The Chicago Fire snatched a draw from the jaws of victory on Saturday night as they blew a 3-1 lead late on to ultimately tie FC Cincinnati 3-3 at Soldier Field.
Cincy actually took the lead early on through Júnior Moreno, but after that strike the Fire took control. A goal-of-the-year contender from Kacper Przybyłko tied things up, and then Rafael Czichos put his side in front with a calmly converted penalty kick. Chris Mueller made it three moments after the halftime break, and that seemed to seal the result.
Cincinnati didn’t go down without a fight, though. Sérgio Santos pulled one back with about 10 minutes to go, and Moreno then slotted home moments later to complete an incredibly quick comeback.
Just like that the scores were level, and that’s how the contest would end. Somehow, someway, the two sides ended up having to share the points.
Story of the match
After an even opening, the away side took the lead in the eighth minute. Brandon Vazquez snuck in behind the backline, cut inside, and laid the ball off to Júnior Moreno. He settled the pass before getting a shot off, and even though it wasn’t the strongest effort, it still went in thanks to a deflection.
Chicago almost made an immediate response. Maren Haile-Selassie picked up a loose ball in the area and went for goal, but his strike was blocked away by a defender. The resulting corner then eventually fell to Rafael Czichos, but he was also denied.
It really should have been 2-0 in the 18th minute. An unmarked Vazquez was picked out in the box, and he had so much time to look up and pick up his spot. However, he hit his shot wide, bailing out the Fire backline in the process.
Just as it seemed like the match had slowed down, Kacper Przybyłko pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Drifting towards the left wing, he went for a first-time curling effort, and he pulled it off perfectly, with the ball flying into the top corner.
That moment of magic kicked Chicago into gear, and they took control of proceedings. They made the most of their dominant spell by jumping in front right before the half. Chris Mueller went down following a challenge from Yerson Mosquera, and the referee pointed to the spot. Rafael Czichos stepped up and slotted home the spot-kick.
Unbelievably enough the Fire would grab another goal immediately following the break. A cross-field pass from Arnaud Souquet found Mueller in a dangerous position, and he did the rest, bringing down the ball before rifling it into the back of the net.
The frantic pace of the contest continued as Cincy pulled one back immediately after, or so they thought. A corner wasn’t cleared properly, and Moreno ended up slamming a shot home from a few yards out. However, a VAR review followed, and the goal was called back due to an offside player making a play on the ball.
Things finally slowed down, and most of the second half went by without much incident. Both teams had some openings, but didn’t really capitalize on them.
Sérgio Santos, who was sent off in the last fixture between these two sides, came close to halving the deficit when his first-time effort hit the crossbar. It bounced away from goal, though, and the rebound was saved by the goalkeeper.
He would get another opportunity soon after, and this time he made the most of it. He snuck behind the backline, setted a looping pass from Luciano Acosta before picking out the bottom corner with an excellent finish. Game on.
Santos then could have tied things up himself, and he really should have. Álvaro Barreal made a superb run down the wing, and he found the forward in front of goal. His effort was tame, though, and it was saved by the goalkeeper.
That miss didn’t haunt Cincy for long, as they did grab an equalizer from the following corner kick. The ball somehow fell to Moreno in the box, and he pounced on the opportunity, curling a low strike off the post and over the line.
It was a spectacular comeback, and it was enough for Cincinnati to steal a crucial point on the road.
Takeaways
I realize it was freezing in Chicago by the time the match kicked off, but the attendance figure at Soldier Field was disappointing to see. It’s only game two. No one can blame fans for not wanting to go considering how the team has played as of late, to be fair. For the club, though, it’s a real worry.
This was the first game this season that the Fire wore their blue home kit, and this one looks even worse without a sponsor. At least the away has some design to it. The home kit looks so empty.
Love the silver name and numbers on the back of the orange Cincy jersey.
No one’s going to argue that Chicago are better going forward without Xherdan Shaqiri, but the frontline certainly looked more fluid tonight in his absence. The attack was more dynamic, and the all the running done by the likes of Mueller, Haile-Selassie, and Gutiérrez opened up space across the final third. If they keep playing like this with Shaqiri out, then he might not have a spot in the lineup when he returns. It’s too early for that kind of talk, of course.
Haile-Selassie in particular was great. He may not have gotten on to the scoresheet, but he made a real impact on the match. Incredibly shifty on the ball, he attacked his marker whenever he got the chance, and he usually got by him. The new man has to start again next week.
A new wrinkle that also helped was the positioning of Przybyłko. He drifted out wide a lot more than usual, which messed with the opposing backline. They weren’t sure who was supposed to mark him, and once they figured that out, someone else was running at them up the middle. Maybe this could be the start of a resurgence for the striker who had been struggling massively.
Chris Brady bounced back well from his mistake last weekend. He wasn’t at fault for any of the goals he gave up, and he actually made a few big stops over the course of the game. He’ll be just fine.
Miguel Navarro isn’t good enough, and the sooner new signing Alonso Aceves can get involved, the better.
Cincinnati showcased the duality of man on the night. They were excellent to start, and they were superb to end the contest, but in between was a whole lot of nothing. This team has a high ceiling, but they’ll have to be more consistent if they want to be a genuine threat in the Eastern Conference.
Luciano Acosta is a star, and could carry this Cincy side to new heights.
The Chicago Fire are not a serious club.
Man of the match - The indomitable human spirit
Cincy was dead and buried. I had already typed up most of my match report. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were back.
Cincinnati flipped a switch, and the substitution of Luciano Acosta certainly played a huge part, but it was a total team effort. They were first to every loose ball, they were smart in their decision making, and they were clinical when it mattered most.
It was a huge turnaround for them, and it could be the catalyst for something special this season.