Alex the hero as Fire rallies late

He was fresh, ready and alert. The man with the rock star name delivered great theater.

Inserted into the game in the 83rd minute, Alex provided a jolt by registering an unassisted score from about 30 yards out that curled inside the near post in the 87th minute for the Fire’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over the New England Revolution Saturday night at Toyota Park.

Alex’s score marked a sharp reversal of the Fire’s failure to finish games that haunted the team recently. The crucial victory snapped a four-game non-winning streak, with a loss and draw coming in the 89th and 90th minutes, respectively.

The Fire (11-11-6, 39 points) moved into a tie for fifth place with the Philadelphia Union for the final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference. The Fire has six games remaining.

The Fire overcame separate first-half deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 as the team struggled nullifying Revolution star midfielder Saer Sene. His assist on midfielder Kelyn Rowe in the ninth minute gave the Revolution the early 1-0 advantage. His left-foot howitzer from the left edge put the Revolution up at the break.

Juan Luis Anongono scored his first career goal with the Fire in the 30th minute on a beautiful assist from Mike Magee and Joel Lindpere.

The Fire dominated the second half, creating a near constant state of pressure. Playing its second game in four days, the team showed a noticeably improved energy level and the team was quicker to balls, sharper in its movement and much crisper in execution.

Magee’s 16th goal in the 55th minute yielded the game’s second tie.

“In the last 10 minutes the game was wide open,” Fire coach Frank Klopas said.