Chicago Fire FC Draw 3-3 with New Mexico United in Wednesday’s Preseason Match in Tucson

Tucson, Arizona (Feb. 15, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC drew 3-3 with USL Championship side New Mexico United in a closed-door preseason match in Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday.

With the result, the Fire remain unbeaten through its first four preseason matches (2-0-2) in 2023, producing two wins and two draws.

New Mexico got on the board first in the 15th minute, with the Fire responding 20 minutes later to level the match 1-1 with a goal from Homegrown forward Victor Bezerra. Bezerra capitalized on a turnover by the New Mexico backline, gathering the ball at the top of the box and slotting a shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

New Mexico added two more goals early in the second half, but Fire substitutions Chris Mueller, Federico Navarro and Brian Gutiérrez added a fresh offensive energy, creating several more opportunities for the Fire in the final third.  

With 15 minutes remaining in the match, the Fire continued to gain momentum by adding a second goal to cut into the deficit. Mueller received a pass on the left flank, serving a ball onto the run of midfielder Mauricio Pineda. Pineda laid a pass off for winger Alex Monis who placed a one-time shot into the back of the net, bringing the score to 3-2. 

Five minutes later, the Fire found the equalizer as Gutiérrez sent a pass into the top of the six for Pineda to drive a shot in, bringing the match even in the 80th minute.

The Fire will round out the Desert Showcase tournament on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a match against Real Salt Lake at 12:00 p.m. CT at Kino Sports Complex before returning to Chicago to resume its preparation for the 2023 season.

The Club has a bye the first week of the season and will open their 2023 campaign at home on Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. CT against New York City FC. Tickets to the match can be purchased here and the contest will also stream live on MLS Season Pass on AppleTV.