of 15 crosses in and only gave up 2 crosses and still conceded a goal."

Osorio arrived in Chicago in July and watched his new team lose 4-0 to Houston in his first match in charge. Things improved swiftly, and the Fire had a 10-match undefeated run until the season-ending loss to New England. From the July 19 All-Star Game, the Fire garnered the third-most points of any team in the league.

"That showed the strength of character of this team," Osorio said. "We gave up 4 goals to Houston and 3 to Kansas City but we did not give up more than 2 goals in any other game. We were disciplined and well-organized."

Osorio instituted a 3-4-1-2 formation, and the "1" in that formation was attacking midfielder/deep-lying forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco. A player with exceptional ball control and passing skills who has been a fixture on the Mexican national team, Blanco energized the Fire's attacking play immediately.

Reached just before he headed back to Mexico for the offseason, Blanco said he also sees the good and bad of the recently completed season, in almost the same way Osorio does.

"I feel good about how the season went and how I was able to unite with my teammates," Blanco said. "I come away with a little discontent because of the way the season ended. In soccer, there is always a chance for redemption."

Even with Blanco in attack, the Fire still struggled to score goals. Chris Rolfe, Chad Barrett, Paulo Wanchope and even Blanco were all tried in the forward pairing as Osorio searched for the right options. Barrett led the team with 7 goals and Rolfe added 6. The team's 31 regular season goals were the least in team history.

"Coming into next season, obviously we have to strengthen in some departments and attacking will be one of those departments," Osorio said. "I'm sure the club will find the right players."

Wanchope arrived in midseason and struggled to make an impact. Another midseason arrival, midfielder Wilman Conde, had much more success, eventually working into a central midfield partnership with defensive midfielder Chris Armas.

Armas retired at the end of the season, ending a career that stretched both to the origins of MLS in 1996 and the Fire's initial contest in 1998.

"It's a big loss," Osorio said. "(Armas) is a very good player and a leader on and off the pitch. I can only praise his professional career."

Osorio said defender Diego Gutierrez or Conde could move into Armas' role, as could Bakary Soumare or Logan Pause.

Chicago's fans have noticed, too. Crowds began to pour into Toyota Park both after Blanco arrived and as the unbeaten streak took hold. The Fire had seven sellout crowds at 20,000-capacity Toyota Park in 15 regular season home matches.

Osorio is already scouting for potential talent. He said he would attend the Big East Conference tournament this weekend while his assistants are at other sites.

Blanco is back in Mexico, but he said he already has plans for the end of the next Fire season.

"I hope to bring the fans a championship in 2008," he said. "I thank them for all the support. I want to come back and work hard and for us to leave the field as champions in 2008."