CINCINNATI, Ohio(Sept. 2, 2020) - Chicago Fire FC (2-5-2, 8 points) earned a hard-fought point on the road, playing FC Cincinnati (2-4-3, 9 points) to a scoreless draw at Nippert Stadium on Wednesday night.
Fire goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, who missed the last game due to injury, earned Heineken Man of the Match honors. He recorded three saves, including one in the first minute of play and two from close range. Shuttleworth recorded his second shutout with the Fire, both versus Cincinnati. It was the 43rd clean sheet of his MLS career.
It looked like Chicago would pull ahead in the 70th minute but Ignacio Aliseda’s goal was called back after referee Marcos DeOliveira reviewed the play and VAR determined there was a handball by Fire defender Boris Sekulić in the lead-up to the goal.
The Fire, who controlled the game in the second half, weren’t able to match the scoring prowess the Club showed eight days earlier in a 3-0 defeat of Cincinnati in their home opener at Soldier Field on August 25.
Cincinnati haven't scored a goal in phase one of the revised 2020 MLS regular season. It was their third 0-0 draw in the past four matches. Tonight they were led by Kendall Waston, the Costa Rican international center back. The hulking defender won aerial duels throughout the game and even blocked Djordje Mihailović’s free kick in second-half stoppage time from his position in the defensive wall.
Next on the schedule: Chicago Fire FC will play it’s second home game of the year, hosting the New England Revolution at Soldier Field on Sunday, Sept. 6. The match will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on WGN-TV and ESPN+ and transmitted locally in Spanish on 105.1 WOJO-HD2. The pregame show, presented by CIBC, will begin at 6:15 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Notes:
- In Wednesday’s match, the Fire wore a ‘Frontline Heroes’ patch to show appreciation for Chicago’s medical personnel and essential workers for their service throughout the pandemic. The patch is part of the 2020 ‘Stand for Chicago’ patch series in which the Fire sport custom-designed patches on the jocktag location of the team’s jerseys. For more information on the series, click here.
- Chicago Fire FC has teamed up with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Ronald McDonald House Charities during the month of September to bring awareness to Kick Childhood Cancer. Captain Francisco Calvo wore a captain’s armband that represents Kick Childhood Cancer, and player jerseys featured a yellow ribbon patch.
- In previous matches, Calvo wore a captain’s armband that represents the Black Lives Matter movement. The armband was designed by Chicago-based artist and former Northwestern student-athlete Dwight White. For more information on the design, click here. Calvo has worn the captain’s armband in all nine games this season.
- Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth earned Heineken Man of the Match honors as he returned to the starting lineup after missing Saturday’s match against New York City FC with an injury. Shuttleworth recorded three saves in tonight’s match.
- Chicago Fire FC is the only team to score versus FC Cincinnati in the past four matches (3-0 win at Soldier Field on August 25).
Key attacking plays:
- CHI - Miguel Navarro 18th minute: Miguel Navarro collected a pass from Przemysław Frankowski and took a left-footed shot from distance that went slightly wide of the net.
- CHI - Robert Berić 36th minute: Miguel Navarro sent a ball in from the left side that pinballed from midfielder Álvaro Medrán to Berić, narrowly missing the net.
- CHI - Ignacio Aliseda 70th minute: Ignacio Aliseda had a goal called back after being reviewed by VAR. Second-half sub Elliot Collier received a ball on the right side from Boris Sekulić, who was later ruled to have touched the ball when he slipped on the turf. Collier passed it inside for Aliseda, who took a couple of calm touches before sending it into the back of the net with his left foot.
Stops and key defensive plays:
- CHI - Bobby Shuttleworth 1st minute: Haris Medunjanin served a set piece to Maikel van der Werff at the far post. The Dutch defender’s header was saved by a diving Shuttleworth.
- CHI - Bobby Shuttleworth 28th minute: Frenchman Adrien Regattin let go a right-footed long-range effort that was parried away by Shuttleworth.
- CHI - Bobby Shuttleworth 55th minute: Medunjanin sent a ball through the Fire backline to forward Jurgen Locadia. The Dutch forward turned and got off a right-footed shot, but Shuttleworth was there to make the close-range save with his right shoulder.
Box score:
FC Cincinnati 0:0 Chicago Fire FC
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary:
- FCC - Deplagne (Caution) 90+6’
- CHI - Bornstein (Caution) 90+7’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Shuttleworth, D Sekulić, D Pineda (D Omsberg, 90+2’), D Calvo ©, D Navarro (D Bornstein, 62’), M Frankowski (F Collier, 62’), M Giménez, M Medrán, M Aliseda, M Herbers (M Mihailović, 62’), F Berić
Subs not used: GK Sparrow, M Azira, D Bronico, M Gutiérrez, D Reynolds II
Shots: 13 Shots on goal: 1 Fouls: 17 Offsides: 0 Corners: 6 Possession: 48.0%
FC Cincinnati: GK Tyton, D Waston ©, D Garza (D Gutman, 76’), D Deplagne, D van der Werff, M Medunjanin (M Stanko, 86’), M de Jong (M Kubo, 63), M Amaya, F Regattin (F Cruz, 63’), F Locadia, F Gyau
Subs not used: GK Edwards, D Petterson, D Hagglund, D Bailey, F Vazquez
Shots: 8 Shots on goal: 3 Fouls: 12 Offsides: 3 Corners: 2 Possession: 52.0%
Referee: Marcos DeOliveira
Assistant Referees: Peter Manikowski, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth Official: Ismir Pekmic
VAR: Sorin Stoica
