The Chicago Fire removed a substantial monkey from their collective back Saturday night in Montreal, convincingly defeating a reputable Impact side, 3-0, at Stade Saputo. On the heels of a win that was significant on a number of levels for the Men In Red, take a look at some of the news and notes to come out of the match:
• First and foremost, the affair marked the first time since July 12, 2014 that the Fire took a full three points away from home in MLS play, bringing to an end the club's 36-match road winless streak within the league. Prior to Saturday, Chicago had dropped nine straight road matches after earning draws in its first two road contests of 2016 (at Orlando City SC, at NYCFC). The defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers (0-6-6) remain the lone club yet to win on the road this season, while the Fire join a group of eight clubs with one road victory in 2016.
WATCH: Full match highlights
• Ghanaian DP David Accam finished with a goal and an assist in the match, setting up the game’s opening tally in the 15th minute before being credited with a 73rd-minute goal on an inadvertent redirection of an Arturo Alvarez attempt. The goal is Accam’s sixth in MLS this season and his 21st in all competitions (16 MLS, 5 U.S. Open Cup) since joining the Fire prior to the 2015 season. His 21 goals across all competitions are tied with Brian McBride (2008-10) for 13th on the club’s all-time list, one spot ahead of both Chad Barrett (2005-08) and Dominic Oduro (2011-12) with 20 apiece.
• Accam’s four assists in MLS play this season have already doubled his total for the 2015 season.
• Midfielder Arturo Alvarez managed to record two assists in just 18 minutes of action after coming on to replace John Goossens in the 72nd minute. It marks only the second multi-assist game in Alvarez’ 202 career MLS appearances, with the only other occasion coming on July 14, 2007 as a member of FC Dallas.
• In the midst of his 10th MLS campaign, Alvarez now has five assists in 2016 and is one shy of his career best. Alvarez notched six assists during a 2008 season when he played 28 games splitting time with both FC Dallas and the San Jose Earthquakes.
• Argentine striker Luis Solignac opened his Fire scoring account with his 15th-minute goal on the counterattack. It was his fourth career goal in MLS, with the other three coming in a five-game stretch during the month of April, 2016, as a member of the Colorado Rapids.
• After going without a goal or an assist for the first 43 games of his MLS career, midfielder Matt Polster has now found his way on the scoresheet in three consecutive league outings. Polster netted his first goal on July 31 before picking up an assist last Sunday vs. Orlando City SC, and on Saturday he provided an insurance goal in the 89th minute with a bending shot to the far post around goalkeeper Evan Bush.
• The clean sheet marked Chicago’s seventh of the season and the club’s first away from home since April 10 at NYCFC. For goalkeeper Sean Johnson, the shutout was his 35th in MLS. The seventh-year pro has now started 166 career MLS matches, 13th-most by a goalkeeper in league history and four behind Seattle Sounders FC’s Stefan Frei in 12th.
• Chicago also picked up its first-ever road win in Montreal, having previous posted an 0-4-2 mark in six trips since Montreal's 2012 arrival into MLS. The Impact had won the last three overall matches in the series -- all by a one-goal margin -- after Chicago had claimed a 3-0 victory at Toyota Park on May 30 of last season.
• Montreal entered the match having scored at least one goal in nine consecutive MLS outings and in 15 of its last 16. Before Saturday, the club had not been shut out at home since April 23.
• Saturday also marked the first time in four attempts that Chicago kept prolific striker Didier Drogba from finding net against the Fire. Drogba, who had three shots on goal Saturday night, had scored five goals in three previous meetings with Chicago. Among active MLS players, only Kei Kamara (7) and Bradley Wright-Phillips (6) claim more career goals vs. Chicago.
