Keeper’s blunder cost Chicago a goal.
Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson has taken the blame for D.C. United’s first goal in the US Open Cup semi final on Wednesday, MLSsoccer have reported.
When Luis Silva bumped Johnson in the 44th minute as both looked up at the ball, which had been popped up high in the air by a Bakary Soumare deflection, the keeper made an error.
“Looking back at it, I probably should have just punched through it, but I thought I got a good jump,” Johnson said. “There was a little bit of contact maybe, him, me and the ball. I should have just punched it away, I should have done better.”
Johnson’s error was compounded in the second half, when Chicago had a stroke of bad luck. Just over two minutes into the second half, Joel Lindpere lunged in as Nick DeLeon shot, sending Johnson the wrong way before the ball rolled into the bottom corner to put DC up 2-0.
“The deflection caught Sean going the other way,” defender Austin Berry told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s just unfortunate. Both goals were pretty unfortunate, pretty soft.”
Chicago pressed hard for a goal in the second half, making nine shots and coming close to scoring a few times. Coach Frank Klopas brought on two forwards, and Berry almost brought the Fire to within one with a deflected shot that was cleared off the line.
But D.C. held on and in the end, the gaffe and the deflection were enough to end the Fire’s run at a fifth US Open Cup title.
