It's No Good: New England Revolution 1, Chicago Fire 1
On a cold, wet night in Foxboro, Massachusetts, before seemingly less than 5,000 fans, the Chicago Fire left with a point.
Entering New England riding the high of their first win of 2024, the Men in Red sought to win in a place they hadn’t since 2017. Despite the familiar surroundings of a cavernous NFL stadium, that wasn’t on the cards.
The ongoing international break forced multiple changes for both teams. New England were without breakout star Esmir Bajraktarević, who is on international duty with the U.S. Under-23s alongside Fire #1 Chris Brady. Brady’s absence meant backup Spencer Richey, after getting 45 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup midweek, got his first start of the season, while the visitors were also without DP Xherdan Shaqiri to Switzerland.
Hugo Cuypers earned his fifth start of the season, fresh from scoring his first MLS goal deep into stoppage time in the Fire’s 4-3 win against Montréal last week. 20 minutes in against New England, captain-for-the-day Fabian Herbers drilled a cross in his direction and found the $12 million signing unmarked in the penalty box. Cuypers converted in signature fashion, doubling his tally for 2024.
After taking the lead, the Fire continued their dominance in the first half, with Gastón Giménez setting the tempo next to Kellyn Acosta in the double pivot. Brian Gutiérrez, asked to play on the left wing despite Shaqiri’s absence in the center, looked creative and seemed to have won a penalty from ex-Fire defender Matt Polster before he was booked for diving.
With the final act of the first half, Brady’s absence was most certainly felt. Richey spilled a routine cross, allowing Nacho Gil to score a simple tap-in and level the game at one. The score was 1-1 going into halftime.
The dreary conditions were not suitable for a thrilling second half, either. Georgios Koutsias brought some life to the attack off the bench, but the Fire could hardly see any real chances materialize. The best opportunity came for the Greek youth international, who forced a turnover from New England’s backup keeper Earl Edwards Jr. but could not convert from close range.
Late introductions of Mauricio Pineda and Tom Barlow did little to reinvigorate the attack. Chase Gasper was introduced at left back, but was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury minutes later, giving further concerns for the Fire, already missing their go-to starter Andrew Gutman. Allan Arigoni finished the game as a makeshift left back, with Carlos Terán seemingly filling in at right back.
In the end, neither the Fire nor Revolution could find a winner in what was, truthfully, a stale, forgettable game. The hosts got their first points of the season, while the Fire failed to extend their winning streak to two and will stay on the road to take on Atlanta next Sunday.
