Penalty kick enables Crew to tie Fire, 1-1

COLUMBUS (AP) -- Chris Rolfe scored for the Chicago Fire and Sebastian Rozental converted a penalty kick for the Columbus Crew in a 1-1 tie Saturday.
The Fire (0-1-2) and Crew (0-2-1) both were seeking their first wins of the year in the Crew's home opener.
Chicago scored first when Rolfe notched his second goal of the season, a left-footed shot that went between the legs of Crew goalkeeper Jon Busch in the 49th minute.
Chad Barrett started the scoring play with a long run on the ball, unchallenged until he reached the top of the Crew penalty area. Barrett then passed to Rolfe, who had slipped past the Crew defensive line.
Crew gets kick
Five minutes later, referee Erich Simmons called for a Crew penalty kick when Kei Kamara was taken down in the penalty area by Fire defender Jim Curtin.
Sebastian Rozental converted the penalty in the 55th minute, beating Fire goalkeeper Zack Thornton, who dove to his right but failed to get a hand on the shot.
The goal was Rozental's first for the Crew, and came after he was sent to Los Angeles for nine days of specialized training following concerns about his fitness level.
Both teams managed only one shot on goal apiece in the first half, and both came in the 25th minute when Fire midfielder Thiago tested Busch with a hard, low left-footed strike. Busch made the save, and the Crew countered immediately when midfielder Danny Szetela sent a well-timed pass to forward Eddie Gaven.
Gaven's strike was turned away by a leaping Thornton, who became the 30th player in MLS history to play in 200 regular-season matches.
Second-half substitute Jason Garey tested Thornton with a strike from 15 yards in second half stoppage time, but Thornton gathered up the ball to keep the game deadlocked.
The announced attendance of 20,818 was the largest for Columbus at home since the 2004 season.