The Chicago Fire’s winless run continued on Saturday afternoon as they drew 0-0 away to the Columbus Crew.

It wasn’t the worst scoreless tie the world has ever seen, but the crowd at Lower.com Field didn’t have much action to enjoy. There was a spell in the second half where Columbus really should have scored, but they failed to make the most of the chances they created.

As a result, the points were shared.

Story of the match

The opening stages saw both teams have some promising attacking moves, but they always broke down thanks to a bad pass or a wrong decision.

Even less happened in terms of the rest of the half, but there was a chance right before the break. The ball was laid off to Derrick Etienne Jr on the edge of the area, and he went for a first-time curler towards the far post. The impressive effort was denied, though, as Gabriel Slonina reacted quickly to make the save.  

The second half took some time to get going as well. An opportunity came Columbus’ way when Lucas Zelarayán picked out Cucho Hernández with a cross, but the latter’s powerful header flew a bit wide of the target.

Zelarayán went from provider to shooter moments later. Flying forward on the break, he carried the ball to the top of the area before unleashing a strike that seemed set for the top corner. Slonina was up for it, however, getting across and smacking the ball away. 

It became the Slonina show as he had to make another save soon after. The ball fell to Hernández in a promising position, but his strike was a bit too central, which allowed the goalkeeper to get his legs out and block the effort.

Things calmed down following that barrage of chances, and the game never really picked back up. The Crew had most of the ball, but they didn’t do much with it. Part of it was due to Chicago’s solidity at the back, and part of it was due to their own ineptitude going forward, but in the end it led to the scores staying at 0-0. 

Takeaways

It was nice to have Tyler Terens back in the broadcasting booth. (I know he was on commentary for the New England game but I missed that one so this is his return to me.)

The contest wasn’t an absolute bore, but it certainly wasn’t the most thrilling 90+ minutes. The two sides just kept messing up in the final third, which led to almost no attempts on goal, other than during Columbus' second half flurry. It really felt like a September game.

Of all of the matches that have happened this season, this will certainly go down as one of them.

Gabriel Slonina was very good once again. None of his saves in particular were spectacular, but he kept himself in the right position for most of the game, which is what made his denials a bit easier. Chelsea fans might want him to head over right now, not going to lie.

This result doesn’t really do much of anything for anyone. Columbus kind of needed a win here since they were the home side, and they were also up against one of the weaker sides in the Eastern Conference in terms of the standings. Chicago, meanwhile, knows that they can’t afford to tie any more games, but they keep doing so anyway. They have to start winning, not just not losing. If neither side ends up making the postseason, this game could be a big reason why.

I wonder what the future has in store for Andre Reynolds. He’s been a reliable enough performer the few times he’s been called upon this campaign, but he’s not really had any standout showings. He’s kind of just been there. Is that enough for Chicago to keep him for next season? Not sure.

Remember when Jonathan Bornstein was subbed on as a winger against D.C. United earlier in the season and he ended up scoring? Those were good times.

Man of the match - The indomitable human spirit

I don’t know if anyone on either side will be too happy with what happened over the course of the afternoon, but at the very least they can be content with the fact that they tried.

Columbus were on the front foot for most of the contest, and even though they failed to convert the chunk of chances they created, they did have to work to carve out those openings. Chicago rocked up with a different kind of lineup, and it was nice to see them try something new despite the mixed results. Even the crowd did well to show up to the game, especially on Labor Day weekend.

We all may be doomed to an eventful demise, but we’ll still try our best to make the most of the time we do have.