Chicago Fire FC 2-1 DC United
CHICAGO, IL—It was both unnotable and more interesting than it perhaps should have at times, but a good defensive effort by the Fire was enough to give them a 2-1 win over DC United at Soldier Field. With results elsewhere on the night including Nashville losing at Sporting Kansas City, the Fire vault to ninth in the Eastern Conference. It is the Fire’s third win in five matches and fourth in six at Soldier Field. DC drops their fifth on the bounce and remain rooted to the bottom of the East.
The Fire got off to a fast start as Alvaro Medran’s third minute free kick was met by CJ Sapong making his first start since the MLS is Back Tournamen to put the hosts ahead. The first half was forgettable for most of the rest of the way until the Fire got a corner stoppage time. Then, Medran’s corner was headed home by Boris Sekulic for his first goal of the season to make it 2-0.
In the second half, DC wound up with most of the chances, outshooting the Fire, 9-2. The visitors would get on the scoreborard as Joseph Mora came charging down the left and his cross would be deflected in by Jonathan Bornstein for an own goal.
However, the defense stood firm the remainder of the way as Bobby Shuttleworth made six saves on the night and the back four provided some timely clearances and the Fire held on for three points.
“I’d like to have more control over games, we usually have, we usually play a little bit more on the ground than we did today,” said Fire head coach Raphael Wicky. “But I think these are the games, we knew it’s going to be not pretty, it’s a tough opponent. Whenever a team has a coaching change, you know that they have a little bit of a boost, there is a new situation for every player, every player wants to show up and has a new opportunity. We knew it was not going to be easy. We have a lot of guys missing, so have a lot of other teams as well, that’s not an excuse. But yeah, look, we have played, so often, very well and in the end, we drew or we lost games, and today it wasn’t the prettiest of our games, for sure, but we got the win; and that’s in the end today, the most important (thing). I think for everyone who stepped in for all the players who weren’t there or didn’t play (for) a long time, I think it’s just important for that group. I’m proud of the group, I’m proud of the guys who stepped in who now since, some of the guys since seven months, they didn’t have a game besides maybe one or two intrasquad games, and they did really, really well. So I’m happy, I’m happy for the guys.”
At present, the Fire are supposed to head to St. Paul on Wednesday to play Minnesota United at 7pm (WGN-TV). Minnesota had their match on Sunday against FC Dallas postponed due to members of the former testing positive for the coronavirus. Word on that match should come later in the week. Meanwhile, Wicky is focused on keeping his team and himself healthy.
“I think everyone, including me, everyone needs the reminders often, all the time, because it’s human that sometimes you think, I’m hanging out with my family, I’m hanging out with my teammates and I can be a little bit careless, but that’s not the case,” said Wicky. “All of us need the reminder, we’re trying to do that. So far, we were very disciplined and we’re lucky, but it’s something you have to get used to it. We have to, it’s not, ‘OK, we have to do it for two more weeks, for three more weeks.’ It’s, right now, it’s the normal life and we have to be disciplined and take this virus serious, and so far the team is good. But yeah, a reminder, almost every day, we need a reminder.”
SCORING SUMMARY:
CHI-CJ Sapong (Medran) 3
CHI-Boris Sekulic (Medran) 45+1
DC-Jonathan Bornstein (own goal) 56
BOOKING SUMMARY:
CHI-Micheal Azira (caution, tactical foul) 60
CHI-CJ Sapong (caution, reckless foul) 89
CHI-Alvaro Medran (caution, tactical foul) 90
CHI-Bobby Shuttleworth (caution, time wasting) 90+1
CHICAGO FIRE (4-2-3-1): #1-Bobby Shuttleworth; #2-Boris Sekulic, #20-Wyatt Omsberg (#36-Andre Reynolds 75), #22-Mauricio Pineda, #3-Jonathan Bornstein; #16-Micheal Azira, #10-Alvaro Medran; #9-CJ Sapong, #21-Fabian Herbers (#28-Elliot Collier 75), #11-Przemyslaw Frankowski (#7-Ignacio Aliseda 63); #27-Robert Beric
Subs not used: #24-Connor Sparrow, #32-Gabriel Slonina, #4-Johan Kappelhof, #25-Nicholas Slonina, #37-Javier Casas, #40-Brian Gutierrez
DC UNITED (4-4-2): #24-Bill Hamid; #3-Chris Odoi-Atsem (#30-Kevin Paredes 80), #13-Frederic Brilliant, #23-Donovan Pines, #28-Joseph Mora; #31-Julian Gressel (#22-Griffing Yow 83), #4-Russell Canouse, #5-Junior Moreno, #11-Yamil Asad; #50-Erik Sorga (#10-Edison Flores 59), #20-Gelmin Rivas (#9-Ola Kamara 59)
Subs not used: #1-Chris Seitz, #36-Earl Edwards Jr., #91-Oniel Fisher, #44-Axel Sjoberg, #9-Ola Kamara
TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 7-14 DC
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 3-6 DC
FOULS: CHI 13-9 DC
OFFSIDES: CHI 1-3 DC
CORNER KICKS: CHI 6-5 DC
SAVES: CHI 6-1 DC
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistant Referees: Cameron Blanchard, Andrew Bigelow
4th Official: Alex Chilowicz
VAR: Malik Badawi
Weather: Sunny and 64º
Man of the Match: Bobby Shuttleworth (CHI)
