Plus, Fire U-19s take home MLS Next Cup.
ALISEDA NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: He finally got on the mark Saturday against Atlanta United. For his two-goal, one assist performance, Ignacio Alisdea was named MLS Player of the Week for Week 11. Aliseda is the first Fire player to be named Player of the Week since Nemanja Nikolic during Week 32 of the 2017 season.
FIRE U-19s WIN NEXT CUP: The Chicago Fire FC Academy Under-19 squad won the MLS Next Cup at U-19 level with a 1-o win over Solar SC of Allen, TX, on Saturday. Missael Rodriguez scored the only goal and also won the Golden Boot award at U-19. Sergio Oregel Jr. won the Golden Ball for the Fire U-19s as the best player of the U-19 tournament.
FIRE (SENIOR SQUAD): The Fire needed a win, a breakout performance from someone, and keep a clean sheet. They did all three on Saturday. Yes, it was against a depleted Atlanta United squad, but the Fire needed a starting point. A bigger test comes on Wednesday night against Orlando (7pm, Unimas) and a chance to see if Aliseda can build upon Saturday’s performance. There is still a lot more needed for the Fire to be a playoff contender, but an important step forward was taken on Saturday.
RED STARS: A character win is the best way to put Friday’s win at Washington. The came in with the second-highest expected goals, but the second-fewest actual goals scored. They have conceded the fewest shot on target, but had allowed the most goals so far. The statistics suggested monuments of inefficiency. But on Friday, they did get the goal and shut down the Spirit offense to begin the Olympic phase of the season with three points. Their chance to build on things happens at home on Sunday against Houston (5pm, Paramount+).
