Chicago Fire FC were 2-0 victors against USL affiliate side Forward Madison FC on Wednesday afternoon in what was their fifth of six 2021 preseason friendly matches.
Having returned from Orlando this week after a month of training, Wednesday's exhibition was held within the familiar confines of SeatGeek Stadium. Head coach Raphael Wicky's side got goals from midfielder Álvaro Medrán and Brian Gutiérrez on both sides of halftime to help secure their third win of the preseason.
Medrán got the scoring started just three minutes into the match. Midfielder Luka Stojanović lined up to take a corner kick and sent an in-swinging delivery into the Madison six-yard box. After a brief clearance, the ball fell to a waiting Medrán near the penalty spot, who finished low to goalkeeper Phil Breno's right.
The Homegrown product Gutiérrez then got the Fire's second with a confident finish in the 68th minute. Przemysław Frankowski started the sequence when he received the ball at the top of the Madison 18. He deftly played through an on-running Miguel Navarro, who found the ball on the touchline and pulled back a low cross to the middle of the box. Boris Sekulić settled the pass into the path of Gutiérrez, who wound up quickly for the goal.
Up next, the Fire will play their final friendly match of the 2021 preseason this Saturday, April 10, when the Vancouver Whitecaps visit SeatGeek Stadium for an 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff. That match will be available for fans within a 75-mile radius of Soldier Field to stream for free at ChicagoFireFC.com and in the CFFC mobile app.
The Fire will then set their sights at last on their 2021 regular season opener, a meeting with the New England Revolution at Soldier Field on Saturday, April 17. For information on attending the Fire's home opener and to secure your tickets for the match, click here.
