Nemanja Nikolic added two goals to his fourteen on the season in the Chicago Fire’s 4-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps (photo credit: Don MacGregor/Windy City Soccer)
Chicago Fire 4-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
by Dan Gaichas
BRIDGEVIEW, IL—How would the Chicago Fire respond after a taxing 120 minutes, plus penalties, on the turf in Cincinnati? By thrashing the Vancouver Whitecaps, 4-0, before another 20,000-plus crowd at Toyota Park. It is the Fire’s eighth straight win at home and fifth straight win overall in league play. With Toronto FC losing at Dallas, the Fire move to the top of the MLS table.
Vancouver had the first couple of chances in the match. Tim Parker almost getting on the end of a Cristian Techera free kick in minute two and Christian Bolaños striking one off the post from distance in minute six. After that, it was all Chicago Fire.
Joao Meira found Matt Polster criminally unmarked and Polster crossed to Nemanja Nikolc for a point-blank finish for his 15th of the year in the 14th minute. Four minutes later, Michael de Leeuw took the ball away from Matias Laba and fed to Nikolic for his 16th of the season.
In the 25th minute, Polster got his second assist of the match crossing to Arturo Alvarez who struck with sidewinder kick on the volley past David Ousted to make it 3-0.
“It was the kind of stuff you try in training. I just kind of go for it,” said Alvarez of the goal. “Luckily for me, I got the whole ball and I got a good strike on it and it went in.”
The only sour note for the Fire was that Bastian Schweinsteiger left in the 43rd minute with right hip pain. Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic said that they will know more Monday on Schweinsteiger, but at this point expects him to be available for Portland on Wednesday.
Fredy Montero and Nicolas Mezquida were brought in early in the second half and the former came closest to scoring off a header, but Matt Lampson made the save in the 52nd minute. Vancouver’s misery was compounded in the 78th minute after Laba was sent off for going studs up on Luis Solignac. Six minutes later, the Whitecaps’ misery was complete.
One person who Fire fans and players alike was desperate to see score was de Leeuw. He finally got that goal in the 84th minute after a give-and-go with Nikolic.
“I feel good. Finally, you know?” said de Leeuw. “The monkey’s finally off my back, but I think it was an elephant. I’m happy with my goal but also with the points. It feels so good that I scored but the most important thing is that we killed the game really soon. It was great. I’m happy; happy with the result, happy with my goal.”
Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic was also happy for de Leeuw, but also noted that there are still 16 matches left in the regular season.
“So happy for him. We were talking for a long time now how important his work for the team, how important his assists for the team also. And today at the half I told him he has to count that assist as a goal also, the one he played the ball to Niko and it was obviously great execution from Niko. But he won that second ball, he intuitively knew where the ball was going to bounce and then he started to run in that space, great first touch and then great pass to Niko. At the half I told him ‘keep it up, your opportunity will come, just be ready.’ Then when he missed the first one I was like, ‘that was the one.’ But, he was consistent and so happy for him that he can finally could score a very important goal for us. We always appreciate in the locker room that we have to be hungry until the end and play, every game with an empty belly, and he has that especially cause he didn’t score. But today I’m so happy for him and I congratulate him and obviously to the team on a fantastic performance and great effort.
“But, now I have to be the party breaker and I want to just stop the euphoria because I think it’s important to know we still haven’t done anything. It’s great to hear that are stats are improving and our history also proves great numbers right now. We still have to know that this is only half of the season and we have a long way to go and a lot of games to play and win and that’s how have to think about the next game is the most important game.”
That next match is Wednesday night against Portland. Kickoff is at 9:30pm on CSN Chicago.
In other news, it was announced that Chivas U-20s will be the opponent for the MLS Homegrown players in the Homegrown Game which will take place on August 1st at 7pm at Toyota Park. Also, former Fire players Brian McBride and Mike Magee will be the coaches for the Homegrown team.
Tickets, starting at $10, may be purchased on Ticketmaster.com and include entrance to two events during 2017 MLS All-Star Chicago: the MLS Homegrown Game as well as the Generation adidas ESP Showcase Match being held immediately prior at 5pm at Toyota Park.
SCORING SUMMARY:
CHI-Nemanja Nikolic (Polster) 14
CHI-Nemanja Nikolic (de Leeuw) 18
CHI-Arturo Alvarez (Polster) 25
CHI-Michael de Leeuw (Nikolic) 84
BOOKING SUMMARY:
VAN-Matias Laba (sent off, serious foul play) 78
CHICAGO FIRE (4-2-3-1): #28-Matt Lampson; #2-Matt Polster, #4-Johan Kappelhof (#14-Djordje Mihailovic 80), #66-Joao Meira, #3-Brandon Vincent; #31-Bastian Schweinsteiger (#18-Drew Conner 43), #12-Arturo Alvarez (#16-Jonathan Campbell 67); #9-Luis Solignac, #8-Michael de Leeuw, #19-Juninho; #23-Nemanja Nikolic
Subs not used: #30-Stefan Cleveland, #5-Michael Harrington, #13-Brandt Bronico, #20-Daniel Johnson
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-4-2): #1-David Ousted; #28-Jake Nerwinski, #8-Andrew Jacobson, #26-Tim Parker, #2-Jordan Harvey; #13-Cristian Techera, #15-Matias Laba, #16-Tony Tchani (#11-Nicolas Mezquida 51), #7-Chrisitan Bolaños; #23-Bernie Ibini (#12-Fredy Montero 51), #20-Brek Shea (#29-Yordy Reyna 61)
Subs not used: #70-Paolo Tornaghi, #19-Erik Hurtado, #22-Christian Dean, #77-Mauro Rosales
TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 18-10 VAN
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 12-3 VAN
FOULS: CHI 9-7 VAN
OFFSIDES: CHI 2-2 VAN
CORNER KICKS: CHI 6-5 VAN
SAVES: CHI 3-8 VAN
Referee: Ismael Elfath
Referee’s Assistants: Ian Anderson, Oscar Mitchell-Calvalho
4th Official: Allen Chapman
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 82º
Attendance: 20,187
Man of the Match: Nemanja Nikolc (CHI)
Chicago Fire
