that lasted until early May. The losing streak was worsened by a scoring drought, as the Fire went 272 minutes without a goal until scoring four during a match against the Colorado Rapids that ended in a shootout defeat. Chicago's offensive pair of Nowak and Kosecki were also frequent targets of fouls, picking up injuries and suspensions during a loss to D.C. United in early May that elicited complaints from manager Bob Bradley over missed calls from the referee. The Fire broke their losing streak with a victory over the Tampa Bay Mutiny, which marked the beginning of an 11-match winning streak that set a new MLS record. The streak included consistent scoring from Nowak, who was named Player of the Month in May, and several shutouts from goalkeeper Zach Thornton, who would be competing for the starting position with Campos. By the end of May, the team had risen to second place in the Western Conference standings behind the Los Angeles Galaxy, who they defeated twice. Chicago were unable to surpass the Galaxy in the standings, but were able to open a 18-point lead over the third-place Dallas Burn by defeating them three times in a three-week period by early July. The winning streak ended with a loss to the Columbus Crew in July, which was followed by five consecutive defeats that were mostly played away from home. Chicago were without several key players who picked up injuries, including Nowak with a sprained knee that sidelined him for seven matches. The team remained in second place and eight points ahead of third-place Colorado by early August, and entered September on a four-match winning streak with help from rookie striker Josh Wolff as a substitute. Chicago ultimately finished the regular season in second place with a 20–12 record, behind league-leading Los Angeles. For the team's performance in the regular season, four players were named to the MLS Best XI, Bob Bradley earned Coach of the Year, Thornton won Goalkeeper of the Year, and Kubík was named Defender of the Year. Chicago entered the playoffs without goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who had returned to UNAM Pumas in Mexico, and faced Colorado in the Conference Semifinals. The first leg, played at Soldier Field, was tied 1–1 at the end of regulation time with a penalty kick from Kubík in the 50th minute and a Rapids equalizer by Waldir Sáenz in the 79th minute.