Did Georgios Koutsias' tucked-in shirt help the Fire win?
The Chicago Fire won their first game in nearly two months tonight thanks to goals from Hugo Cuypers and Brian Gutiérrez.
But can second-half substitute Georgios Koutsias claim some credit for the victory?
Fire fans on social media are asking that question, and if the answer is yes, perhaps Kellyn Acosta should get an assist.
Georgios Koutsias on his tucked-in shirt as the Fire win for the first time since April 6th:
“Before the game, Kellyn told me that I have to do it, and that if I do it we will win!”#cf97 #vamosfire pic.twitter.com/y8ZcpRilYO
When Koutsias stepped on the field in MLS for the first time in April of last year, he did so with his jersey noticeably tucked into his shorts. His arrival also heralded a strong run of form in the spring and summer that included a stretch of winning six games from seven between June and July. However, starting with a crushing 3-1 home loss to Orlando in August, the Fire’s form fell off at the end of the season, and after missing the playoffs, they stumbled to a 2-8-6 start in 2024.
According to X user @anthony_cf97, Koutsias’ decision to untuck his shirt beginning with the Orlando match was to blame for the Fire’s misfortune.
“[K]outsias untucking his jersey led to the fire being a horrendous team,” the Fire fan wrote Saturday morning. “Since the jersey was untucked the fire has amassed a staggering 4-8-15 record now the only solution to the fires issues are if someone tells koutsias to tuck his jersey in again.”
Word clearly made it back to the 20-year-old forward, as when he was introduced in the 75th minute of the Fire’s Saturday night inter-conference clash with the L.A. Galaxy, his shirt was tucked in once more.
With Koutsias and his tucked-in red shirt on the field, the Men in Red held on for their first win since April 6th, defeating the 3rd-placed Galaxy 2-1 at Soldier Field. The Fire remain in 14th place in the East but are now four points out of a playoff spot at the halfway point of the MLS regular season.
“Before the game Kellyn told me that I had to do it,” Koutsias said postgame. “He told me if I put it in, we're going to win, and I listened to him. So, I put it in and finally we won. And I'm very happy for the team.”
“I saw that all the stuff and the players were laughing and so was I. Finally, we won. I'm very happy. I want to keep going forward. So, if the team needs me to do it again, I will do it again.”
Koutsias will have to wait before he gets the chance to do it again, though, as MLS now enters the international break. The Fire will return to action on June 15th against Toronto FC.
