BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (June 30, 2018) – Facing a 2-1 halftime deficit against visiting New York City FC, the Chicago Fire received two second-half goals in a span of five minutes from Serbian winger Aleksandar Katai, helping the Men In Red earn an eventual 3-2 victory over second-place NYCFC Saturday at Toyota Park.
Chicago got off to a fast start in the match when Nemanja Nikolić opened the scoring in the 6th minute. Nikolić received a through-ball from Dax McCarty with only the goalkeeper to beat, finishing to the lower left corner for his 31st career MLS regular season goal.
New York City FC responded in the later stages of the first half, equalizing in the 36th minute when Ismael Tajouri-Shradi blasted in a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. Four minutes later, Jo Inge Berget finished a set-piece header to give the visitors a 2-1 lead entering halftime.
But the Fire received an immediate spark from Katai to begin the second stanza. Gaining possession on the right touchline, Katai eluded his defender and fired his left-footed effort past NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the 47th minute. It was a similar setup in the 52nd minute when Katai received a feed from Elliot Collier, this time shaking a pair of defenders and calmly firing a shot over Johnson’s shoulder for his eighth goal in 17 appearances this season.
NYCFC pressured Chicago’s net on several occasions down the stretch, but key saves by Richard Sánchez helped preserve the 3-2 victory and extend the Fire’s unbeaten streak to seven games across all competitions.
With two goals on the evening, Katai set a Fire club record by notching a goal or an assist in an eighth consecutive MLS match.
The Chicago Fire next will be traveling to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday, July 7 at 9:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+/Univision Radio WRTO AM 1200).
Chicago Fire 3:2 New York City FC
June 30, 2018 – Toyota Park
Attendance: 15,204
Scoring Summary:
CHI – Nemanja Nikolić (Dax McCarty) 6’
NYCFC – Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (Maximiliano Morález) 36’
NYCFC – Jo Inge Berget (Anton Tinnerholm, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi) 40’
CHI – Aleksandar Katai (Dax McCarty) 47’
CHI – Aleksandar Katai (Elliot Collier) 52’
Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Brandt Bronico (yellow card) 10’
NYCFC – Alexander Ring (yellow card) 28’
CHI – Richard Sánchez (yellow card) 89’
CHI – Alan Gordon (yellow card) 90’ +1’
Chicago Fire: Richard Sánchez; Diego Campos, Jonathan Campbell, Brandon Vincent, Jorge Corrales; Dax McCarty ©, Brandt Bronico, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Tony Tchani 85’); Elliot Collier (Mo Adams 66’), Aleksandar Katai, Nemanja Nikolić (Alan Gordon 72’)
Subs not used: Stefan Cleveland, Christian Dean, Rafael Ramos, Jon Bakero
Shots: 5; Shots On-Goal: 5 Fouls: 12; Saves: 4; Offsides: 3; Corners: 1
New York City FC: Sean Johnson; Sebastien Ibeagha, Alexander Ring, Alexander Callens; Anton Tinnerholm, Maximiliano Morález, Ebenezer Ofori, Ben Sweat (Jonathan Lewis 75’); Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Jesús Medina (Thomas McNamara 90+2’), Jo Inge Berget
Subs not used: Kwame Awuah, Brad Stuver, Maxime Chanot, Saad Abdul-Salaa, James Sands
Shots: 19; Shots On-Goal: 6; Fouls: 5; Saves: 2; Offsides: 0; Corners: 5
