All That's Old Is New: Chicago Fire 1-2 FC Cincinnati

CHICAGO, Ill. — For the first time since October 8, 2005, the Fire wore red at Soldier Field in a regular season MLS match. Both in that match and again on Saturday, the opponent was a team from Ohio – the Columbus Crew in 2005, and FC Cincinnati in 2024. Both times, the Fire would fall by a score of 2-1.  Also familiar, though of a more recent memory, was the means of the Fire’s defeat – a careless giveaway in a dangerous position, an unmarked man on a corner.

Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas made just one change from the lineup that played the Philadelphia Union a week ago: Kellyn Acosta made his first start for the Fire, coming on for the stricken Andre Gutman. That necessitated a formation change from the 4-2-3-1 that has been a hallmark for the Fire since 2022, with Klopas opting for a three deep back line. Fabian Herbers, once again proving his versatility, started as a wingback opposite Maren-Haile Selassie.

FC Cincinnati, for their part, were without new signing Luca Orellano, away for personal reasons, but fielded an otherwise strong lineup despite being in CONCACAF Champions Cup play and facing the prospect of hosting Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey midweek, including league reigning MVP Lucho Acosta and DP striker Aaron Boupendza.

The Fire controlled the lion’s share of the possession through the match’s first half hour, and though both teams had chances, none were able to get a shot on frame until Yuya Kubo in the 33’, forcing Chris Brady to make a toe save that sent the ball wide. Cincinnati would continue knocking, however, as former team captain Rafael Czichos had a bad giveaway straight to Boupendza from short distance.  The Gabonese striker would not waste the gift, putting the ball in the back of the net and making it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.

On the restart, the Fire pressed forward, and FC Cincinnati player Obinna Nwobodo fouled Brian Gutiérrez just inside the box, earning the Nigerian midfielder the game's first yellow card. After a VAR review, the replacement officials determined that a penalty kick was in order. Xherdan Shaqiri would make no mistake from the spot, tying the game for the Fire in 45' and both teams would head to the locker rooms tied 1-1 at the end of the first half.

Though both teams started the second half with the same XI as they did in the first, this time it would be the visitors who would come out of the locker room and set the tempo initially, though their advantage would soon subside. Neither side could find clear advantage as the play began to drag through the first 15 minutes of the second frame, and neither side seemed to have clear ideas on how to break the other down.

Seeking to regain momentum, Cincinnati’s Head Coach Pat Noonan would to go to his bench first, bringing on Bret Halsey for Alvas Powell. It worked, even if Halsey wasn't involved: Playing off a Lucho Acosta corner, a quick flick of Miles Robinson’s boot sent the ball past Brady, putting the visitors up 2-1 in the 68'.

After the second goal, the momentum belonged to the visitors. Seeking to regain a stand for the home side, Klopas made two substitutions in the 75', bringing taking off Kellyn Acosta and Fabian Herbers in favor of Federico Navarro and Georgios Koutsias. Noonan would soon counter by bringing on Sergio Santos for for Aaron Boupendza, likely looking to preserve the lead bringing on fresh legs while saving his star striker for midweek play.

The changes did nothing to alter the tempo of the match: Cincinnati continued to hold the momentum, registering multiple shots on Brady's net, while the Fire defended ably, even if they were unable to regain create real chances the opposite way.

Chris Mueller came on for Xherdan Shaqiri in the 86', marking a welcome reappearance for the Schaumburg native – his first for the Fire since his injury in May of last season. Though his return was welcome, it wouldn’t ultimately make a difference for the home squad, nor would Cincinnati’s final substitution, bringing on Gerardo Valenzuela for Corey Baird.

In the second minute of stoppage time, the Fire would have their best chance of the half, as Federico Navarro would play the ball to Koutsias dead center just a handful of yards from Celenatno’s goal. The chance was glorious, but the execution was not, and the Fire would finish the night with just a single shot on frame, and none in open play.

Going into the final minutes of regulation, Pavel Bucha and Corey Baird both earned yellows for the visitors, though other plays – going both directions – were not called, making the application of discipline feel arbitrary.

In the game's waning moments of stoppage time, Brian Gutiérrez earned a yellow card, causing the 25,582 who had gathered to see the Fire's return to red to audibly share their sentiments at the match's officiating as team's home opener concluded with a loss.

Despite the result, the Fire – playing in a formation that has rarely been seen from Klopas's side – were outplayed in individual moments but overall held their own against the reigning Supporters Shield winners defensively. They largely took Lucho Acosta, the reigning league MVP, out of the game in open play, but at the same time, fell into far too many of the traps that Fire teams have over the past few seasons: A single misplayed ball created a turnover that was instantly converted into a goal; a player was left unmarked on a corner and took full advantage. Generally strong play in stretches failed to result in shots, let alone chances or goals, and the attack seemed to lack a final touch.

Still – there were elements of backbone that were obvious, and it was individual moments of error, rather than larger blunders or being outplayed on a grand scale, that led to the ultimate result. If the Fire can find that final touch and remedy those mistakes, they can control their own destiny through the 2024 MLS campaign.

Can they resolve those issues before their match against MLS Cup-winning Columbus Crew? We will soon see.