RECAP: Depleted Fire Pick Up Valuable Point at Columbus, 0-0
It wasn’t the most enthralling of matches, but the Chicago Fire’s 0-0 draw at Columbus Crew on Saturday night will feel like a point earned.
Once again, the Men in Red have dealt with serious injury concerns in the early stages of the MLS season.
Playing a heavily-rotated XI, Chicago had chances to win, but won’t lament a hard-earned draw on the road.
Availability Issues Persist for the Fire
The Fire knew they’d be short-handed coming into the match with the Crew. Jonathan Dean had been red-carded against Montreal and was suspended as a result. His fellow full-back, Andrew Gutman, remained out with injury, while Viktor Radojevic was only just working his way up to match fitness. As a result, Gregg Berhalter was forced to play a 3-4-3 formation with Maren Haile-Selassie and Leonardo Barroso as wing-backs.
Further injuries to Sam Rogers and Hugo Cuypers meant Chicago had its back against the wall from the onset. Much to the Men in Red’s chagrin, the situation only got worse during the match. Barroso went down with a knock in the first half and had to be substituted for teenage debutant Dylan Borso. Chris Mueller, already playing out of position at striker, was forced off early in the second half. Robin Lod replaced him, meaning the Fire saw out the game with three attacking midfielders and no natural full-backs on the pitch.
Unexpected Heroes in Columbus
With so many players out, the heavy lifting for the Fire had to come from unexpected places. Borso, a 19-year-old who usually plays for Fire II, played 62 solid minutes out of position. The youngster was a force on both ends of the pitch, with one particular defensive moment standing out. Around the 51-minute mark, the Crew’s Taha Habroune floored a diving Chris Brady with a short-range shot. Max Arfsten fired in a follow-up, and Borso made a stunning goal-line clearance to avert the danger.
Proving his worth as a two-way threat, the USYNT international had a major opportunity to score the winner in the 71st minute. He got on the end of an awkwardly bouncing cross and headed the ball towards the back post. Borso’s attempt was denied by a fingertip save from Patrick Schulte.
On a more general level, the defending and goalkeeping from Chicago deserve nothing but the utmost praise. Having kept a clean sheet despite playing with 10 men last week, the Men in Red repeated the feat despite all the injury concerns. Brady made four stops, while the defensive trio of Joel Waterman, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and Jack Elliott were near-perfect. Mbokazi almost became the talk of the town when he forced Schulte into a save with the last kick of the game.
Taking It Week by Week
The general sentiment after Columbus is that the Fire would win that game under different circumstances. Luckily, there is hope on the injury front.
Post-match, Berhalter confirmed that Cuypers is only days away from returning and that Radojevic is on a minutes watch, but on track for a debut.
Chicago’s next test approaches on Saturday, when the Fire welcome DC United to Soldier Field.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
