Oduro scores in preseason opener

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AVE MARIA, FL.If nothing else the Fires first preseason game proved one thing on Sunday. Dominic Oduro can still score.
The striker from Ghana was the clubs Golden Boot winner in 2011 after coming in an early-season trade with the Houston Dynamo. He was also a finalist for Comeback Player-of-the-Year in Major League Soccer, but his scoring tailed off last season and he wasnt a starter when the campaign ended.
Oduro wasnt in coach Frank Klopas first 11 on Sunday either, but he scored the first goal and set up the other in a 2-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast College. The match, played at Brown Park on the campus of Ave Maria University, was contested in three 30-minute periods. Klopas used 28 of the 32 players on his preseason roster.
"To get a game was good, to get opposition other than ourselves, said Klopas. "But this is preseason. Legs are heavy, and from a mental standpoint weve got to get stronger because preseason is a lot shorter than last year. Some players were a little bit better than others.
Klopas didnt want to go into who was better than who, but Oduro and Paladini took on a heavier workload. Both returnees played 60 minutes. Oduro scored unassisted in the 39th minute when he pounced on a loose ball in the box after a Fire corner kick and tapped it into an open net.
Eight minutes later he set up Paladini, who had an open shot for a 2-0 lead.
Oduro, though, will have to remain productive to earn his starting spot back. Chris Rolfe and Sherjill MacDonald were paired up top in the first 30 minutes. Oduros first partner in the second 30-minute segment was Maicon Santos, who was picked up in the re-entry draft from D.C. United.
Klopas didnt use Patrick Nyarko, who arrived in camp late. Still yet to report are goalkeeper Sean Johnson, in training with the U.S. national team; Corben Bone, in training with Atletico Madrid; and Arne Friedrich, who was given permission to join the club in California.
Alec Kann, a trialist, was given the start in goal and played with a veteran lineup the first 30 minutes. Joining Rolfe and MacDonald were midfielders Joel Lindpere, Jeff Larentowicz, Logan Pause, Wells Thompson and Alex. The defenders were Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry and Gonzalo Segares.
The Fire opened training at Ave Maria on Jan. 20 and will finish up here on Tuesday before heading to Bradenton, FL., and the first preseason match against an MLS rival. The Fire will face the Columbus Crew at IMG Academy before heading back to Chicago.The players and staff will get a brief break before heading to Ventura, Calif., for the second phase of the preseason.

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