Indio, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC dropped its opening match of the Coachella Valley Invitational 1-0 against Los Angeles Football Club on Wednesday afternoon at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California. LAFC forward Denis Bouanga had the lone goal of the match via penalty kick in a strong defensive effort by the Fire backline.
Starting Fire goalkeeper Jeff Gal had a sterling performance to begin the contest. Following a breakaway by LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman in the 17th minute, Gal sprinted near midfield to win the ball with a sliding tackle and keep his early shutout intact. In the 39th minute, LAFC forward David Martinez nearly replicated the formula for an early lead, but Gal once again stood tall and poked a one-on-one shot away for a corner that kept things even at the half.
Chicago began the second half with more possession and chances than LAFC, but the Black and Gold got on the board first. Just seconds after checking into the match for Olivier Giroud in the 63’, the speedy Jeremy Ebobisse got in behind the Fire defense, forcing a tackle in the box. The referee pointed to the spot, giving LAFC a penalty kick that Bouanga turned into the opening goal of the match.
Patrick Los and other fellow Chicago Fire Academy players came into the match for the Fire in the second half, with the goalkeeper filling in admirably for Gal. He and the defense once again kept a potent LAFC attack at bay throughout the half, but the Men in Red could not break through as the whistle blew on the opening preseason match in the Coachella Valley.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire (Hashtags: #CF97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 0:1 LAFC
Goals:
LAFC - Bouanga (Penalty) 65’
Discipline:
None
Chicago Fire FC: GK Gal (Los, 76’), D Barroso (Reynolds, 46’), D Terán (Gonzalez, 46’), D Konincks (Pfrommer, 46’), D Dean (Gutman, 46’); M Oregel Jr., M Acosta (Williams, 46’), M Gutiérrez (Osorio, 46’); F Zinckernagel (Hlyut, 46), F Barlow (Boltz, 46’), F Glasgow
Subs not used:
LAFC: GK Lloris, D Hollingshead (Tafari, 77’), D Long (Dellavalle, 77’), D Segura (Yeboah, 77’), D Palencia (Wibowo, 82’), M Delgado, M Jesus, M Tillman (Saldana, 68’), F Bouanga, F Martinez (Ordaz, 68’), F Giroud (Ebobisse, 63’)
Subs not used: GK Hasal, GK Ochoa, D Santos, D Bombino, D Nielsen, M Evans, M Guerra, M Holm
Referee: Trevor Wiserman
Assistant Referees: Cameron Silers, Stephen Milhoan
Fourth Official: Servando Berna
