Columbus, Ohio (June 21, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC II (6-2-5-4) defeated Columbus Crew 2 (5-5-4-3) in a penalty shootout on Friday night at Historic Crew Stadium to earn an additional point on the road. With Chicago earning the extra point, the Fire are now unbeaten in their last five matches. The Fire have earned 13 out of a possible 15 points in that run, as they now sit in the top three of the Eastern Conference.
With summer in full swing, a warm night in Ohio featured aggressive play with both sides finding plenty of chances through the first 45 minutes as a combined 19 shots were fired in the opening half. Fire midfielder Christian Koffi was the first to threaten in the fourth minute as he loaded up for a right-footed strike past the diving keeper, but the ball ricocheted off the left post.
After a long punt from Fire goalkeeper Patrick Los, an awkward bounce just outside the Columbus 18-yard box provided defender Omari Glasgow with an opportunity to sneak one over the head of the encroaching Columbus keeper, but the shot was just off target to the left of goalkeeper Stanislav Lapkes.
A brief pause in the action for water at the 30-minute mark allowed both sides to reset and Columbus came out of the break looking to find their way onto the scoreboard by putting pressure on the Fire netminder. Los would not falter, making two impressive saves in the closing minutes of the half. A kick save kept the ball from sneaking inside the near post while a dive to his right several minutes later kept the score even going into halftime.
As the Crew were controlling the ball in front of their own net, Fire forward David Poreba applied the pressure and disrupted the rhythm of the goalkeeper which resulted in an errant pass back towards the middle of the box. Midfielder Harold Osorio capitalized on the error with a one-touch strike into the vacated net to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute.
With the match nearing full time, Columbus made a push in the 89th minute. A pair of well placed passes set up an opportunity for Crew forward Jayden Da to put one away and tie the game at one apiece. Nine minutes of stoppage time were added, but the score remained deadlocked, sending the game to penalties.
Each side made both of their first two penalties. Los saved Columbus’ third with a dive to his right, but Lapkes also made a save to keep it even after three rounds of kicks. Two more converted penalties from either side sent the match to sudden death, where the Fire prevailed in the eighth round with midfielder Juan Calle burying the clinching goal to give Chicago the extra point.
Social: X - @ChicagoFireFCII (Hashtags: #ChicagoFireII) | Instagram - @chicagofirefcii | Facebook
Box Score:Columbus Crew 2 1(6) : 1(7) Chicago Fire FC II
Discipline:
CLB - Mrowka (Yellow Card) 36’
CHI - Glasgow (Yellow Card) 42’
CLB - Pearson (Yellow Card) 70’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Los, D Glasgow (Borso, 46’), D Diouf (Blake, 65’), D Shannon, D Konincks, D Soudan, M Koffi (Calle, 86’), M Osorio (Prpa, 57’), M Heuer, M Oregel (Shokalook, 57’), F Poreba (capt.)
Subs not used: GK Stechnij
Columbus Crew 2: GK Lapkes, D Pearson, D Almeida, D Rogers, M Presthus, M De Libera (capt.), M Gonzalez (Rincon, 75’), M Brown (Williams, 85’), F Mrowka (Alaouieh, 75’), F Da, F Adams (Rayo, 85’)
Subs not used: GK Catlett, GK Johnson, D Greene, D Lindimore, F Adu-Gyamfi
Stats Summary: CLB / CHI
Shots: 12 / 19
Shots on Goal: 6 / 5
Passing Accuracy: 87.6% / 79.1%
Saves: 4 / 5
Corners: 6 / 4
Fouls: 12 / 10
Offsides: 1 / 6
Possession: 63.2% / 36.8%
Referee: Nabil Bensalah
Assistant Ref 1: Eric Burton
Assistant Ref 2: Sharon Gingrich
4th Official: Tre Gaither
