Coming out of the Chicago Fire's 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday at Soldier field, both Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson and defender Rafael Czichos were selected to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 21.
Czichos was immense against the reigning Concacaf champions, not only helping to lock down their attack and keep the team's ninth clean sheet of the season, but also providing the difference on the scoresheet with the game's only goal.
In the 23rd minute, Czichos found himself at the top of the Sounders' 18-yard box coming off of a restart. After the ball was recycled back out to midfield, Federico Navarro found himself with possession, picked his head up, and played an inch-perfect ball over the top to Czichos' head. The Captain rose and buried the opportunity past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland, delivering a 1-0 lead that would not be relinquished.
Hendrickson, meanwhile, received praise for his substitutions late in the game, bringing in fresh legs in the form of Jairo Torres and Fabian Herbers in the 60th minute to help preserve the result. The win was surely extra sweet for Hendrickson, who took three points off of his former employer in Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer. The victory was additionally the Fire's second in four days, and helped lift the Club to within four points of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.
Following last week's three-match homestand, Hendrickson, Czichos, and co. will next head west to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. CT, with coverage available on WGN, CF97 Live, Univision Radio, and MLS Live's out-of-market package on ESPN+.
View the rest of the Week 21 Team of the Week below:
