BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (April 30, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC II (2-3-1, 7 points) played New York Red Bulls II (2-1-3, 11 points) to a scoreless draw on Sunday evening at SeatGeek Stadium.
Chicago earned a point in the tie, but New York earned an additional point from the ensuing shootout.
Chicago dominated possession early in the game, with numerous scoring chances in the first half. The first big chance for Chicago came in the 13th minute when Luka Prpa played Omari Glasgow into space on the right flank. The speedy winger’s attempt was parried by New York Red Bulls goalkeeper AJ Marcucci and into the path of Sergio Oregel, Jr., who pounced on the rebound. He got off another quick shot that Marcucci was able to deflect off the post before bouncing out of danger.
Immediately after, New York raced up the other end of the field, playing forward Frank Ssebufu behind the defense. Ssebufu squared up against Jeff Gal, who reacted well to make the breakaway save and keep the score at zero.
Prpa and Alex Monis connected on several occasions during the match, notably in the 24th minute, when Monis went on a break, dishing the ball off to Prpa. Prpa held the ball as the defense began to close in, firing off a shot that was saved by Marcucci.
Three minutes later, Glasgow once again took possession of the ball on the right side, squaring the ball into the center where Oregel back-heel-flicked it to Osorio, who took a shot in traffic. The ball went through the legs of a defender, deflecting just enough to slow it down and give Marcucci time to react.
The teams went into halftime tied, but Chicago came back from the locker room with renewed motivation. In the first minute of the second half, Monis streaked down the right and tapped the ball back across for an on-rushing Osorio, whose one-time shot hit the crossbar before bouncing out of play.
Several minutes later, Glasgow dribbled past several New York defenders, sending a hard shot wide to the right of Marcucci.
After coming into the second half on a substitution for Gal, goalkeeper Mihajlo Mišković made his first appearance of the season for Chicago. In the 66th minute, Mišković made his first save, blocking a low corner shot by New York forward Curtis Ofori. He was kept busy throughout the half, recording six of the team’s seven saves of the evening.
Chicago had another big chance late in the game as Missael Rodriguez sent a shot in front of the net, but the opportunity was denied by Marcucci, who sent the ball off his leg. The referee blew her whistle soon thereafter, awarding each team a point and sending the match to a shootout.
The Red Bulls won the coin toss and elected to shoot first. Frank Ssebufu stepped up to the spot and made his first opportunity. But it was Marcucci who shined in the shootout, recording a pair of diving saves and shutting out the Fire. Despite recording a save on his second try, Mišković couldn’t stop Henry Wise’s attempt and the Red Bulls walked away with an additional point.
The Fire will travel north next Sunday, May 7 to play MNUFC2 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The match will be available to stream on AppleTV MLS Season Pass.
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Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC II 0 (0):(3) 0 New York Red Bulls II
Goals:
None
Penalty Kicks:
New York Red Bulls II: Ssebufu (scored), Yearwood (saved), Mullings (scored), Wise (scored)
Chicago Fire FC II: Prpa (missed), Gallina (saved), Glasgow (saved)
Discipline:
RBNY - Mullings (Yellow Card) 49’
CHI - Leonard (Yellow Card) 55’
RBNY - Ofori (Yellow Card) 61’
CHI - Glasgow (Yellow Card) 81’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Gal (Mišković, 46’); D Fleming III, D Burks, D Rochester, D Ostrem; M Leonard, M Osorio (Gallina, 78’), M Prpa, M Oregel Jr. (Hency, 63’); F Glasgow, F Monis (M. Rodríguez, 62’)
Subs not used: D Reynolds, D Egan; M A. Rodriguez, M Flores; F Hernandez
New York Red Bulls II: GK Marcucci; D Ofori (Gutierrez, 90’), D Reid, D Ndam, D Yearwood; M Shapiro-Thompson, M Sullivan (Mullings, 46’), M Ruiz (Thomas, 46’), M Kasule (Wise, 68’); F Ssebufu, F Gorday (Estrela, 46’)
Subs not used: GK Meyer; D Alexandre, D Berkley, D Salinas
Stats Summary: CHI / RBNYShots: 17 / 15
Shots on Goal: 7 / 7
Passing Accuracy: 71.4% / 63.1%
Saves: 7 / 7
Corners: 11 / 7
Fouls: 16 / 16
Offsides: 6 / 2
Possession: 55.1% / 44.9%
Referee: Melinda Sopka
Assistant Ref 1: Rachel Smith
Assistant Ref 2: Stephen Milhoan
4th Official: Alex Hofstetter
