FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Sept. 22, 2018) – – The Chicago Fire (7-15-7, 28 points) earned a hard-fought away point in a 2-2 draw against the New England Revolution (8-10-11, 35 points) at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Midfielder Aleksandar Katai found the back of the net for a second straight match in the 2-2 draw, posting his 11th goal of the season.
The Fire opened the scoring in the 19th minute of play when Katai dispossessed Revolution defender Brandon Bye and raced toward the goal. Entering the 18-yard box, Katai quickly cut to his left foot and sent a well-placed shot into the far corner to give the Fire an early 1-0 advantage.
After holding the home side scoreless for the opening 45, the Fire conceded midway through the second half when midfielder Scott Caldwell equalized for the Revolution in the 62nd minute with a left-footed finish from close range.
In the 67th minute, the Fire regained the lead when midfielder Raheem Edwards forced an own goal with a driven cross to the near post, but the Revolution were able to find an equalizer three minutes later courtesy of midfielder Cristian Penilla.
Next up, the Fire will face a quick turnaround with the team set to take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. CT (ESPN+/Univision Radio WRTO AM 1200). Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. CT with a live pregame show on ESPN+ presented by CIBC.
Chicago Fire 2:2 New England Revolution
Sept. 22, 2018 – Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 24,388
Scoring Summary:
CHI – Aleksandar Katai (11) (unassisted) 19’
NE – Scott Caldwell (unassisted) 62’
CHI – Own goal 67’
NE – Cristian Penilla (Juan Agudelo) 70’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Antonio Delamea (caution) 31’
NE – Brandon Bye (caution) 36’
CHI – Dax McCarty (caution) 58’
NE – Teal Bunbury (caution) 69’
CHI – Johan Kappelhof (caution) 78’
NE – Scott Caldwell (caution) 80’
Chicago Fire: Richard Sanchez; Nicolas Hasler, Johan Kappelhof, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Jonathan Campbell 92’), Brandon Vincent; Dax McCarty ©, Brandt Bronico; Aleksandar Katai, Djordje Mihailovic (Yura Movsiyan 80’), Michael de Leeuw (Raheem Edwards 63’); Nemanja Nikolic
Subs not used: Stefan Cleveland, Jorge Corrales, Drew Conner, Daniel Johnson
Shots: 8; Shots On-Goal: 5; Fouls: 16; Saves: 3; Offsides: 1; Corners: 2
New England Revolution: Brad Knighton, Andrew Farrell ©, Michael Mancienne, Brandon Bye (Guillermo Hauche HT), Antonio Delamea; Scott Caldwell, Diego Fagundez (Juan Agudelo HT), Cristian Penilla, Luis Caicedo, Kelyn Rowe; Teal Bunbury
Subs not used: Matt Turner, Brian Wright, Jalil Anibaba, Wilfried Zahibo, Cristhian Machado
Shots: 18; Shots On-Goal: 4; Fouls: 17; Saves: 4; Offsides: 0; Corners: 5
Referee: Joseph Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Kevin Klinger
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez
VAR: Geoff Gamble
