La Vie En Rose: Portland Timbers 1, Chicago Fire 2

For the first time ever, the Chicago Fire have defeated the Portland Timbers.

Despite a shorthanded squad, the Men in Red stole an unlikely late 2-1 win on the road in Cascadia. A late goal from Kei Kamara secured the victory, and strong defensive performances closed out the massive win, which could hopefully start a rally to follow up the June international break.

The starting team was heavily impacted by a combination of injury, the international break, and the playing surface. Head coach Frank Klopas reverted to the 4-2-3-1 formation that had been used earlier in the season, abandoning the 3-4-2-1 which has been regularly used over the last few weeks. Chris Brady returned in goal, Arnaud Souquet shifted from right center back to a more familiar right back position, with Rafa Czichos and Mauricio Pineda in the middle of defense. Alonso Aceves started in the absence of Miguel Ángel Navarro (national team duty), with Gastón Giménez and Fede Navarro in the midfield. With Xherdan Shaqiri with the national team and Maren Haile-Selassie limited to the bench with a small injury, Jairo Torres and Fabian Herbers came into the team as wingers, and Brian Gutiérrez was the starting #10 behind Kacper Przybyłko.

Though Providence Park is a place the Fire had never won in MLS and the Timbers were a team they’ve never beaten, Klopas’ team started the game on the front foot. The opening goal came just eight minutes in when Gutiérrez set of Herbers for a simple finish inside the penalty box. It was the 19-year-old’s 10th assist of the season in all competitions.

There was plenty of action during the first half, but most of it flipped Portland’s way after the opening goal. A big save from Brady prevented Evander from capping off a nice Timbers move, reaching the ball with his outstretched arm to preserve the advantage. However, it seemed like, even in the opening half hour the Fire were in preservation mode; Aceves had to rush into the six-yard box to thwart another dangerous attack just three minutes later.

The equalizer eventually came after plenty of pressure. Frank Boli was responsible, sliding the ball in at the near post following a good pass from Santiago Moreno. Portland were mostly in control for the remainder of the half, despite one big opportunity for Torres which was well saved by the goalkeeper.

Gio Savarase entered halftime as the happier of the two coaches, despite failing to hold the lead at home. Portland had all the momentum to close out the first half, and it continued into the second half. Indecisiveness from Evander in the final third prevented him from scoring from a golden opportunity in the 68th minute with the Fire reeling off of a counter attack.

Immediately after, Klopas turned to his bench introducing Kei Kamara and Jonathan Dean in place of Przybyłko and Aceves respectively. Kamara immediately showcased his ability to make an impact in combination, and presented evidence that he’s still the Fire’s best striker despite his age. Maren Haile-Selassie and Georgios Koutsias entered ten minutes later, with the latter nearly scoring from his first play after coming on.

The Fire continued to boldly push for a winning goal and were finally rewarded through Kamara. An inch-perfect assist from Gutiérrez – his second of the night and 11th of the season – found the head of the 38-year-old forward, who nodded the ball down and into the net.

Before victory could be assured, there were a few final scares; Czichos initially appeared to have been sent off in the closing minutes, though VAR overturned what was a clear and obvious error as he got the ball and not the man. Brady had to make a late save, and Nathan Fogaça’s bicycle kick with the last kick of the match nearly leveled things at the death. The Fire held on though, securing a historic win.

This win could be huge. The international break presented an opportunity to reload and work on some tactics, including the return to the 4-2-3-1, which proved to be the correct move. Now, the goal is the turn this win into momentum, to fuel a strong second half of the season. The playoff dream isn’t dead yet, but it will require a persistent push over the next few months.

The Fire return on Saturday at Kansas City.