RECAP: Fire Draw 2-2 With LAFC as Son Makes MLS Debut
The Chicago Fire could only pick up a point from Saturday night’s fixture with LAFC, drawing 2-2.
Playing at Bridgeview’s Seatgeek Stadium, the Men in Red held a lead twice but were pegged back each time by the visitors.
19,831 fans created a festive atmosphere as football superstar Son Heung-Min came on for his LAFC debut in the second half.
High-Quality Football Early On
The game was end-to-end from the start. Chicago took a 1-0 lead in 11 minutes courtesy of a beautiful Carlos Teran header. Philip Zinckernagel assisted the Colombian from a corner kick, notching an 11th assist and 21st total goal involvement of the campaign. Just two minutes later, the Fire had a penalty shout waved away after Hugo Cuypers went down in front of the goal.
The momentum pendulum swung the other way in the 16th minute. Nathan Ordaz broke free of the Fire’s last defender in Teran and was met with acres of space. Chris Brady had to produce a remarkable save with his legs to deny Ordaz the equalizer. Just two minutes later, though, LAFC got their goal. Ryan Hollingshead’s header soared past Brady, only for Cuypers to jump in and produce what appeared to be a goal-line clearance. The referee ultimately confirmed the ball had crossed the line, and just like that, it was 1-1.
There were only half-chances for both sides the rest of the way to halftime. Both back lines did well to stifle any attacking pressure, with Teran being particularly outstanding for the Men in Red. 1-1 felt like a fair scoreline heading into the break.
Instant Impact for the Man of the Hour
LAFC came close to taking the lead for the first time in the 58th minute. Timothy Tillman was afforded far too much space in the final third and struck from close range, only to be denied by Brady. Three minutes later, visiting fans had reason to cheer, as one Son Heung-Min was brought in off the bench. The Korean stalwart replaced David Martinez to a standing ovation from the fans in Bridgeview.
The noise level inside Seatgeek Stadium went up even further at the 70-minute mark. Zinckernagel weaved into the danger area from the right side and played a short pass to Jonathan Bamba. The Ivorian winger sent a thunderbolt of a finish into the back of the net from a difficult angle, putting the Fire up 2-1.
Plenty happened in the 77th minute. Chicago had a huge chance to put the game to rest after Zinckernagel squared the ball to Cuypers, but Hugo Lloris raced in to deny Cuypers the goal. With Lloris still on the ground, the ball fell to Brian Gutierrez, whose low shot hit the post. LAFC raced up the other end and freed up Son on the counter-attack. Teran made a crunching tackle that was initially judged to have been clean. A lengthy VAR review saw a penalty awarded to the Black and Gold.
Denis Bouanga assumed his usual penalty duties, much to the disappointment of the many Son sympathizers in the stands. The Gabon international dispatched his spot kick into the top corner, tying the game at 2-2 with 81 minutes gone. That proved to be enough for LAFC to seal a point on the road, as Chicago had to content themselves with another draw.
A Good Performance Not Rewarded
Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter spoke to the media post-game, noting the massive improvement made by his side throughout the year.
“I think the team is making a ton of progress,” Berhalter said. “You see the level of that game today… Happy that we made progress, but really disappointing not to get those three points.”
Carlos Teran, whose undisputed man-of-the-match performance was tainted ever so slightly by the penalty decision, said something similar to his manager.
“I’m really happy about the goal, because it’s my first one of the season,” remarked the Colombian. “I’m not comfortable with the tie, because the objective is three points every week, but LA is a good team.”
The ever-motivated Chris Brady also commented on the positives and the negatives.
“There’s that belief of yes, we got one point against a good opponent,” the goalkeeper said. “But we were at home, and I think we did have enough chances to put the game away.”
One of the several positives from the clash in Bridgeview was the performance of Jonathan Bamba.
The Designated Player has slowly been finding his feet and nearly tore the net off with his goal against LAFC.
“It was a really nice goal, especially because it was well deserved based on how the team was playing,” Bamba said. While he described the final score as “very, very frustrating,” Bamba was content with his individual performance. “I’m getting better and better compared to the beginning of the season.”
Playoff Race as Tight as Ever
There are nine games left for the Fire to play in the 2025 regular season. Chicago is just above the playoff line, occupying 9th place in the MLS Eastern Conference table.
Three points separate the Men in Red from their closest chasers, the New York Red Bulls.
Next week, the Fire return to Seatgeek Stadium for a regional rivalry matchup with St. Louis City. The hosts will hope to draw another passionate crowd to Bridgeview as they seek three points.
That game is set for next Saturday at 7:30 pm.
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