The game started out very well for the visitors of Louisville City FC. In their inaugural season, it was certainly impressive that Louisville reached this far in the tournament and they almost took the lead in Chicago. In the 22nd minute, midfielder Magnus Rasmussen smashed a shot off the crossbar with a wicked left footed shot. That seemed like the best chance of the first half as the Fire's best chance was an Amarikwa shot that went wide. The game remained tied after 90 minutes and then extra time started. It was a nervous moment as nobody knew who would be the hero or if we would have to go to penalties.
But the Chicago Fire finally broke through as Guly de Prado found Amarikwa who headed into the net in 116th minute as Chicago broke the deadlock. Louisville City could not find an equalizer in the dying minutes as the game ended 1-0 in favor of the Fire.
This was a huge win for Chicago has they have been on the opposite end of some fixtures for quite a while. This was Chicago's third win in their last ten fixtures and many hope that this will spark a team that is at the bottom of the table in the Eastern Conference. While many players have been out for Chicago due to international duties the team has struggled mightily but it is something that a lot of teams deal with.
As for Louisville City, this has to be a crushing defeat. They stayed with Chicago and should have taken the lead but the shot hit the crossbar. They were very unlucky in this game and Chicago capitalized on their chance and that was the difference in the game. They are currently in a playoff spot in the USL and have had a great inaugural season. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you are Louisville City.