RECAP: Fire Steal a Point in New York Against NYCFC, 2-2
In a game that mostly looked like the Fire were being outplayed and looking at a loss, they somehow pulled out a result following two late goals via Cuypers and Gutierrez.
Although the points were split, the match wasn’t exactly even. NYCFC outshot Chicago and also had the advantage in a 59/41 split of possession.
Until the last 15ish minutes of the match, Chicago’s performance was pretty uninspiring, which added to the pleasant surprise of having come away with a draw.
The Fire still sit below the playoff line, but gaining a point from a top Eastern Conference team is far from a bad result, and they are still within arm’s reach of sneaking into the playoffs.
The Comeback
The Fire lost 2-0 after allowing two early goals in the first half, both scored by NYCFC’s Martinez.
In the 78th minute, in a moment of brilliance from Hugo Cuypers, he cut to the inside and placed a left-footed shot in the back of the net from the top of the box. Just like that, the Fire were back in the game.
But it seemed too late for the comeback, as the clock hit the 90-minute mark, and the Fire hadn’t even up the score. But that’s when NYCFC defender Tayvon Gray forgot how to defend in the box and raised his arm on a Fire cross – causing a silly handball that awarded Brian Gutierrez a penalty and a chance to tie the game. Brian proceeded to do his thing and steal away a point from the Big Apple.
Big Match Ahead
Hopefully, the team can use the momentum to put in a good shift at home against the red-hot Inter Miami, who sit on top of the Eastern Conference currently. Last season, the home win against Miami was arguably the highlight of the season and gave the Fire a nice chance at still making the playoff cutoff as the last stretch of the regular season kicks off.
This time, a Fire win can provide the same exact result – a win can put them in the playoff picture with some help from other match results going their way.
The defense will have its hands full with Luis Suarez in good form. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 2-1 win for the bad guys. The good news is that once again, the Fire evades having to deal with Lionel Messi. While it is not confirmed, it’s likely that Messi won’t return for a couple of weeks.
The game will be at Soldier Field on August 31st and will kick off at 7:30 PM CT.
PHOTO: Tom Horak/USA TODAY Sports
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