CF Montréal 0, Chicago Fire 0 | Player Ratings

After returning from the international break, the Fire headed north to play CF Montréal. Despite a few good opportunities from both teams (mostly Montréal), the game ended in a flat 0-0 draw to keep Chicago out of a playoff spot. Here is a short recap of the Fire’s individual performers.

*Players are listed in the order they lined up, followed by substitutes in the order they appeared

Starting XI

Chris Brady (9) – In potentially his best game of the season so far, Brady is the biggest reason why the Fire got a point out of this game at all. Brady made four saves against 19 Montréal shots, which yielded 1.66 expected goals against. Brady also completed 18 long balls and had a general pass accuracy of 76.9%.

Alonso Aceves (6.5) – Starting over Miguel Ángel Navarro at left back, Aceves put in a decent shift to help keep a clean sheet for the Fire. Aceves looked to get forward often with overlapping play and had six passes into the final third, but his biggest flaw came from his defensive responsibilities. Aceves did not win any of his tackles and only won 40% of his total duels.

Rafael Czichos (7) – Czichos had another solid game as the Fire’s captain and left center-back, which included two won tackles, six ball recoveries, and not being dribbled past for his full 90 minutes. Czichos also held an 83.3% pass accuracy and once again proved to be a stalwart in defense for the Fire.

Mauricio Pineda (7) – On the other half of the Fire’s center-back pairing was Pineda, who also played well. It really is not surprising anymore for Mauri to post a high passing accuracy, but regardless, the Bolingbrook native passed with a 91.7% accuracy, complemented by ten ball recoveries and seven duels. Pineda did look a bit more defensively susceptible than his partner, but that was made up for in his ability going forward.

Arnaud Souquet (6) – Despite Jonathan Dean seeing a run of starting appearances before the international break, Arnaud Souquet returned to the starting XI at right-back. It was a rough night for the Frenchman as Montréal focused on channeling most of their attacking play on the wings which forced Souquet to defend a lot of one-on-ones, resulting in him winning only four of his 14 duels. His passing was mediocre, he did not complete any successful dribbles, and his defensive actions were low relative to those of his teammates. A night to forget for Souquet.

Gastón Giménez (7.5) – After a bit of a rough patch form-wise, Gastón contributed to a great performance from the team’s double pivot. Tonga’s passing was the best we have seen from him in a Fire shirt so far, completing 100% of his 47 passes, and the rest of his game was solid too. Giménez picked up some defensive responsibility, engaging in eight duels, winning two tackles, and recovering the ball seven times.

Ousmane Doumbia (7.5) – Moving to the other half of the pivot, Doumbia also played extremely well. The Ivorian completed 82.2% of his passes, engaged in ten duels, posted 12 total defensive actions, and led the Fire in total touches with 62. Doumbia has proved to be a bit of a bargain for the Fire despite their collective performances, considering he was a last-minute signing made by a sporting director with one foot out the door.

Fabian Herbers (6.5) – Being deputized as a right-winger, Fabi was fairly ineffective going forward, but the effort was apparent. Herbers did not create any big chances or complete any accurate crosses in this match, but did track back well. Herbers was substituted for Jairo Torres in the 85th minute.

Brian Gutiérrez (7) – Pretty much the only offensive player even remotely up for the task, Guti led the Fire in shots (three) and was important for getting through balls into his teammates during the limited offensive opportunities that came up. Gutiérrez’s general passing was his biggest flaw, only yielding an accuracy of 67.4%, but that was mostly down to the youngster often having to make something out of nothing in terms of attacking play. Guti was substituted for Georgios Koutsias in the 89th minute.

Kei Kamara (6) – Still on the hunt for his record-breaking goal, Kamara was absent against his former team. Kamara only had two shots in his 90 minutes played (0.06 expected goals), zero completed dribbles, and was dispossessed three times. In fairness, the Fire should not be reliant on a 39-year-old to get them above the playoff line, but unfortunately, that is where this team is at right now.

Maren Haile-Selassie (6) – Playing on the left wing, Haile-Selassie failed to leave any mark on this match. Maren had a single shot during his tenure on the field, only had ten passes, and zero successful dribbles. He won two tackles and was involved in seven duels, but it was not enough, with the winger being substituted for Xherdan Shaqiri in the 57th minute.

Substitutes

Xherdan Shaqiri (6) – Coming on for Haile-Selassie in the 57th minute, Shaqiri still looked a bit fatigued from his international duties. Shaq passed well and created two chances, but given the total lack of offensive potency from this side, of course, nothing came out of it.

Jairo Torres (N/A) – Torres came on as a substitute for Fabian Herbers in the 85th minute, but due to his limited playing time, he could not earn a proper rating.

Georgios Koutsias (N/A) – Coming on for Gutiérrez in the 89th minute, Koutsias only played about four minutes, not long enough to earn a grade.

Manager

Frank Klopas (6.5) – This was certainly a game that Klopas was the coach of. Nothing inspiring came out of it, but it's also a point. Given that he is an interim coach, the fact that the squad is extremely flat, and not making the playoffs yields no consequences for this franchise, it is what it is. The subs could have come on much earlier, but any more of Jairo Torres could have created the opposite of a desired result. He is working with what he has, and in reality, the team’s peak may have already passed.