Blunderwall: Minnesota United 3, Chicago Fire 1
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The word is on the street that the Fire are out of the U.S. Open Cup.
Gregg Berhalter’s Men in Red fought to the end against a strong Minnesota United team at Allianz Field in the Twin Cities, but it just wasn’t enough as they fell 3-1 in overtime of the cup quarterfinal.
With just one day of full training since Saturday’s league game in Cincinnati, Berhalter was forced to turn to some bench players for his starting team. Maren Haile-Selassie and Djé D’Avilla, both of whom have featured prominently in the Open Cup run so far, were inserted for rare starts, while Tom Barlow gave Hugo Cuypers some rest up front. Chris Brady also returned to the lineup after a month away on international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
After a totally uneventful first 25 minutes, thing were turned from 0 to 100 at an incredible pace. Within the blink of an eye, veteran center back Omar González, who had had an excellent game up until that point, was sent off for a foul near Minnesota’s goal. It was the first straight red card of the 36-year-old’s 17-year professional career, and appeared to be an early killer blow for the visiting Men in Red.
However, a few minutes later, the Fire received a stroke of fortune. Philip Zinckernagel was fouled inside the penalty box, and the Fire were gifted a golden opportunity to take an unlikely lead. Brian Gutiérrez delivered from 12 yards, opening the scoring despite playing down a man.
Naturally, Berhalter responded to the goal but setting up his team for the long haul. Sam Rogers was introduced at center back to replace the position vacated by González (with Haile-Selassie being sacrificed from the offense), and the whole team recalibrated into a 5-3-1 formation. Andrew Gutman slotted in at left center back, Jonathan Dean flipped to left back, and Zinckernagel dropped back into a right wing back role out of possession.
Admirably, the Fire held on for the rest of the first half, maintaining control despite playing with ten men. Minnesota were restricted to just one shot on target in the first 45, with Chris Brady palming the attempt over the crossbar. D’Avilla looked the best he had so far in a Fire shirt, sitting as the deepest in an unorthodox midfield trio alongside Gutiérrez and Sam Williams.
Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay went to his bench at the half, however, and everything changed. Joaquin Pereyra, Anthony Markanich, and Robin Lod were all introduced, and within three minutes, the latter duo had turned the game on its head. Markanich supplied Lod with a cross in the 48th minute that enabled the Finland international to level the game at one apiece, breaking the Fire’s resistance.
From that point on, everything shifted in Minnesota’s favor. Joseph Rosales, Carlos Harvey, and substitute Kelvin Yeboah all came close with opportunities around the hour mark, indicating that a goal could be coming. Harvey came the closest, ripping a second attempt inches wide from close range in the 66th minute.
The Fire entered desperation mode, though unlike in Saturday’s loss, it was in a defensive capacity rather than an offensive one. Sergio Oregel, Mauricio Pineda, and Leo Barroso all entered, bringing a more defensive presence than the trio of Gutiérrez, Williams, and Zinckernagel, whom they replaced. Brady was forced into a big save in the 75th minute, denying Yeboah from close range once again, and in the 77th minute, he made a world-class stop against Lod.
After 96 minutes of emotional, end-to-end action, regulation finally came to an end. Brady once again ensured that the Fire made it that far, bringing his save count up to eight with a remarkable stop right at the end.
The Fire battled into overtime, but it started to go awry when D’Avilla went down with an injury in the 94th minute. Officials repeatedly prevented him from re-entering the game, forcing the Fire to play with nine men against eleven, and in that window, Minnesota scrambled in a go-ahead goal through Yeboah.
The controversial moment would prove the decider, but the Fire didn’t go down without a fight. The closest they came to scoring was a Pineda rebound that flew just over the crossbar.
In the match’s dying embers, Minnesota got a third goal. Yeboah pounced on a counter attack, getting in behind the Fire’s back line, and Barroso was called for a foul inside the box. Yeboah converted the penalty, cuing up “Wonderwall” and securing Minnesota’s spot in the semifinals.
The 3-1 loss marks the end of the Fire’s Open Cup dream, but ensures that their full focus will now be on MLS play. The team sits 9th in the Eastern Conference, just above the playoff line, and are looking to make the postseason for the first team since 2017.
Though it didn’t go their way, the ten-man Fire had a lot to be proud of in St. Paul. They fought tooth and nail to the end even with the odds stacked against them, and only went out of the tournament on a moment of madness and controversy. The thrilling, emotional experience of an action packed game in a playoff atmosphere is something they can hold onto, especially if they manage to finally return to the promised land this October.
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Brady (9); Gutman (7.5), Elliott (7), González (4.5), Dean (6.5); D'Avilla (8), Williams (7), Gutiérrez (5.5); Haile-Selassie (6), Zinckernagel (7), Barlow (5.5)
Substitutes — Rogers (8), Cuypers (5), Oregel Jr. (7.5), Barroso (8), Pineda (6), Bamba (5.5)
