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Ten-man Chicago holds off Columbus

Jun 24, 2012 - 2:50 AM Bridgeview, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago Fire are so good at Toyota Park, they only need 10 men.

Marco Pappa and Dominic Oduro scored inside 26 minutes and, despite a red card to Gonzalo Segares in the 29th, Chicago edged the Columbus Crew, 2-1, in Major League Soccer on Saturday night.

The Fire (7-5-3) won their fourth straight home match and are unbeaten in five straight in their stadium on the outskirts of the Windy City.

Tony Tchani scored for the Crew (5-5-4), who had their six-game undefeated run snapped. Columbus last lost in April.

Pappa opened the scoring inside 2 minutes when he sent a shot from outside the box to the top-right corner for his fourth goal this season. Oduro took a pass from Sebastian Grazzini to notch his fifth of the year in the 26th.

Segares was sent off minutes later, and Columbus took advantage in the 36th as Tchani turned a Chris Birchall pass into the net.

The Crew could not build on the goal as it failed to take advantage of the man advantage. Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson finished with eight saves, the best in the 56th when he turned a header from Josh Williams wide of the left post.

Chicago improved to 5-1-2 at home, and climbed within three points of Red Bull New York for third place in the Eastern Conference in fourth place.

Columbus remained on 19 points and is in sixth place - just one point ahead of the expansion Montreal Impact and the New England Revolution - in the East.