BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Perhaps the Chicago Fire care about the U.S. Open Cup too much.
A pair of goals by reserve Mike Banner, one early and one late, helped the Fire defeat the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division 4-1 Tuesday at Toyota Park to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The Fire will play D.C. United next Tuesday.
The Fire have won the Open Cup four times in their 10 previous seasons of existence, a level of success in the tournament unmatched and unchallenged by any other MLS team. But the Fire's last seven goals this season have been scored in Open Cup play.
In MLS play, the Fire have gone 333 minutes without a goal heading into Saturday's game at Columbus. Fire coach Denis Hamlett, who used a lineup of almost all reserves Tuesday, said the scoring could be read as a challenge to the starters.
"It sends a message to our veteran guys that these guys can play," Hamlett said.
Said Banner: "Considering our losing streak, tonight was a big game for everybody,"
The Fire had the run of play in the game against the Stars, who are in their second year of existence and currently stand in second place in the USL Second Division.
Banner, a reserve midfielder, scored the game's first goal in the 13th minute, getting the ball near the upper left corner of the penalty area from a cross by Calen Carr. He thought about one-timing a shot but slipped, then dribbled once before putting the ball top shelf past Cleveland goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap.
"I wanted it to land on my left foot, which is my strong foot, but it doesn't always happen that way," Banner said. "The defender forced me inside and I hit it and it went in."
In the 23rd minute, Carr himself dribbled the ball in from the right side along the top of the penalty box, then sent a left foot shot into the near corner under Gilstrap.
In the 26th minute, Chris Rolfe, who played as a reserve in the Fire's scoreless draw with San Jose Saturday, was tripped by Cleveland's Kiel McClung 12 yards out. Chad Barrett, the Fire's leading scorer this season, put the penalty kick away hard and high for a 3-0 Fire lead.
The City Stars got on the board in the 61st minute on a hard 20-yard shot by Kiel McClung that zipped past Fire reserve goalkeeper Nick Noble. The Fire got that goal back in the 73rd minute when Banner got his second goal of the game, firing a shot up and over Gilstrap's head into the upper left corner of the net.
"We knew the fourth goal would put the nail in the coffin," Banner said. "Peter (Lowry) played me a great ball and I was able to get it on my left foot and put it away."
"Our mindset was right tonight," Hamlett said. "We took the game right at them."
Unlike in the play-in game against the Columbus Crew of MLS when he used many regular starters, Fire coach Denis Hamlett used mostly reserves against the City Stars. He used Noble, defenders Austin Washington, Brian Plotkin, Daniel Woolard and Lider Marmol, and midfielders Banner, Stephen King, Lowry and Carr.
Marmol was making his first appearance for the Fire after suffering a knee injury earlier this month. Marmol was a part of a controversial tug-of-war with the New York Red Bulls for his services back in March.
In the second half, Hamlett subbed for both Rolfe and Barrett, using Polish forward Tomasz Frankowski and rookie Patrick Nyarko in their place.
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