VANCOUVER, B.C. (July 7, 2018) – The Chicago Fire (6-8-5, 23 points) fell 3-2 on the road to Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7-7-5, 26 points) on Saturday evening at BC Place.
Kei Kamara opened scoring for the hosts in the 28th minute when he got on the end of a loose ball in the box and poked it in with his right foot.
The Fire equalized in the 42nd minute when Kevin Ellis received a throw in from Dax McCarty on the right, deep in the Whitecaps’ half. Ellis fought off his defender and drove a low cross to Nikolić in front of goal. With the inside of his right foot, Nikolić calmly redirected the ball into goal to pull Chicago level.
The Whitecaps regained the lead in the 47th minute when Jordan Mutch broke through and slotted in a left-footed shot from inside the box. Kei Kamara added to Vancouver’s tally in the 72nd minute with his finish from close range for the 3-1 lead.
Tony Tchani pulled the Fire within one with his right-footed volley in the 80th minute. Diego Campos whipped in a corner from the left that fell to Ellis, who took a short touch to push the ball to Tchani. With his back towards goal, Tchani quickly turned and on the bounce blasted his right-footed shot into goal as the match concluded 3-2. It was Tchani's first goal in a Fire shirt.
Next up the Men in Red return home to host the Philadelphia Union (6-9-3, 21 points) at Toyota Park on July 11 at 7:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+/Univision Deportes Chicago 1200AM). Pregame coverage will begin live on ESPN+ at 7:15 p.m. CT.
Tickets for the match, which is presented by 7UP, are available by calling 888-MLS-FIRE or visiting www.chicago-fire.com/tickets. The first 5,000 fans in the stadium will receive a Fire headscarf. The match will feature $2 hot dogs presented by Red Hot Chicago and a postgame fireworks show.
Chicago Fire 2:3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
July 7, 2018 – BC Place
Attendance: 22,120
Scoring Summary:
VAN – Kei Kamara (unassisted) 28’
CHI – Nemanja Nikolić (Kevin Ellis) 42’
VAN – Jordan Mutch (Efrain Juarez) 47’
VAN – Kei Kamara (Alphonso Davies, Marcel de Jong) 72’
CHI – Tony Tchani (Kevin Ellis) 80’
Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Brandon Vincent (caution) 10’
CHI – Aleksandar Katai (caution) 67’
Chicago Fire: Richard Sánchez; Kevin Ellis, Jonathan Campbell, Brandon Vincent, Jorge Corrales; Dax McCarty © (Tony Tchani 77’), Brandt Bronico, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Jon Bakero 78’); Diego Campos, Aleksandar Katai (Elliot Collier 70’), Nemanja Nikolić
Subs not used: Stefan Cleveland; Rafael Ramos, Mo Adams, Alan Gordon
Shots: 16; Shots On-Goal:4 Fouls: 7; Saves: 4; Offsides: 2; Corners: 6
Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Brian Rowe; Jakob Nerwinski, Marcel de Jong, Doniel Henri, Jose Aja, Jordan Mutch (Russel Teibert 72’), Alphonso Davies, Felipe, Efrain Juarez ©, Yordy Reyna (Sean Franklin 90’), Kei Kamara (Anthony Blondell 82’)
Subs not used: Stefan Marinovic, Brek Shea, Aly Ghazal, Nicolas Mezquida
Shots: 14; Shots On-Goal: 7; Fouls: 8; Saves: 2; Offsides: 1; Corners: 3
