One of the most chaotic games of the MLS season took place on Saturday night as the Chicago Fire drew Atlanta United 3-3 at Soldier Field.
The contest had everything. Both teams had a player sent off. Both teams had some moments of magic, and some moments of madness. Both teams blew leads.
It was over 90 minutes of pure bedlam, and in the end no one actually won.
Quick recap
After an up-and-down start, the contest blew wide open in the 28th minute. It started when Federico Navarro was sent off for a second yellow card, as he (possibly) tripped up a player flying forward on the counter. That led to a free-kick on the edge of the area, and the rebound fell to Andrew Gutman, who slotted home from close range.
Atlanta took control of the contest following those moments, but it was the Fire who actually scored next. A corner was whipped in towards goal by Xherdan Shaqiri, and even though his olimpico attempt was saved, the ball bounced off of a defender before barely crossing the goalline.
Chicago surprisingly took the lead themselves at the start of the second half. Kacper Przybyłko chested an aerial ball down perfectly to Maren Haile-Selassie, and he made the most of the opportunity, slamming a volley through the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Atlanta responded well, equalizing soon after. A cross towards the back post was headed back across goal by Gutman right to Giorgos Giakoumakis, and he finished off the move with a simple tap-in from close range.
It didn’t take them much longer to restore their advantage. Giakoumakis was slipped through on goal by Thiago Almada,, and he rounded the goalkeeper before blasting the ball into an empty net. The sideline official’s flag went up at first, but the goal was ultimately given after a VAR review.
Their man-advantage was wiped moments later, though. Luiz Araújo was shown two yellow cards in the span of about three minutes, which meant that he had to see red.
That proved to be a big moment as the Fire tied things back up late on. A cross towards the far post found Haile-Selassie, and he settled it before laying the ball off to substitute Georgios Koutsias. He did the rest, slotting home with an instinctive first-time strike.
The contest had nothing left to give after that, and the two sides had to share the points as a result.
Thoughts and observations and whatnot
Usually referee’s call the game differently depending on what minute it is, but Rosendo Mendoza didn’t let that happen tonight, giving a yellow card in the 2nd minute. The decision itself was a somewhat questionable one, although it was nice to see a referee not let the time on the clock influence their decision.
That ended up being a big call as the same player was then booked before the half-hour mark. I won’t lie to you, I thought Federico Navarro did trip up Miguel Berry on the edge of the area, but Fire fans on Twitter were incredibly upset with the decision, so there may not have been any contact after all.
What in the world was Luiz Araújo thinking? Atlanta were about to cruise to the victory with the lead and the man advantage, and then he decided to pick up two yellow cards in a very short span. It brought life back into the contest, which was exactly what the visitor’s didn’t want to happen. There’s a reason why fans are excited to see Araújo leave, I guess.
Fans of the United States were understandably upset when Chicago didn’t release Brian Gutiérrez and Chris Brady for the U20 World Cup, but this game showed just how badly the team needs both of them. Guti made a bright start to proceedings, and he probably would’ve had a bigger influence if not for the early red card. Brady was brilliant, and he kept his side in the contest throughout.
This match epitomized what Frank Klopas is all about. He may not be the greatest tactical mind the sport has ever seen, but he just gets something out of his players. They have an added belief, and an extra desire to go out there and fight. That spirit was what got Chicago a point on the night despite everything that went wrong.
If Giorgos Giakoumakis can stay healthy, and Atlanta can keep providing him service, then he could very well be a contender for the Golden Boot.
Kacper Przybyłko and Georgios Koutsias have both struggled for the Fire this season, but the strikers absolutely showed up today. The former was key in terms of creating chances and finding space in the final third, and his playmaking led to his team’s second goal. The latter didn’t do as much, but he was just as impactful as he grabbed the all-important equalizer. If those two can keep playing at this level, then Chicago will have some really good options off the bench going forward.
Xherdan Shaqiri put in a solid shift. He was smart in possession, and he even helped out defensively when his team went down a man. His intelligence and technical ability created a goal for the Fire since his olimpico attempt ended up finding it’s way into the back of the net. He’s finally been able to stay healthy for an extended stretch, and fans will hope that he only continues to improve as time goes on.