CHESTER, Pa. (June 18, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC II (5-5-4-0) continued a four-game unbeaten run on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia Union II (4-8-3-2) at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Alex Monis opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first half, while Victor Bezerra and Sergio Oregel, Jr. each scored a pair of goals in an explosive second half for Chicago. The win helped the Fire climb up the Eastern Conference standings, ending the night in eighth place.
The match began as a cagey affair, with both teams probing for an early opening. Luka Prpa lofted a ball into the box in the fourth minute that froze Philadelphia goalkeeper Brooks Thompson in his tracks. But Charlie Ostrem, fresh off a goal-scoring performance on Thursday, was a step too late and could only tip the ball into the gloves of Thompson.
As the teams sought to take advantage of opposing errors, the Fire struck first while building out from the back. Noah Egan received a short pass in his own box before lifting his head and spotting Monis making a run. The defender lofted a ball that fell perfectly in the Homegrown forward’s path. Monis then chipped a charging Thompson at the edge of the box to open the scoring with his second goal of the campaign.
The goal opened up play for Chicago as Philadelphia looked for an equalizer. Monis and Ostrem were caught offside by inches several times in the half, but they almost connected in the 41st minute, when they both saw shots blocked after a Luka Pra nutmeg led to a flurry of looks in the box. The Fire would keep up the pressure, but the half ended before they could generate another chance.
Chicago picked up where it left off immediately after the second half whistle. Prpa flicked a ball over the top to Victor Bezerra just a little over 90 seconds after the whistle. The forward played the ball across goal to a newly arrived Oregel, Jr., who tapped the ball home to double the lead. The goal was the Homegrown midfielder’s first of the year for Chicago Fire II and first as a professional.
Philadelphia would raise the pressure as soon as the match was restarted. Committing greater numbers to the attack, the Union found an opening in the 54th minute. CJ Olney got a ball on the left wing and pinched into the box before releasing a pass across goal to Luciano Sanchez on the far post. The forward finished cleanly to cut the deficit in half and threaten the Fire’s lead.
But the Fire emphatically answered back by exploiting Philadelphia's urgency to equalize. Egan once again lofted a ball from his own half, this time switching to Michael Flores on the left wing in the 60th minute. Flores drew two defenders before releasing to an overlapping Bezerra, who outpaced the Union defense and finished off the far post for his first goal of the campaign.
Last year’s Golden Boot winner for Chicago Fire II would add to his tally not long thereafter. In the 69th minute, Flores again found space on the left wing, threatening the Union backline. As he tried to go around a defender, he was knocked down in the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Bezerra stepped up and left no doubt about his scoring prowess with a clean penalty kick to make it 4-1.
A scalding hot Fire attack only continued to burn away at Philadelphia’s defense. A minute after the penalty, Prpa dribbled down the middle and chipped the ball to the top of the box, where Bezerra flicked it to a running Oregel, Jr. The open midfielder simply turned and finished with one touch, doubling to his goal tally and adding to a massive 5-1 lead on the road.
Philadelphia would answer back in the 76th minute, when CJ Olney got a team-leading fifth assist on a corner kick to Boubacar Diallo. But the second half action would finally cool down as the Fire held on for their fifth win of the season.
The Fire will remain on the road next week for a rematch against Crown Legacy FC on Sunday, June 25. Free coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will begin five minutes prior to first kick at 4 p.m. CT from Mecklenberg County Sportsplex at Matthews, North Carolina.
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Box Score:
Philadelphia Union II 2:5 Chicago Fire FC II
Goals:
CHI - Monis (2) (Egan 1) (WATCH) 18’
CHI - Oregel, Jr. (1) (Bezerra 1) (WATCH) 47’
PHI - Sanchez (2) (Olney 4) 54’
CHI - Bezerra (1) (Flores 1) (WATCH) 60’
CHI - Bezerra (2) (P) (WATCH) 70’
CHI - Oregel, Jr. (2) (Bezerra 2) (WATCH) 71’
PHI - Diallo (1) (Olney 5) 76’
Discipline:
PHI - Nkanji (Yellow Card) 52’
PHI - Le Guennec (Yellow Card) 83’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Mišković; D Ostrem (Oregel, Jr., 46’), D Rochester, D Ueland ©, D Egan (Leonard, 79’), D Reynolds (Flores, 46’); M Gallina, M Casas, Jr. (Bezerra, 40’), M Fleming III; F Prpa, F Monis (Nesci, 74’)
Subs not used: GK Girón, M Rocha, M Kidd, F Hency
Philadelphia Union II: GK Thompson; D Rojas, D Le Guennec, D Nkanji (Riasco, 57’), D Castillo, D Sorenson; M Olney, M Diallo, M Stojanovic; F Pierre, F Sanchez (Castillo-Orellana, 90+1’)
Subs not used: GK Atkinson, D Portella, M Zama
Stats Summary: PHI / CHI
Shots: 13 / 14
Shots on Goal: 4 / 9
Passing Accuracy: 57% / 85.3%
Saves: 4 / 2
Corners: 4 / 1
Fouls: 12 / 12
Offsides: 0 / 7
Possession: 29.7% / 70.3%
Referee: John Matto
Assistant Ref 1: Alexandru Focea
Assistant Ref 2: Patrick Casey
4th Official: Adam Mitchell
