Any last hope the Chicago Fire had of making the playoffs was washed away on Saturday night as they lost 2-0 to CF Montréal at Soldier Field.
After a very hectic opening few minutes, the away side took complete control of the contest, scoring twice before the end of the first half. A red card to Montréal midfielder Ismaël Koné before the break did make things interesting, but Chicago weren’t able to make the most of their man advantage.
The scoreline ultimately didn’t change, which meant that the Canadian side ended the night with all three points.
Story of the match
Chicago nearly opened the scoring after just a minute. The run of Jhon Durán out wide was picked out by Chris Mueller, and the forward took a few touches before hitting a shot towards the near post. He was denied by a superb save, though, with Sebastian Breza getting an arm up to block the ball away.
Montréal then had a chance of their own two minutes later. Hitting on the counter, Djordje Mihailović went for a first-time strike on the edge of the area, but he was also denied by a bit of brilliant goalkeeping, this time from Gabriel Slonina.
Another opportunity came at the 10-minute mark, and this one went to the away side. A low pass across the box fell to Joaquín Torres in a good position, but his shot rolled just wide.
Things just kept happening, and Montréal forced another save out of Slonina a bit later on. Lassi Lappalainen cut inside and drove forward with the ball, and he eventually found himself in some space in a dangerous area, but his attempt was just a bit too close to the goalkeeper.
They would finally make the most of their pressure midway through the first half. Ismaël Koné was given too much space on the edge of the area, and that allowed him to receive a pass, settle himself, and curl the ball into the top corner past a helpless Slonina.
Montréal made it two a few minutes later. They caught a bit of a lucky break since they were awarded a free-kick for a pretty debatable handball, but the strike itself was not lucky at all as Romell Quioto rifled the ensuing set-piece into the back of the net.
It should have been three a bit before the break. The Canadian side carved Chicago apart on the counter, and the move seemed set to be finished by an unmarked Quioto in the area. He bottled it, though, skying a first-time effort well over the bar.
The Fire were handed a lifeline at the very end of the first half. Koné, who was already on a yellow card, brought down an onrushing Fabian Herbers. It was a routine foul, but the referee thought otherwise, and showed the player a second yellow before flashing out a red card and sending him off.
They nearly capitalized on it minutes into the second half. Some good play led to Herbers sneaking through on goal down the right wing, and his strike was a powerful one. However, Breza managed to get a hand on the ball to tip it onto the crossbar, and the rebound was eventually dealt with by his backline.
Chicago kept on pushing, and they created a good opportunity past the hour mark. Kacper Przybyłko laid the ball off to Jhon Durán in the box, and his curling effort looked like it was heading for the bottom corner. However, just like every other time earlier, Breza stepped up and made the save.
Federico Navarro effectively headbutted an opposing player with about 15 minutes to go, but no card was given for whatever reason.
Durán did have the ball in the opposing net late on, but he was clearly in an offside position, so the goal was rightly chalked off the board. A few moments later he hugged the referee following a minor skirmish, which was a weird, yet wholesome moment.
That would end up being the final highlight of proceedings, with Montréal holding on to secure the clean sheet and the win.
Takeaways
The Soldier Field grass looked poor once again. It was very patchy, and that must have made things tougher on the players out on the pitch. That place is simply not the answer for Chicago.
Arlo White was on commentary again, which was a shame.
After a slow start in their last game against NYCFC, the Fire tried to begin this game with more energy. That only lasted a few minutes, and then they went back to flat, uninspired soccer on both sides of the ball. If this happened earlier in the season then maybe it could have been excused, but the fact that they’ve dropped two stinkers at home while trying to make a push for the playoffs is unforgivable. Peak Fire, though.
Speaking of the postseason, we no longer have to speak about the postseason. Chicago might technically be just six points off of the 7th seed at the time of writing, but that hole seems too big for them to climb out of. They’ve just got no confidence or momentum any more, and their next two games are on the road against potentially quality sides. It would take a miracle for them to turn things around at this stage, and this team doesn’t look like they’ve got any miracles left in them.
Montréal, on the other hand, looked really good here. They took full control of the contest early on, and they got their goals while they were ahead. Even when they unfairly went down a man they still did well, holding on to their lead thanks to some smart defending. It was yet another quality performance from all involved, and the side should be a real threat come the playoffs.
Referee Michael Radchuk had a rough outing. The free-kick he gave that led to the second goal was iffy, and he made a bad situation worse by then giving the player a yellow card as well. If that call was harsh, then the second yellow given to Ismaël Koné was effectively a crime. Sure, it was technically on the counter, but the ball was so far away from the opposing goal, and the tackle itself was as soft as possible. He then missed a red card that should have been given to Federico Navarro for a headbutt. Hopefully Radchuk won’t have any more nights like these, or else the rest of MLS is in trouble.
At one point Carlos Terán won the ball, lost it because he tried a fancy backheel for no reason, and then committed a foul. That series of events perfectly sums up his Chicago tenure so far.
Man of the match - Romell Quioto
I really wanted to give this to Djordje Mihailović, who still had a good game despite not picking up a goal or an assist, but the nod simply has to go to Romell Quioto.
Montréal’s dangerman for most of the season, the former Houston Dynamo player was able to showcase his talent once again on this night. With his side up 1-0, Quioto stepped up to take a free-kick in a position that wasn’t the most dangerous. That didn’t matter to him, though, as he was able to unleash a strike that flew into the back of the net to double the visitors’ advantage.
He was a danger throughout, but that moment of magic was what set him apart from the rest. He was excellent tonight, he’s been excellent all year, and he’ll almost certainly be excellent for the rest of the campaign.
