5 Things We Learned: Chicago Fire vs. FC Dallas

For just the second time in 234 days, the Chicago Fire have won a soccer game. And they did it in the most unlikely way possible, too, coming back from a late deficit on the road against FC Dallas to win 3-1, with all three tallies coming after the 82nd minute.

It's a much-needed victory for the Men in Red, who have started the season poorly with a 4-2 loss to Columbus and a 2-2 home draw with D.C. United. With extra eyeballs on the Fire this season after the arrival of new head coach Gregg Berhalter, they needed to get results, and they finally got one in bizarre circumstances.

Here are three things we learned from yesterday's big win.

1. Berhalter still has his juju

Being completely honest, early questions were raised about the Fire after the first two games, and they were completely valid. Berhalter's team was utterly picked apart in Columbus, and Wilfried Nancy clearly won the tactical battle on opening day. Against D.C., the Fire struggled going forward and could only score from a pair of poorly defended set pieces before falling apart at the end with a conceded penalty and, ultimately, a last-gasp equalizer.

Last night, the opposite was true. Sure, the Fire failed to create plentiful chances for the first 75 minutes of the match and were generally lackluster in both the attacking and defensive thirds, but they got a result in large part because of Berhalter's adjustments near the end. The head coach saw that Dallas' double pivot of Ramiro and Sebastian Lletget was struggling, so he decided to overload the central portion of the field and was rewarded with three quick-fire goals.

It is up for debate how much one wants to blame or criticize Berhalter for the first two results. However, what cannot be denied is that he played a pivotal role in the unlikely comeback in week three — and his late tactical adjustment is ultimately the thing most responsible for the turnaround and three points. If this continues, the 51-year-old coach will be shutting a lot of people up... even if most of those doubters come from outside Chicago.

2. Brady is earning a new contract

Last week, we determined that goalkeeper Chris Brady had emerged from his sophomore slump. This time out, we can take it a step further and say he's been one of – if not the – best goalkeepers in Major League Soccer this season so far.

It's not something that should be said lightly, but after a second successive man-of-the-match performance, it's safe to say he's playing at a far higher level than last season. It's not just the five key saves to take into account; the newly-minted 21-year-old, fresh off of a birthday last Monday, marked the occasion with his first career penalty save. It also came against one of the league's most prolific strikers, Petar Musa, and preserved the two-goal cushion in the dying minutes.

Brady's shot-stopping this season has been nothing short of elite, and as he continually establishes himself to be among the league's best, the question of his contractual future will naturally circle back around. Despite his emerging status domestically, he's still among the lowest-paid starting goalkeepers in MLS, and has already publicly raised concerns via the press. Should USMNT attention and European clubs enter the mix in the coming months, the Fire may not be able to hold on to their homegrown star much longer without putting a new offer on the table.

3. There are going to be lots of goals this season

The first three games of the Fire's season combined have tallied 14 goals. That's not a coincidence, and that ~4.7 goals per game rate is something Fire fans might become accustomed to over the course of this season. It's true because of the levels on both sides of the ball... and there's no easy fix right away.

Starting with the positive side of things, the Fire's offense is clicking already and looks far more cohesive than it did at any point last season. Jonathan Bamba has been a revelation and even if he hasn't added any goal contributions since opening day, he's been an ever-present threat off of the left side. Hugo Cuypers looks more confident than he did last year, and Brian Gutiérrez looks like a man reborn playing in his preferred central position. Upon the imminent return of 2023 top scorer Maren Haile-Selassie, the attack will get even stronger and deeper.

However, the backline – particularly the center backs – remains a key talking point and has been a huge weakness this season, as they were on Saturday. A warmup injury to Carlos Terán last week has left Sam Rogers as a de-facto starting center back, and he has looked out of his depth at the MLS level. Jonathan Dean has been nothing short of underwhelming on the right side and is much better suited to a substitute role, while Jack Elliott has clearly not been at his best. Andrew Gutman was the bright spot on the left side, but he was asked to do much more going forward and was not the leading man responsible for defense.

All this is conducive to high-scoring soccer... so buckle in, folks.

4. Barroso may be a gem

There's no question that signing Portuguese youth international Leonardo Barroso – who had zero professional minutes before this weekend – to a valuable U-22 Initiative contract was a gamble. But after scoring a game-winning goal off the bench in his pro debut, early signs are it was the right move for the Fire.

Given the performances of Jonathan Dean across the season's first 258 minutes of action, it was obvious that a shakeup was needed on the right side, and when Barroso was introduced in the 78th minute against Dallas, the game flipped on its head. His first involvement in MLS was combining with Sergio Oregel Jr. in a moment of offensive transition, allowing the homegrown to find Hugo Cuypers in the penalty box... who then assisted Andrew Gutman for the equalizer. Moments later, he arrived on time at the back post to finish off the rebound from a saved Brian Gutiérrez attempt.

Ultimately, Barroso's 20-minute cameo in Frisco wasn't enough to make any sweeping judgment about his future. But scoring on your professional debut as a 19-year-old is certainly not common, and given the instant impact he had going forward with the ball at his feet, it's evident that Barroso will be a game-changer for the Fire's right-hand side.

5. The midfield is a crisis

The bad often comes with the good, and the Fire's seemingly eternal midfield crisis got even worse last night. Though they were down to just three traditional first team midfielders against Dallas – Kellyn Acosta, Brian Gutiérrez, and Sergio Oregel – two of the three couldn't complete the 90 minutes, with Acosta leaving in the first half due to an apparent hamstring injury.

Yet another midfield injury is truly the worst-case scenario for the Fire, and Berhalter even told media postgame that his concern level at the position was a "9.5 out of 10." Second team midfielder Sam Williams' brief cameo in the second half burned his second and final short-term call-up appearance, meaning his MLS season is officially over unless he signs a first team contract. Fire II's Harold Osorio has just one remaining game of eligibility. Rominigue Kouamé remains on the treatment table with no apparent imminent return to play. Thus, Mauricio Pineda is the only other possible first-team option, leaving the likes of Trip Fleming III, Chase Nagle, and Diego Konincks as fallbacks (albeit not very attractive ones) who could theoretically get MLS call-ups as midfielders.

If the necessity of signing another midfielder wasn't already pressing, it certainly is now. Faced with the possibility of an inexperienced 16-year-old academy player or an out-of-position center back, a move for a Russell Canouse or Hassani Dotson should now be an urgent priority. As good as Oregel has been in his surprise emergence across the last few games, relying on him to be a 90-minute player every week for an extended time is a big ask, and adding a more experienced alternative will ease the pressure on both him and the rest of the midfield group.