Lions Sleep Tonight: Chicago Fire 3, Orlando City 1
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — For the first time since 2009, the Chicago Fire have won a playoff game.
Bridgeview was the setting once again, and it came in a 3-1 thumping of Orlando City in the Eastern Conference Wild Card game.
After a month-long experiment with a defensive back five, Gregg Berhalter reverted to his original plan A for the play-in. The starting XI was a 4-3-3, with Brian Gutiérrez returning to the lineup after several games on the bench. Sergio Oregel also got the nod after a solid outing off the bench in New England last week.
The Fire started as the better of the two teams, setting the tempo early both with and without possession. There was very little to show for it in terms of shooting in the first 30 minutes, and Orlando gave them a slight scare when Duncan McGuire got in behind Joel Waterman, but Jonathan Dean was there to clean it up.
Things really started to heat up in the last 15 minutes of the half. Orlando were getting killed by the Fire’s press, and were extremely fortunate to escape without conceding. Entering the half, it was clear what the Fire’s blueprint should be in the second 45.
Berhalter’s team followed it to a tee. Within three minutes, a Jonathan Dean cross found the feet of an unmarked Gutiérrez mid-air, and the homegrown midfielder calmly controlled it and scored. Just a few minutes down the road from his hometown of Berwyn, the 22-year-old gave his local team the lead and their first postseason goal since 2012.
Things got even better a few moments later as Orlando’s biggest weakness was blatantly exposed. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who has looked shaky for the entire second half of the MLS season, was caught lacking trying to pass the ball out of the back, and Hugo Cuypers’ pressing was enough to force the Peru international into a tragic error. The Fire’s DP #9 just needed one touch to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the 68th minute, Cuypers delivered the dagger. The Belgian was having his best game in a Fire shirt both with and without the ball, and combined with Philip Zinckernagel as he has so many times this season to make it 3-0. Orlando’s defense left him unmarked running in behind and showed signs of exhaustion after an hour of relentless Fire pressing.
From that points on, the Fire cruised to victory. Orlando could consider themselves incredibly fortunate to have not lost this one by five or six goals, considering how they back line did not seem to turn up to work. They got one back late through Tyrese Spicer, but it wasn't enough.
Now, it's on to Philadelphia. Game one of the best-of-three series will be played in Chester, Pennsylvania this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Central Time.
