By Toby True / MLSnet.com Staff

CHICAGO - The Chicago Fire battered the Real Salt Lake defense for nearly an hour before the expansion club gave in, but the home side eventually found their way past D.J. Countess and recorded a solid 3-1 victory Sunday evening at Soldier Field.

Countess - with a little help from his posts - did his part in keeping the Fire at bay, but Thiago, Chris Rolfe and Andy Herron all hit home over the final 40 minutes to lead Chicago to victory. A stunning free kick from Jason Kreis had pulled RSL level at 1-1 before the Fire pulled away.

The Fire wasted little time in establishing their game plan of controlling possession and pushing the attack into the Real end. In the fifth minute midfielder Justin Mapp played a beautiful cross from the left side of the penalty area to a well-positioned Nate Jaqua, who connected on a solid header, but Countess was right there to make a fine save.

Jaqua, who was dangerous throughout the first half, nearly put the Fire on top in the 15th minute. Rolfe played a ball through the left side of the box that Jaqua was able to run under. He let loose with a well-struck left-footed shot across the face of the RSL goal, but an on-rushing Countess was just able to get the tips of his fingers to it. The ball deflected just enough to solidly strike the inside of the post and come right back out.

Countess was stellar again in the 27th minute. Rolfe took the ball deep into the right side of the RSL box, and out a rugby-like scrum, connected on a short pass with Fire captain Chris Armas, who found himself temporarily alone in front. Armas drove a quick touch directly on goal from six yards out, but Countess was again in perfect position and smothered the ball in his midsection.

Real's only real threat came in the 10th minute, as Real captain Kreis just missed the back post on a header off of a well-played corner kick. Other than that, the Fire's backline, headlined by central defender Jim Curtin, was more than up to the task of corralling the struggling Real offense.

The Fire turned up the heat in the second half, and even the outstanding play from Countess could not deny them. In the 53rd minute, Curtin sent Rolfe streaking down the right sideline, and as Rolfe approached the RSL box, he sent a hard, low ball across the width of the RSL goal.

Jaqua made a heads-up play in dummying the ball go through his legs to midfielder Thiago on the back post, and after receiving the ball, the quickfire Brazilian made one quick move from his left to his right foot, losing the nearest RSL defender, and blasted a high shot past the helpless Countess.

With Real ending an MLS-record 557-minute scoreless streak in their last match, a 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility to think the one-goal was more than offensively-challenged Real would be able to overcome.

But they impressively wasted little time in responding on a booming free kick from Kreis. Andy Williams was pulled down just beyond the restraining arc straight out from goal, and Kreis found a seam in the Fire wall and rocketed a high, rising shot towards the left corner of the Fire goal that simply overpowered 'keeper Zach Thornton.

Yet the Real goal seemed to invigorate the Fire, as they raised their level of play further and had numerous solid scoring chances throughout the remainder of the match. They broke the tie in the in the 69th minute, as Curtin delivered a long ball from his own half which Jaqua nodded on into the RSL box on a deftly-played header.

Rolfe made a neat move with his first touch, popping the ball over a quickly closing RSL defender Cameron Knowles, before stepping into a low drive into the far right corner of the goal to put the Fire back in front.

The Fire iced the game in the 88th minute. Herron was sent in alone on RSL 'keeper Countess by a through ball from defender Ivan Guerrero. The Costa Rican international Herron ran onto the ball, made two quick fakes to lose the RSL 'keeper and rolled the ball into the wide open net to seal the victory despite bitter recriminations from the Real defenders who felt Herron was offside.

With the win, the Fire strengthened their second-place position in the Eastern Conference behind the New England Revolution, and play host to D.C. United in a vital conference match on Wed., June 29 (7:30 p.m. CT). Real Salt Lake now will have some time off before their next clash on July 4 in Salt Lake against the MetroStars.

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