It's All Greek To Me: Chicago Fire 3, Atlanta United 3
It’ll be a hot time in Greektown tonight.
The Chicago Fire drew Atlanta United, 3-3, in one of the most chaotic MLS matches of the season. Greek-born Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas watched as two of his countrymen got on the scoresheet, one for either team, including a young star looking to make his mark in the Windy City.
Despite a 2-1 loss at Charlotte midweek, Klopas went for an effectively unchanged eleven. Gastón Giménez was forced to take the night off due to yellow card accumulation, and Fabian Herbers took his place in the midfield double pivot, with Jairo Torres forced to once again watch from the bench. Kacper Przybyłko kept his starting job up top, with Kei Kamara picking up an adductor injury in Friday’s training session. DP Xherdan Shaqiri once again started alongside Brian Gutiérrez, with the #10 once again playing centrally from the start and the homegrown folding out to the left.
Things started promisingly for the Fire in front of a good crowd of 18,343 under the lights, though within three minutes, midfielder Fede Navarro already had his name in the referee’s book. Captain Rafa Czichos, fully fit after suffering a minor injury a week prior, rattled the crossbar with his first shot, and it represented the Fire’s best opportunity of the first half hour.
25 minutes in, disaster struck. Miguel Berry burst towards the penalty box, and a combination of Mauricio Pineda and Navarro made light contact with the forward, and he went down. Referee Rosendo Mendoza assigned the blame to Navarro, handed out a yellow card, and he was sent off. The call was non-reviewable, as it was not a straight red card, a decision that the Fire players and staff rightfully felt aggrieved by.
As fate would have it, former Fire Academy fullback Andrew Gutman scored off of a rebound from the ensuing free kick. Gutman wheeled away in celebration, and in doing so, earned the boos of the whole Soldier Field crowd for the remainder of the match.
With no natural defensive midfielders left on the field, the Fire folded into a 4-4-1, with Shaqiri flipping out to the right side, and Gutiérrez joining Herbers in the middle. Despite being down a man, the Fire did not quit their attacking efforts, with Gutiérrez providing a spark even from a deeper position and Shaqiri looking comfortable out wide.
Though the home team struggled to create from open play down a man, opportunities did present themselves from set plays. Shaqiri found Czichos with a free kick that threatened the goal, but was put out for a corner.
Then, the Fire’s breakthrough came from another dead ball. Shaqiri’s corner appeared to curve directly into the near post, though on replay, it did take a touch from Juan José Purrata on the way through. While it wasn’t ruled an Olimpico for the DP, his set piece remained impeccable, and he certainly played a role in getting the Fire back into the game.
Incredibly, the Fire continued their momentum in the second half. A beautiful ball over the top from Shaqiri allowed Przybyłko to lay the ball on a platter for a wide-open Maren Haile-Selassie, who confidently struck the ball past Quentin Westberg. It was the second goal of the season for the Swiss winger, who continues to exceed expectations on loan from Lugano.
The lead wouldn’t last long. Ronald Hernández’s cross found Gutman, who once again came back to haunt his former club with an assist for substitute Giannis Giakoumakis. It was the Greek international’s seventh goal of the season, and Gutman’s fifth goal contribution of the year.
From then on, it was Atlanta who continued to press high up the field and maintain most of the possession. Admittedly, numerous calls did go their way, but playing up a man did benefit the visitors. They were once again rewarded with a gift when Giakoumakis’ second goal, initially deemed offside, was given as a goal. The offside decision was incredibly tight, and it’s hard to say that it was a clear and obvious error, but it was awarded nonetheless.
There was another twist, with referee Mendoza the center of the action once again. Atlanta winger Luiz Araújo, who earlier this week sealed a transfer to Brazilian giants Flamengo, received two yellow cards in the space of a minute, and was sent off. The match was reduced to ten-on-ten.
Indeed, there was one final moment of magic. Substitute Georgios Koutsias, the Greek U-22 signing this Spring, pounced on a chaotic mess in the box in the 89th minute to level the score. Haile-Selassie added an assist to his bumper night, and Koutsias notched his first MLS goal at the perfect time.
With the draw, the Fire remain unbeaten at home, and earned a well-deserved point. They showed a fight that they’ve been missing all season to come from behind, a man down, and provide a thrilling context and an excellent finish. Hopefully, this will provide the boost they need to launch a playoff push, and turn the season around.
The Chicago head to Austin on Wednesday for an Open Cup Round of 16 showdown at 8:00 PM.
