The bad news for the Indiana Blast is they lost Tuesday for the fourth straight time.
The good news is the Blast's latest defeat did not count in the A-League standings. Indiana fell 2-0 to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer in a friendly before nearly 3,000 fans at Kuntz Stadium.
Even better news, according to Blast coach Eric Descombes, is his team played much better than in recent games. In each of its last two home outings, Indiana allowed four goals.
"The difference today was that we were disciplined," Descombes said. "When we are disciplined, we are a very dangerous team."
Had three breaks gone their way, it may have been a much different result for the Blast.
About a minute after Ante Razov gave the Fire a 1-0 lead, Indiana's Jeff Dreser found himself alone in front of the net and kicked it in the open net. However, the Blast were called offside and the goal was disallowed.
"If we get the little break and the referee doesn't go a little with the MLS side,I think we could have come out on top of this game," Descombes said. "I thought it was a goal and I don't see how it was called off."
The Blast had two other near-misses. Myron Vaughn was robbed in the 34th minute by midfielder Kelly Gray, who made a sliding stop near the goal. Early in the second half, a 20-yard rocket by midfielder James Prosser hit the left post.
"We had a lot of chances, a lot more chances than (Chicago) did," Descombes said. "We really took it to them."
Starter Josh Lynk and Mark Spears split goalkeeping duties for Indiana and Descombes experimented late in the match by putting Lynk in as a forward. The coach said Lynk often has practiced as an attacker.
Fire leading scorer Razov's goal came in the 21st minute, on a cross from Jason Moore.
Substitute Billy Sleeth got Chicago's other tally, beating Spears on a through ball in the 68th minute.
The Fire came to Indy with a very depleted lineup. Indiana native DaMarcus Beasley and Josh Wolff are at the World Cup with the U.S. national team and at least a half-dozen others are on the injured list.
Another key Chicago player was felled Tuesday, as second-leading scorer Peter Nowak injured a knee and will be out several weeks, according to the team.
The Blast (3-8, 14 points) host Minnesota Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
Lineups
Chicago -- Ring, Brown, Bocanegra, Curtin, Gray, Razov (Saavedra, 46th), Nowak (Capano, 10th), Marsch, Korol, Moore (Sleeth, 46th), Walsh.
Indiana -- Lynk (Spears, 46th), Rue (Ihekoronye, 35th), Dresser, Ottesen, Tenoff, Sweet, Costa (Pratt, 74th), Prosser, Allen, Less, Vaughn (Lynk, 82nd).
Scoring
C -- Razov (Moore, 21st).
C -- Sleeth (Marsch, 68th).
Caution -- Sweet (I, 50th).
Shots on goal -- C 8, I 6.
Saves -- Ring (C) 4; Lynk (I) 3, Spears (I) 2.
Corners -- C 6, I 2.
Fouls -- C 7, I 11.
