RECAP: Chicago Fire Struggle, Lose to NYCFC, 3-1
The Chicago Fire saw a massive opportunity to strengthen their playoff hopes go to waste on Saturday evening.
Playing in front of a 20,636-strong crowd on their return to Soldier Field, the Fire were defeated 3-1 by New York City FC.
The gap between Chicago and the top eight in the MLS Eastern Conference increases to four points.
Early Fire Goal Not Enough
An uneventful start to the game ended promptly in the 13th minute. After a poor giveaway by NYCFC’s Tayvon Gray, Brian Gutierrez took control of the ball and raced into open space. The midfielder found Philip Zinckernagel, who took a touch inside the box and finished with ease to make it 1-0 to the Fire. The Dane improved to 26 goal involvements for the season, putting him within striking distance of Nemanja Nikolic’s single-season record of 28.
For much of the first half, the Men in Red looked shaky at the back. New York City nearly capitalized in the 35th minute, when Dje D’Avilla misplaced a pass. Alonso Martinez tried to curl a left-footed shot just under the crossbar, but Chris Brady read it well, making a diving save.
Chicago’s resistance broke in the 40th minute. Kevin O’Toole delivered a line-breaking low cross from the left, picking out Nicolas Fernandez completely unmarked in the box. The Argentine rolled a first-time finish into the empty net and leveled the game at 1-1. Gregg Berhalter’s side went into halftime with plenty to evaluate.
Complete Control for New York City
NYCFC came out looking more threatening than the hosts in the second half. Alonso Martinez had a strike from distance saved by Brady in the 50th minute, before Thiago Martins’ headed attempt three minutes later flashed just wide of the post.
The Fire responded with a major chance of their own in the 55th minute. Gutierrez’s nifty footwork set up a curling effort from some 30 yards out that caught Matt Freese sleeping. The ambitious attempt flew inches wide of the goal frame.
Ultimately, the Fire’s lax defense was punished. A poorly-defended corner kick in the 58th minute saw a deflection fall at the feet of Martinez, who smashed his shot into the back of the net. NYCFC took a deserved 2-1 lead into the final half-hour.
A huge chance went begging for Chicago in the 68th minute, when Jack Elliott’s header towards the back post went untouched by the Fire attackers. Time and time again, the hosts struggled to get a shot off across their many attacking surges. Extra touches here and there cost the Fire dearly, forcing Berhalter to switch to a two-man strike force. In the 86th minute, a Zinckernagel corner was directed just over the bar by Andrew Gutman.
The visitors sealed the deal in the third minute of stoppage time, after yet another defensive collapse from the Men in Red. This time, it was Seymour Garfield-Reed who got his name on the scoresheet after Elliot had given the ball away to Agustin Ojeda. A poor night for the Men in Red drew to a close just a few minutes later.
On to Next Week
For what it’s worth, the objective is clearer for the Fire now: make it into the playoffs. It’s been Berhalter’s mantra all season long, even as fans calculate probabilities of finishing higher up the table.
The reality for this team is 9th place and a wild-card berth, so long as they fend off the New York Red Bulls.
Of course, the chance of playing NYCFC again in the Wild Card Round exists, but it’s not something the club are hoping to avoid.
“To go far in the playoffs, you have to beat good teams,” Berhalter said to the media on Saturday.
“We know that in the playoffs, the intensity reaches a new level… Regardless of who we play, we’ll be ready.”
One of the more exciting things to happen at Soldier Field on Saturday was the debut of Joel Waterman.
The Canadian international played 80 minutes alongside Elliott in the center of defense.
It wasn’t a dream start to life in Chicago, as the back line struggled, but Waterman remains positive.
“I thought [playing out the back] is an area where we could have been better, myself included,” he said.
“I thought we could have made it a bit more difficult on them and try to push for the game, but those are things we’ll talk about, and we’ll regroup.”
Good news for Chicago’s playoff hopes came in on Sunday, as RBNY fell 2-1 to the Portland Timbers. The Fire retain a two-point cushion with a game in hand on their nearest chasers.
This is particularly important for a team that faces stern tests in its next three fixtures.
The Men in Red will face Minnesota United away next week, before returning home to take on the Columbus Crew.
An away game against Inter Miami will close out a nightmare three-game slate.
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