A late strike from Florent Sinama-Pongolle handed the Chicago Fire a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in their final match of the MLS season.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and should have taken the lead in the 10th minute when Omar Cummings was released down the left. The winger beat his man and then rifled an effort at goal from close range, but Sean Johnson somehow kept the shot out.
Cummings was not to be denied in the 18th minute when he latched on to Brad Davis's corner from the right and he glanced a header into the bottom corner to fire his side into the lead.
Johnson kept the Fire in the game when he made a diving save to palm AJ Cochran's header onto the post, and the keeper had enough awareness to gather the ball on the goalline.
In the second half, Chicago came out firing and Quincy Amarikwa almost drew them level as he shrugged off a challenge and raided into the box. His powerful strike hit a defender, and crept towards the top corner, but went inches wide of the post.
The Fire were handed the chance to equalise when Tyler Deric brought down Grant Ward in the box after the keeper came for the ball and missed, and was forced to foul the forward.
Jeff Larentowicz took the spot kick and buried his effort into the bottom corner, sending Deric the wrong way.
Both sides had chances to try to win the game late on, but neither looked like scoring again until Ward raided down the right and hit a pinpoint cross into the middle.
Sinama-Pongolle made a surging run to meet the ball and he powered a header past Deric to win the game for his side.
Simon Sinclair
