CHICAGO (April 26, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC defeated Chicago House AC 3-0 in the third round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois tonight.
With the Fire hosting fellow local club, Chicago House AC, in its first match of this year’s tournament, 23-year-old center back Kendall Burks tallied a brace - scoring his first-career goals for the Club - while forward Kacper Przybyłko scored his third goal across all competitions this season to propel the Fire to a convincing victory.
Following the win, the Fire advanced to the Round of 32 of the oldest soccer competition in the United States. The Fire will learn their opponent for the next round when the draw for the Round of 32 takes place at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 27. The draw will be streamed live on the B/R app and the B/R Football YouTube Channel.
Przybyłko scored in his second consecutive match for the Fire, opening the scoring in the 26th minute. Defender Miguel Navarro sent in a low cross from the left side that Przybyłko controlled and comfortably slotted into the net to give the Fire a 1-0 advantage.
Approaching halftime, the Fire would add another when Burks doubled the score, opening his Fire account in the 37th minute. Defender Alonso Aceves sent in a corner kick from the right side that the Washington native leaped to meet in the air, sending the header into the left side of the net. Burks added to his tally in the 70th minute when defender Wyatt Omsberg passed a ball into the box where Burks was lurking after a corner kick. The defender took a controlling touch and placed his ball outside the goalkeeper’s reach to seal the victory.
NEXT MATCH: The Fire will return to the lakefront to host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. CT at Soldier Field. The match will be broadcast live on Apple TV+, and transmitted locally in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM and in English on 890 WLS-AM. Saturday’s match will also feature a 30-minute pre-match show and a 30-minute post-match show on 890 WLS-AM, with commentators Max Thoma and Dasan Robinson covering the major storylines for fans before and after the match.
Notes:
- Three players made their first starts of the season for the Fire tonight - Alonso Aceves, Alex Monis, and Wyatt Omsberg.
After arriving on loan from Liga MX side C.F. Pachuca in mid-March, Aceves has appeared twice as a substitute for the Fire in MLS regular season play, and has started three times for Chicago Fire II in MLS Next Pro. - Monis made his first-ever start for the Fire first team, having appeared three times as a substitute in his career.
- Defender Wyatt Omsberg started with the Chicago Fire for the first time since June 18, 2022, when he suffered a foot injury against D.C. United that sidelined him for the rest of last season. Omsberg has worked his way back to fitness, having started three times for Chicago Fire II in MLS Next Pro, and appearing as a substitute for the Fire against Minnesota on April 8.
- Federico Navarro returned to the midfield tonight, having missed six-straight matches for the Fire with a left upper leg injury suffered in the team's opening match of the 2023 season against New York City FC on March 4. Navarro made his return in the second half of the team's match at Atlanta United on Sunday, appearing as a substitute.
- 2023 newcomer Maren Haile-Selassie got his first taste of U.S. Open Cup action as part of the starting XI in midfield.
- Kacper Przybyłko led the attacking line, scoring the Fire’s first goal of the night.
- Goalkeeper Spencer Richey started and wore the captain's armband tonight as the Fire's most experienced player in the Open Cup competition. Richey has appeared in the tournament three times across his career with the Fire and with FC Cincinnati.
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 3:0 Chicago House AC
Goals:
CHI - Przybyłko (M. Navarro) 26’
CHI - Burks (Acevedo) 37’
CHI - Burks (Omsberg) 70’
Discipline:
HAC - Smith (Yellow Card) 43’
HAC - Avalos (Yellow Card) 59’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Richey (capt.), D Dean, D Omsberg, D Burks, D M. Navarro, M F. Navarro (Casas Jr., 46’, M Pineda (Giménez, 61’), M Monis, M Haile-Selassie (Oregel Jr., 46’), M Aceves (RodrÃguez, 78’), F PrzybyÅ‚ko (Koutsias, 61’)
Subs not used: GK Gal, D Czichos
Chicago House AC: GK Halterman D Kramer (Mentasti, 75’), D Duenkel, D Kabbani, D Ouaddour, M Nguyen, M Alzate (Spasov, 66’), M Avalos, M Smith Jr., M Almazan, F Mann
Subs not used: GK Castro, M Gudiño, D Hayes, M Seymour, D Waddington
Stats Summary: CHI / HAC
Shots: 27 / 3
Shots on Goal: 9 / 2
Saves: 2 / 6
Passing Accuracy: 82.5% / 65.1%
Corners: 12 / 0
Fouls: 14 / 11
Offsides: 3 / 0
Possession: 67.4% / 32.6%
Attendance: 3,421
Referee: Luis Arroyo
Assistant Referees: Eric Del Rosario, Ryan Birdsall
Fourth Official: Ryan Shanklin
