Chicago Fire FC Defeats Inter Miami CF 4-1 at Soldier Field in Front of Largest Crowd in Club History

CHICAGO (Oct. 4, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC (10-12-10, 40 points) defeated Inter Miami CF (9-16-6, 33 points) 4-1 in front of a record crowd of 62,124 fans on Wednesday night at Soldier Field. The 62,124 fans set a new attendance record for the Fire, capping off a night that saw two goals each from Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri and Swiss winger Maren Haile-Selassie.

The victory marked the Fire’s second straight win in League play and propelled the team into a playoff position. With two matches remaining in the regular season, the team now sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 40 points, ahead of ninth-place CF Montréal and 10th place New York City FC who both have 38 points.

Shaqiri scored his fourth goal of the regular season in the 49th minute on a play that began with defender Jonathan Dean. Fabian Herbers collected the ball from Dean on the right side of the box and cut a pass across the goalmouth. Shaqiri ran onto the ball from behind, smashing it in at the far post. Miami pulled even with a penalty kick in the 53rd minute when striker Josef Martinez converted from the spot.

The tie was short-lived as Herbers recorded his second assist of the night in the 62nd minute when he set up Maren Haile-Selassie for his fifth goal of the season. Haile-Selassie attempted a cross in the box that was deflected by a defender and fell within Herbers’ reach. Herbers held the ball for a moment before slipping it between two defenders into space, where Haile-Selassie sent it past Drake Callender.

Haile-Selassie became the team-leading goal scorer in the 66th minute when Ousmane Doumbia sent a dangerous ball across the goalmouth. The speedy winger timed his run and hit a one-time shot that went back across the goal and into the lower right corner for his second of the night and his sixth goal of the season.

Shaqiri finished off the game with a second strike in the 73rd minute. Man of the Match Gastón Giménez sent a ball into space that the Swiss maestro collected, splitting his two marking defenders with a sharp, low shot that found the lower right corner of the net to make it 4-1 and seal the victory for the Fire.

NEXT MATCH: The Chicago Fire will play their final home game of the season as the Club hosts Charlotte FC on Oct. 7 at Soldier Field for its annual Fan Appreciation Night. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT, the match will be broadcast on Apple TV, streamed in English on wlsam.com and transmitted locally in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM. Tickets for the Fire’s Oct. 7 match versus Charlotte FC are available for purchase here. 

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Notes:

• The 62,124 fans in attendance bested the previous Club record of 61,308 from a 2011 friendly against Manchester United.
• The four-goal performance marked the most goals scored by the Fire in a regular season match in 2023, and the team’s largest margin of victory this season.
• With a brace in tonight’s match, midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has scored five goals this season, tied with striker Kei Kamara for the second-most on the team. In two seasons with the Club, the Swiss midfielder has scored 12 goals and notched 16 assists.
• Midfielder Fabian Herbers registered his second career multi-assist game, setting up both Shaqiri and Maren Haile-Selassie’s goals.
• Defender Jonathan Dean and midfielder Ousmane Doumbia each recorded their second assists of the season.
• Chicago has won four of its six all-time meetings with Inter Miami, including a 3-2 victory in Miami on March 23. With today’s win, the Fire have won all three meetings in Chicago, including a 1-0 victory in May 2021 and a 3-1 win in September 2022.
• Defender/midfielder Mauricio Pineda (right lower leg), midfielders Chris Mueller (right upper leg), Federico Navarro (left upper leg) and Jairo Torres (right upper leg), and forward Victor Bezerra (right lower leg) were not available for tonight’s match due to injury.

Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 4:1 Inter Miami CF

Goals:
CHI - Shaqiri (4) (Herbers 1, Dean 2) (WATCH) 49’
MIA - Martinez (7) (Penalty) (WATCH) 54’
CHI - Haile-Selassie (5) (Herbers, 2) (WATCH) 62’
CHI - Haile-Selassie (6) (Doumbia 2, Herbers 3) (WATCH) 65’
CHI - Shaqiri (5) (Giménez 2) (WATCH) 73’

Discipline:
MIA - Busquets (Yellow Card) 42’
MIA - Martino (Yellow Card) 45’
CHI - Dean (Yellow Card) 52’
MIA - Farias (Yellow Card) 90’

Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean, D Omsberg, D Czichos (capt.), D M. Navarro, M Doumbia, M Giménez, M Herbers (Terán, 85’), M Shaqiri, M Gutiérrez (Haile-Selassie, 55’), F Koutsias (Przybyłko, 69’)

Subs not used: GK Richey, D Aceves, D Burks, D Souquet, M Casas Jr., F Kamara

Inter Miami CF: GK Callender, D Yedlin (capt.), D Kryvtsov, D Miller, D Allen, M Arroyo (Mota, 67’), M Busquets, M Cremaschi, M Farias, F Taylor (Stefanelli, 67’), F Martinez

Subs not used: GK dos Santos, D McVey, D Sailor, M Ulloa, M Azcona, M Ruiz, M Sunderland

Stats Summary: CHI / MCF
Shots: 15 / 10
Shots on Goal: 7 / 2
Saves: 1 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 80.6% / 88.6%
Corners:  8 / 3
Fouls:  12 / 9
Offsides:  4 / 3
Possession: 36.6% / 63.4%

Attendance: 62,124

Referee: Joseph Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Cory Richardson, Brian Poeschel
Fourth Official: Tori Penso
VAR: Allen Chapman
Assistant VAR: Gjovalin Bori