BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Aug. 21, 2022) – Chicago Fire FC (8-12-6, 30 points) fell 2-0 to defending MLS champions New York City FC (13-7-6, 45 points) on Sunday night at SeatGeek Stadium. With tonight’s result, the Fire drop to 12th in the Eastern Conference, with just four points separating them from a three-way tie for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
NYCFC opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a driven shot from outside the 18-yard-box from midfielder Gabriel Pereira, who found the top right corner of the net off an assist from midfielder Santiago Rodríguez. Early in the second half, the visiting side doubled their lead with an unassisted goal by Rodríguez, converting a finish from outside the six-yard-box in the 46th minute.
Second half substitutions Jhon Durán, Fabian Herbers and Brian Gutiérrez added an offensive spark for the home side as the Fire battled to find a breakthrough opportunity. Victor Bezerra also entered the match late in the second half, making his second appearance with the Fire’s first team.
One of the Fire’s most dangerous opportunities came in second half stoppage time as Durán nearly found the back of the net with a header off a corner kick. The 18-year-old striker whipped his header on frame, deflecting his attempt off the crossbar.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago will play a second straight match at home, hosting CF Montréal on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Soldier Field. Beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT, the match will be televised on WGN-TV and CF97 Live, and transmitted locally in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM. Tickets can be purchased here.
Notes:
- Tonight’s match featured two of MLS’ best goalkeepers as former Fire ‘keeper, Sean Johnson and Gabriel Slonina are the two league-leaders in clean sheets with 13 and 10 clean sheets, respectively.
- The Fire logged 10 total shots, maintaining 58% of the possession throughout the match.
- Homegrown forward Victor Bezerra made his second appearance with the first team, logging 12 total minutes.
- Chicago has lost just two matches in its last 7 games in league play, producing a 4-2-1 record since July 13.
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 0:2 New York City FC
Goals:
NYC - Pereira (6) (Rodriguez 11, Amundsen 1) 16’
NYC - Rodriguez (3) 46’
Discipline:
CHI - Czichos (Yellow Card) 18’
CHI - Terán (Yellow Card) 60’
NYC - Cushing (Yellow Card) 63’
NYC - Rodriguez (Yellow Card) 72’
CHI - M. Navarro (Yellow Card) 78’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Slonina, D M. Navarro, D Czichos, D Sekulić, D Terán (Gutiérrez, 67’), M Pineda (Herbers, 51’), M F. Navarro, M Mueller (Bezerra, 78’), M Shaqiri, M Torres, F Przybyłko (Durán, 51’)
Subs not used: GK Richey, D Bornstein, D Burks, D Reynolds II, M Casas Jr.
New York City FC: GK Johnson, M Amundsen, D Martins, D Chanot, D Tinnerholm, D Acevedo, D Haak, F Talles Magno (Héber, 82’), M Rodríguez, M Pereira (Jasson, 89’), M Thiago (D Gray, 77’)
Subs not used: GK Barraza, D Gloster, F O’Toole, GK Mizell, D Owusu, D Latinovich
Stats Summary: CHI / NYC
Shots: 10 / 8
Shots on Goal: 0 / 5
Saves: 3 / 0
Passing Accuracy: 85.6% / 78.6%
Corners: 6 / 4
Fouls: 13 / 11
Offsides: 5 / 3
Possession: 58.1% / 78.6%
Attendance: 11,720
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
Assistant Referees: Logan Brown, Kevin Lock
Fourth Official: Fotis Bazakos
VAR: Ramy Touchan, Fabio Tovar
