ST. PAUL, Minn. (July 27, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC opened their path through Leagues Cup 2023 with a 3-2 come-from-behind road victory against Minnesota United on Thursday night at Allianz Field to earn the Club’s first three points of the tournament.
Chicago currently leads the Central 2 standings having tied Minnesota United with three points but with one less game played.
Minnesota pressured from the outset but Spencer Richey was up to the task, making two key saves in the first half to keep the score at zero. The Loons broke through in the 62nd minute when Pukki passed the ball from the left side of the box to Hassan Dotson, who in turn laid it further right for Bongokuhle Hlongwane who sent it into the net.
Chicago responded in the 69th minute with a finely executed penalty kick by Xherdan Shaqiri just three minutes after entering the match. Midfielder Brian Gutiérrez was taken down in the box and the Swiss international took the kick from the spot, sending a blast into the lower left corner.
Hlongwane added a second goal for Minnesota in the 73rd minute but Chicago responded with a goal from defender Arnaud Souquet. Shaqiri collected a ball on the left flank that he passed off to Miguel Navarro, who sent a low ball across the goalmouth. The ball traveled across the entire box, where Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair managed to get a touch on it, redirecting it slightly onto the path of an on-rushing Arnaud Souquet who sent it into the net from the right side of the 18-yard-box.
Kamara opened his Leagues Cup scoring account in the 83rd minute. The play began on the right side with Souquet passing the ball to Shaqiri, who saw Mauricio Pineda further inside. Pineda lofted the ball into the box for Kamara to strike with his head, powering it past St. Clair.
Richey came up with one last major save in the 90+3rd minute when the ball fell to Kervin Arriaga on the right side of the box. Arriaga looked up and blasted it to the near post, but Richey had been following the play and reacted well with a dive to his left to make the stop.
NEXT MATCH: *The Fire returns to Chicago to host Puebla in the second and final group Central 2 match of Leagues Cup 2023 at 7 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium on Monday, July 31. The match will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #CF97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Notes:
- Ivorian midfielder Ousmane Doumbia made his Chicago Fire FC debut when he entered the match in the 66th minute for midfielder Fabian Herbers.
- Kamara scored his sixth goal of the season across all competitions for the Fire, and his third game-winner of the season.
- Defender Miguel Navarro registered an assist for the second-straight game, having also set up Kacper Przybyłko for the game-winner against Toronto FC on July 15 at Soldier Field.
- Goalkeeper Spencer Richey returned to the net to start for the eight time across all competitions this season, including four MLS regular season matches and three 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games.
- Defender Wyatt Omsberg (left lower leg), midfielders Javier Casas Jr. (right upper arm), Chris Mueller (right upper leg) and Federico Navarro (right lower leg) were unavailable for tonight’s match.
- Midfielder Arnaud Souquet tallied his second goal across all competitions with his second half equalizer.
- Chicago Fire FC moves to 9-0-3 across all competitions when leading past the 75th minute. They are currently 5-0-3 in league play, were 3-0-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, and move to 1-0-0 in Leagues Cup play when leading past the 75th.
- Tonight’s victory marked Chicago’s first comeback victory of the 2023 campaign across all competitions, marking their first win when trailing past the 75th minute of play.
- With the win, Chicago claims their first road victory against Minnesota in franchise history across all competitions, and picks up their second victory over the Western Conference side this season. (2-1 victory over Minnesota on April 8 at Soldier Field)
- Minnesota is the second team the Fire has claimed multiple victories over this season. Previously defeating the Loons in regular season play. The Fire have also accomplished the same feat over St. Louis CITY SC earlier this season.
- Chicago moves to 7-1-0 against Western Conference opponents this season across all competitions, with the Fire boasting a perfect 4-0-0 record against Western sides in league play.
Box Score:
Minnesota United 2:3 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
MIN - Hlongwane (Dotson) (WATCH) 62’
CHI - Shaqiri (Penalty) (WATCH) 70’
MIN - Hlongwane (WATCH) 73’
CHI - Souquet (M. Navarro) (WATCH) 79’
CHI - Kamara (Pineda) (WATCH) 83’
Discipline:
MIN - Tapias (Yellow Card) 45+2’
CHI - Herbers (Yellow Card) 58’
MIN - Arriaga (Yellow Card) 58’
CHI - Giménez (Yellow Card) 72’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Richey, D Souquet, D Terán, D Czichos (capt.), D M. Navarro, M Herbers (Doumbia, 65’), M Giménez (Pineda, 74’), M Haile-Selassie, M Gutiérrez (Koutsias, 77’), M Torres (Shaqiri, 66’), F Przybyłko (Kamara, 66’)
Subs not used: GK Brady, GK Gal, D Aceves, D Burks, D Dean, M Monis, F RodrÃguez
Minnesota United: GK St. Clair, D Valentin, D Tapias, D Taylor (GarcÃa, 88’), D Dibassy, M Reynoso, M Trapp (capt.), M Dotson, M Arriaga, F Hlongwane, F Pukki (Fragapane, 70’)
Subs not used: GK Irwin, GK Dick, D Padelford, M Marques, M Rosales, D Kallman, F Dunbar, M Iwe
Stats Summary: MIN / CHI
Shots: 16 / 10
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Saves: 1 / 3
Passing Accuracy: 84.7% / 88.7%
Corners: 3 / 4
Fouls: 16 / 11
Offsides: 0 / 0
Possession: 45.3% / 54.7%
Attendance: 18,419
Referee: Nima Saghafi
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Kieso, Kedlee Powell
Fourth Official: Okeito Nicholson
VAR: Benjamin Whitty, Erick Miranda
